Biomass and biofuels have received a great deal of science, engineering and media attention, and the debate surrounding the sustainability of these fuel sources is ongoing. Professor John Oakey, Head of the Energy Technology Centre at Cranfield University, UK, reports on the Institute’s Energy from Biomass and Waste conference, held on 11 March in London, UK.

A secondment programme brings ‘technical translators’ into design companies, helping them improve their products by making better use of materials. Lou Reade reports

The UK’s London Olympics Organising Committee has retracted its ban on PVC products in response to demands from construction companies. It is now calling on industry to find a sustainable long-term solution for the use and disposal of PVC in temporary buildings at the 2012 Olympics sites.

Thermoset plastics that can be remoulded and recycled several times over when heated to about 100ºC are possible, claim researchers in The Netherlands.

A production process, based on high velocity metal forming, can manufacture fuel cell bipolar plates in a fraction of the time normally required, according to a technology firm in the USA. This could also make fuel cell production cheaper.

Direct laser interference lithography can speed up micropatterning of hydrogels for biomedical applications with improved resolution, says Dr Andrés Lasagni in Germany.

Wafer-thin loudspeakers that project sound further than conventional models could transform public address systems in train stations, airports and shopping centres. The Flat Flexible Loudspeaker, from engineers at the University of Warwick, UK, is less than 0.25mm thick and emits planar directional sound waves.

Engineers at the University of Ghent, Belgium, are working on glass fibre/polyester floating point absorbers for wave energy conversion. They are designed to stay at sea for 20 years, surviving extreme offshore weather conditions.

All-optical broadband and telecommunications signal processing may soon be possible at
transmission speeds above 100Gbit/s using silicon, according to a European research consortium.

A multifunctional nanomaterial to combat viruses, bacteria and fungi is under investigation by scientists at Intrinsiq Materials, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. They are exploring its application within and on the surface of products such as disposable medical devices, filtration media, facemasks and hygienic surfaces.