The metal of discarded mobile phones in Germany is sufficient to cover the material demand for smartphones for the next ten years - purely mathematically.

Scientists have developed a new method to convert plastic waste into hydrogen through pyrolysis, a high-temperature chemical process.

Cobalt-based catalysts could be used to turn mixed plastic waste into fuel, new plastics and other products.

Shipping leaves a large ecological footprint: the propulsion engines are largely dependent on energy sources that produce climate-damaging CO2 when burnt. In addition to hydrogen and methanol, ammonia is also considered a more climate-friendly substitute fuel.

Sustainable electronic elements can be made from wood. This is helped by a novel process that uses a laser to engrave electrically conductive tracks into veneers.

Danes cycle about 1.6 kilometres every day. If everyone cycled that much, 414 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be saved every year. That is equivalent to the UK's annual CO2 emissions.

A team of Empa researchers has developed a disposable paper battery that works with metallic inks and salt - activated by a drop of water. This could be used to power a wide range of small disposable electronic devices with low power consumption.

A Swiss research team has succeeded in increasing the efficiency of perovskite silicon tandem solar cells to over 30 percent. This is a world record.

The larvae of a species of beetle native to Central and South America can apparently survive with plastic as their only food source. The larvae's appetite for Styrofoam could be the key to mass plastic recycling.

The number of devices transmitting data, for example in transport logistics, will increase sharply in the future. But the amount of batteries needed for this would have an enormous impact on the environment. A compostable mini-capacitor could solve the problem.