Water contamination from mining activities is a global problem, damaging many freshwater ecosystems. This water, which can seep into the natural environment is high in heavy metals and can be very acidic. Options for treating this water can be very expensive or impractical for many of these contaminated sites, which can include abandoned mines. A new, inexpensive way of treating this water is being studied by CRL Energy in New Zealand, using mussel shells, a waste product itself from the food industry.

Commonly used processes to treat drinking water supplies cannot remove the nonbiodegradable chemicals such as endocrine disruptors. Increasing evidence of the potential impact from these non-biodegradable chemicals on human health is documented in many research reports.[1] Utilizing solar energy coupled with a catalyst such as TiO2 to treat drinking water is a possible solution to ease our need for clean water supplies. Using a TiO2 photocatalyst is not efficient because of its ability to function by absorbing only UV light (only 4% of the solar energy).

Due to abundant reserves and environmental cleanliness, natural gas has introduced the environmentally friendly vehicles - natural gas-powered vehicles (NGVs), which have the potential of providing a solution to air quality problems. However, low volumetric energy density of natural gas results in NGVs’ short-range driving, inhibiting them from widespread adoption. A conformable pressure tank is considered as a solution to the issues of energy density and onboard fuel storage capacity and therefore, the driving range for NGVs.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) recently introduced stringent regulations for the treatment of ballast water. Ultra-violet (UV) light is a useful technology in a ballast water treatment system (BWTS), for inactivating phytoplankton which could be invasive and harmful to humans and the environment. UV damages DNA and prevents replication, but the vital stain methods mandated in the USCG protocol do not detect UV damage. Alternative culture-based measures of reproductive capacity are yet to be approved, time consuming, and have limitations (not all species may grow).