Eco Factor: Concept lawnmower powered by solar energy.

Researchers estimate that a typical gasoline-powered lawnmower running for half an hour provides the same amount of emissions as a car driving 200km. This enormous emission and the noise produced by conventional lawnmowers have always made eco-conscious manufacturers figure out a way to make these machines clean. While manual reel mowers can also bring a touch of green to your mowing job, but the effort it requires makes most people leave the lawn untouched.

Industrial designer Frank Deveson has designed an innovative lawnmower that helps keep your lawn tidy, without making much noise and no emissions at all. The lawnmower is actually based on a normal reel mower with an electric backup. The design boosts manual effort with the use of high-power batteries through use of a torque sensing system that triggers the batteries on, only when the mower is pushed. On top of this, the batteries are charged with a photovoltaic panel that is mounted on top of the mower.

Thanks: [Frank Deveson]

Eco Factor: Urine broken down into hydrogen using electrolysis.

With the dearth of low-emission fuels and the high cost of renewable energy generating system such as photovoltaic cells have tempted automobile manufacturers to look towards sources which are present in abundance. Being the most abundant in the universe, hydrogen has always fantasized car manufacturers as a green fuel which doesn’t bring any performance issues along as well. However, conventional process used to generate hydrogen from water and finally transporting it, aren’t as ecofriendly as the fuel itself is.

Researchers at the Ohio University are trying to solve the riddle by generating hydrogen from a cheap and readily available waste – urine. These researchers believe that electrolyzing urine for hydrogen is easy as compared to generating hydrogen from water as in urine, hydrogen molecules aren’t as tightly held as in water. The system breaks down urea at a voltage of just 0.37 volts, which is significantly less than the 1.23 volts required to split water.

The research was initially conducted on synthetic urine made of dissolved urea, but later the group realized that the process was just as efficient when tried on human urine. The researchers believe that the technology can be scaled-up to generate hydrogen while cleaning up the effluent from sewage plants. The only downside is that urea gets converted into ammonia by bacteria very quickly, which could limit the usefulness of the technique.

Via: RSC

Eco Factor: Nitrogen-fueled fireworks produce less smoke and lesser toxins.

Be it Diwali in India or the Fourth of July celebrations in U.S., people love to watch fireworks illuminating the night sky in different colors. However, these fireworks produce a lot of smoke and considering that people are simply in love with them all over the world, the amount of toxins and smoke poses a serious threat to both humans and the environment.

In order to achieve a colorful sky, fireworks manufactures stuff their products with different types of explosives and materials that make them burn longer and produce bright colors, where Antimoy and barium and the main culprits, which end up polluting the neighborhood with toxins and smoke.

Scientists at DMD Systems are working on a newer generation of “greener” fireworks, which are fueled by nitrogen and produce less smoke and toxins. Unfortunately these fireworks won’t be available for either Diwali or the Fourth of July celebrations, as they’d be too expensive to burn for a few seconds of colorful illumination.

Via: Popsci/Discovery

Eco Factor: Solar-powered mobile electronics charger.

Mobile electronics usually come in small packages, but their number present in the world poses a consistent load on the grid which above all is not present when you are in an emergency. Energizer has been regular in showcasing chargers for those who remain on the move, and the company is making news again with 10 new Energi To Go products.

The company will being selling these products this month, which includes something for everyone. The line includes large 18,000mAh devices that can charge three gadgets in one go and a smallish 600mAh device to give a boost to your cellphone when you’re away. The best of the lot is the solar-powered charger that can harness energy from the wall socket too. According to the specification the range starts from $19.99 and ends at $199.99.

Via: GearLog

Eco Factor: Sustainable housing project will be the largest in the UK.

Aspiring to be the largest eco-village in the United Kingdom, the Hanham Hall Development will consist of over 190 homes built to house people with a green mind. The development will include an onsite biomass CHP plant, which will generate heat and power for the village. The village will also feature reed beds, shops for farmers to sell their produce, bicycle storage and an ecofriendly drainage system as well.

The project is slated to be completed by 2016, with the first home coming up next year. Falling under the government’s Carbon Challenge Programme, the complex will be designed in a green way to its core. The development will be free of VOCs to ensure healthier living. SIPS Panels will be used at the main structural element throughout the complex with other energy-efficient systems also finding a place for themselves. Waste materials will be recycled onsite to ensure the complex’s zero-emission aesthetics.

