This report provides an overview of the current state of circularity in the electronics value chain in Africa, identifies key areas of concern, provides appropriate recommendations, and proposes priority actions to improve circularity of the sector. The recommendations focus on the individual life cycle stages of the electronics value chain, …
in a move that smacks of collusive manoeuvring by policymakers and the industry, diesel engine-driven agricultural pump sets have been exemp ted from the air emission standards notified by the Union ministry of environment and forests (mef) in May 2002. Known as the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2002, the …
magnetic wood could be a plank in the battle against noisy cellphone users. The material absorbs microwave radio signals, making it impossible to use a mobile phone in any room lined with it. Magnetic wood, so called because it is packed with minute magnetic particles, is the brainchild of Hideo …
for a country that suffers from chronic power failures and electricity deficiency, India has been the slowest off the block to implement any kind of energy efficiency regulations. Electrical appliances and products continue to be sold without any labelling or rating process to measure their energy efficiency. The result: the …
even for the most rich and famous, every penny counts. So is the case with the Silicon Valley that is troubled by the rising cost of making silicon chips. The soaring costs are due to a complicated process known as photolithography which is used for fixing transistors and wires on …
mobile phone radiation can cause changes in human cells that might affect the brain, indicates a study conducted by Finland's radiation and nuclear safety authority. According to the study, exposure to radiation from mobile phones can cause increased activity in hundreds of proteins in human cells. The researchers focused on …
Radiation from cellular phones is a well-known risk. Now there is another type of pollution from the wireless device which has raised a wave of worry. A study conducted by Inform, an environmental research organisation, says that within three years the us will discard about 130 million cellular telephones a …
The tenet group has set up n-Logue, specifically to provide telecom and Internet services to the small towns and villages. Do you think this makes business sense? Oh yes, it does! Our company
The European parliament has put forth the second reading of the draft European directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (weee) demanding a compulsory target of six kilogrammes of electronic-scrap per person per year from private households by 2005. Parliament has also announced its determination to ban consumers from throwing …
German researchers have developed ultra thin wires from cobwebs. These wires, based on latest technology, could spark revolution in miniature electronics. Spider silk is remarkably strong and can stretch a lot before it snaps. The researchers managed to reduce the silk from it's usual diameter of 3 and 5 micrometres …
The paper reports the studies on evaluation of energy indices of domestic refrigerators of 165 L capacity in India. The specific energy consumption varies between 3.23 and 4.19 kWh/y/L for single door manual defrost units and between 3.84 and 4.78 kWh/y/L for double door auto defrost units. The major technical …
japan and the European Union (eu) have legislated to make manufacturers responsible for recycling their products once they have reached the end of their useful life. In Japan it is the electrical appliance producers and in Europe the car manufacturers who will have to adhere to these regulations. In Japan, …
Researchers at the Hungarian Academy of Science, Hungary, have built devices, which extract energy from beams of light just like a windmill extracts energy from the wind. They have built an optical vane with cogwheels of about five microns diameter. This technique could find use in designing miniature pumps as …
a team of scientists, based in Germany, has developed a technique to make diamond films that could be used to produce microchips. From the very beginning most integrated circuit have been made using ultra pure silicon. Though cheap and versatile, silicon chips have certain disadvantages that make them unsuitable for …
godrej appliances limited (gal) has begun producing India's first refrigerator that uses hydrocarbons (hcs). The company carried out research for four years in coordination with the ministry of environment and forests and two companies based in Switzerland and Germany before launching their new product. The product was launched on January …
it takes two giant leaps to have an effective law. One leap to legislate. Another to enforce. In the case of regulating recycling of lead acid batteries, India has taken the first step. The government, on May 25, 2000, notified the draft of the Battery (Management and Handling) Rules under …
friendly plastic: A new plastic made from plant sugar will be soon introduced in the market. The plastic called NatureWorks PLA is being manufactured by Cargill Dow Polymers, a Nebraska-based company. Unlike conventional plastic, NatureWorks can break down in a compost pile if subjected to the right combination of heat …
That voltage fluctuations and frequency variations spoil the fun of hi-fi digital sound systems is the complaint of many a music fan. PS Audio, a company based in Avon, Colorado, USA, has developed a device worth US $1,000 that delivers a pure waveform when plugged into the electricity mains. The …
despite tremendous advances in the field of microelectronics, the material used in almost all electronic devices is still silicon. This is because no other material has the electrical properties of silicon, combined with the ease with which it can be fabricated into useful circuits. It is also true that the …
imagine a robot that recognises and understands you and carries out every command of yours. nec, a Japanese company, says that its new robot, r100, can process spoken commands. Says Aston Bridgeman, a nec spokesperson: "The robot is more of a prototype for interaction and communication. Till recently, home robots …
one of the cherished goals of material scientists has been a circuit that has photons of light moving in it, instead of electrons. Such a circuit would not only be several times faster and efficient than the conventional electronic one, but could also be seamlessly integrated into other opto-electronic components. …
