Converging technologies and their opportunities for innovation

The Conversation’s Brad Libby recently posted a thought-provoking article about converging technologies, and their potential. He envisages artificial intelligence (AI), lithium-ion batteries, infrared cameras, lidar laser range detectors, actuators, 3D printing and more. What if these technologies converge simultaneously? Would … Read more

Green hydrogen

FCEV

Green hydrogen has been an expensive fuel, so far. Producing it by solar or wind energy (and electrolysis) is now three to four times as expensive as producing ‘grey’ hydrogen from natural gas, releasing CO2. And there are the technical … Read more

Alternative proteins

mock meat

Alternative proteins receive more attention. Meaning: proteins not from animal origin. Like vegetal products, and fermentation and artificial meat and fish. Much progress is being made. Major growth On change.inc, Hannah van der Korput recounts that in 2023, companies producing … Read more

Water scarcity

Water shortage in India.

Water scarcity is becoming an urgent problem in more regions of the world. This presses on industrial facilities, for instance. Many of them need to reduce their water consumption – while safeguarding the level of industrial production, of course. Water … Read more

PHAs: why does it take so long?

3D printing PHAs

Paques Biomaterials, producer of PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates), has obtained a subsidy of € 14 million in order to commercialize its technology. The development of this material called Caleyda® will take place in Emmen, the Netherlands. PHAs are attractive biologically downgradable plastics … Read more

The surprise of flash hydrogen

Hydrogen is at our disposal, so it seems, in many colours: black, grey, green, blue, turquoise, purple, aquamarine, pink, red, blue, yellow, orange, white, … [1, 2, 7]. Some colours are relatively new, like pink or purple for hydrogen from … Read more

Phosphorus depletion

phosphorus mine

Phosphorus is essential for life on Earth, says Chris Slootweg on his profile page of the University of Amsterdam. It is an essential element in global agriculture. It plays a prominent role in modern science and technology: organophosphorus compounds have … Read more

Eggs without the chicken

Chickpeas

Recently, the Dutch site change.inc devoted attention to progress in the production of artificial eggs. Consisting of a number of compounds that approach the natural egg. But then of course, of vegetal origin. Eggs without the chicken, can it be … Read more

Resistance to antibiotics

resistance to antibiotics

The World Health Organization says we’re currently losing to the bugs. Because resistance to antibiotics is increasing; and because there are too few new antibiotics in the pipeline. In The Conversation, Allen Cheng reviews the situation. Antibiotics, a wonderful discovery … Read more