News
Delft breakthrough in bioethanol production from agricultural waste
20 November 2009With the introduction of a single bacterial gene into yeast, researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands achieved three improvements in bioethanol production from agricultural waste material: ‘More ethanol, less acetate and elimination of the major by-product glycerol’ This week the invention was published in the scientific journal “Applied and Environmental Microbiology“.
read more
'Replace VAT on construction materials with ecotax'
20 November 2009We must aspire towards buildings whose materials cause no environmental impact whatsoever: zero-material buildings in other words, so Prof. Michiel Haas asserts in his inaugural lecture at TU Delft on Friday 20 November. To accelerate the path towards the zero-material building, he advocates charging an ecotax on construction materials. That way, VAT on construction materials could be abolished.
read more
TU Delft strongly represented in final European Enterprise Award
17 November 2009Delft-based technostarters, Holland Container Innovations and iOpener Media, have been selected for the final of the Academic Enterprise Awards Europe, a European award for enterprising scientists.
A prize is also up for grabs for employees who have played an important role in encouraging enterprise at universities. Professor Marco Waas, the dean of the Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime, and Materials Engineering, has been nominated for this prize.
read more
Symposium at TU Delft: major energy problems solved at the nano scale
16 November 2009The chemistry student association Technologisch Gezelschap is organising a symposium on 19 and 20 November 2009 on the importance of nanotechnology in research into renewable energy. Specialists from trade & industry and from the research community will give presentations on their research in this field during the symposium. The symposium will take place at the MustSee cinema in Delft.
read more
"Wastewater is an important source of energy and raw materials"
16 November 2009Wastewater is not a useless by-product but a source of valuable raw materials and energy. Developing countries, in particular, can benefit from this new perspective. This will be the thrust of Prof. Jules van Liers inaugural address at TU Delft on Wednesday 18 November. "Remember that 2.6 billion people in the world still have no proper sanitation, resulting in 200 deaths per hour, with the highest number among children under five."
read more
Watery calculations
12 November 2009Reducing floods or droughts could prevent major economic and humanitarian catastrophes. Improved weather forecasting offers new ways of dealing with such hydrological events. But how to deal with the uncertainties of forecasts? Schalk Jan van Andel lets the computer analyze what actions to take.
read more
Forecasts call for stormy weather
12 November 2009International students of the future will have even more bad Dutch weather to complain about, as the country’s wet and windy weather will become more extreme owing to the greenhouse effect. Three TU Delft researchers are currently conducting joint-research aimed at helping the Netherlands prepare for the much heavier rainfall to come.
read more
Accelerated melting of Greenland’s ice sheet confirmed
12 November 2009Since 2000, the mass of ice on Greenland has been decreasing at an accelerated rate. Satellite observations and regional atmospheric models confirm these findings independently. Delft researchers Ernst Schrama and Bert Wouters made a significant contribution to the study by analysing data from the gravity satellite mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment). An article on the studys findings appears in the leading scientific journal Science issued on 13 November.
read more
Rapid assessment of potentially suitable hydrogen storage materials
09 November 2009Effective and safe hydrogen storage systems are a prerequisite for the possible future transition to a sustainable economy based on this gas. Prof. Bernard Dam has developed a technique for the rapid assessment of potentially suitable hydrogen storage materials. On Wednesday 11 November, Bernard Dam will present his inaugural lecture as the professor of ‘Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage’ at TU Delft.
read more
Who knows how to work the remote control?
09 November 2009Many consumer products are still a source of unnecessary irritation and confusion. In response to this the three Universities of Technology in Delft, Eindhoven and Twente are organising various events on user-friendliness to coincide with World Usability Day being held on Thursday 12 November.
read more
TU Delft researches CO2 storage using bacteria
05 November 2009TU Delft is taking part in a European R&D project (CO2SolStock) that focuses on using bacteria to capture and store CO2 in limestone. The project's key objective is to develop a sustainable, biological method for storing CO2 in mineral form.
read more
PARSAX-radar looks into clouds
03 November 2009Minister Cramer to open incubator for sustainable entrepeneurs
30 October 2009Second place for Nuon Solar Team
29 October 2009First hydrological satellite gives better weather forecasts
27 October 2009The first hydrological satellite, SMOS, will map out the earth's soil moisture levels, which will enable scientists to anticipate floods earlier and to improve weather forecasts. TU Delft will be applying the data to the Volta Basin in West Africa, among other things. The European space organisation ESA is launching SMOS on Monday 2 November.
read more
TU monitors Delft tunneling project from space
27 October 2009'Boat tail' decreases fuel consumption trucks by 7.5 percent
27 October 2009A boat tail, a tapering protrusion mounted on the rear of a truck, leads to fuel savings of 7.5 percent. This is due to dramatically-improved aerodynamics, as shown by road tests conducted by the PART (Platform for Aerodynamic Road Transport) public-private partnership platform.
read more