Via: Inhabitat

Eco Factor: USB drive gathers your driving performance and makes suggestions on how to make fuel last longer.

In a world where automobile manufactures all over the world are promising hybrids and electric cars, Fiat is working on a technology that lets you know your driving performance and makes suggestions on how to improve your car’s mileage. The system is based on the use of a USB drive and software. While driving your performance is monitored by the car’s software and stored in the USB drive, which can be connected to a computer for the analysis.

The device also makes certain suggestions to improve mileage by making some changes in your driving habits. The system was awarded by the organizers of the Cannes Cyber Lions. While Fiat is tightlipped about the technical details of the software, the company does promise a change in car’s performance and efficiency with the eco:Drive.

Via: AutoBlogGreen

Eco Factor: Researchers plan to develop artificial leaf using nature’s building blocks to harness solar energy in the most efficient of ways.

We all know that nature is the best architect and designer of all and researchers have always tried to replicate the most simplest of natural phenomenon for endless renewable energy. Researchers at the Leiden University have tried to imitate the process of photosynthesis to harvest sunlight even in the worst places.

The researchers state that the best light-capturers in nature are chlorosomes of bacteria that can harvest light particles even when they’re at the ocean bed. These scientists are trying to build semi-synthetic model of this technique and have developed a model that resembled a bacterial light antenna. Using the most innovative technologies of NMR and x-ray diffraction, they were able to determine the molecular structure of the antenna.

The device can now be used to harness sunlight and now all the researchers have to do is to convert that sunlight into usable energy, once developed the system will be able to harness energy even in shadowed areas. Researchers are also envisioning nano-scale forests that can produce clean energy from light.

Via: Gizmag

Eco Factor: Mood lamp powered by solar energy.

For those of you in love with space technology, bringing your passion to your living room in a green way has been made easy by a Japanese electronics company, IDEA. The company has launched a new range of ambient lighting system that seems inspired from what folks over at NASA and other space agencies are accustomed to design – spacecrafts.

The ambient lighting system generates solar energy using its built-in solar panel, which the company claims offers enough charge for 8 hours of illumination after about 5 hours of sun exposure. The 12-inch tall lamp is currently available in Japan at a decent price of 1575 Yen or $16.

Via: Treehugger/Engadget

Eco Factor: Zero-emission lawnmower is powered by electricity.

Gone are the days when mowing your lawn in the morning could have triggered a neighborhood brawl. Electric engines come with dual benefits, one of which is a silent engine, which most of you would love your lawnmowers to possess. The ReCharge Mower is one such machine that lets you keep your lawn in shape without emitting a single gram of CO2 in silence. The machine is powered by three electric motors and the company claims that it’s 50% quieter than conventional mowers.

The ReCharge Mower gets 900W of green power on its two blade motors, which are fueled by three sealed batteries, positioned along the center of the unit to keep you from toppling over. The mower’s dual cutting blades have five cutting heights to enable you to achieve a perfect shape of the grass. The company claims that the mower can carry a 330 pound operator around, but the heavier you are the less the machine will run on a charge.

The $2,195 mower can be recharged using a conventional wall socket in 12 hours, after which it can function for three hours provided you don’t weigh too much. The machine is also packaged with a few safety features like the Operator Presence Switch that detects the operator’s presence and stops the blades once the operator gets down from the seat.

Via: AlternativeConsumer

Eco Factor: Eco artist turns plastic trash into functional jewelry.

What relevance do trashed plastic bottles and aluminum cans hold for normal party animals? I guess nothing, other than junk needing a place to be thrown or if someone cares a bit about the environment then recycle. However, recycling cannot always be as ecofriendly, since melting plastic to give it some other form requires a vast amount of energy, which in most cases comes from conventional polluting sources of fuel.

If you’re looking to help the environment in a more fashionable way by using products created from used plastic bottles and cans without melting them into some other shape, then Kathy DellaValle is the person you should look for. The eco-artist turns trash into fashionable jewelry that can be worn on any occasion. Moreover, the price she quotes for her artwork isn’t going to burn holes in your pocket as well. From earrings to broaches, Kathy does everything that can transform you into an environmentalist by ensuring that your makeover doesn’t end up polluting the scarce resources.

Thanks for the tip: [Kathy DellaValle]