Sustainable technologies

thumb|Classic bell of a bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.

thumb|Windmill in Sønderho, Fanø, Denmark. Dutch type, built in 1895.

farming method that avoids synthetic inputs, at the cost of lower yields and higher labor demands compared to conventional agriculture

automobile propelled by an electric motor using energy stored in rechargeable batteries

thumb|upright|A sample of biodiesel

thumb|upright=1.3|The Three Gorges Dam in China; the hydroelectric dam is the world's largest power station by [[installed capacity.]]

upright=1.35|thumb|The Three Gorges Dam in [[Central China is the world's largest power-producing facility of any kind.]]

thumb|Watermill of Braine-le-Château, Belgium (12th century) thumb|Interior of the Lyme Regis watermill, UK (14th century) A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of many material goods, including flour, lumber, paper, textiles, and many metal products. These watermills may comprise gristmills, sawmills, paper mills, textile mills, hammermills, trip hammering mills, rolling mills, and wire drawi

group of wind turbines

transport of energy by wind waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work

crop specifically produced to be incorporated into the soil while still green

thumb|400px|Diagram comparing losses from conventional generation vs. cogeneration

technical and technological processes for protection of the environment

practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers

thumb|right|A thatched public house|pub (The Williams Arms) at [[Wrafton, North Devon, England]] Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (Cladium mariscus), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of the vegetation stays dry and is densely packed—trapping air—thatching also functions as insulation. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with

thumb|upright=1.3|Some heavy metals such as copper and zinc are removed from the soil by moving up into the plant roots.

Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: dinitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), dihydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (). This is achieved by reacting the feedstock material at high temperatures (typically >700 °C), without combustion, via controlling the amount of oxygen and/or steam present in the reaction. The resulting gas mixture is called syngas (from synthesis gas) or producer gas and is itself a fuel due to the flammability of the H2 and CO of which the gas is largely composed. Power

energy available from the difference in the salt concentration between seawater and river water

technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls by compacting a damp mixture of sub soil

goods, services, laws, and rules that either do not harm the environment or do very little harm to it

vehicle using only rechargeable electric batteries as energy source

economy based on low carbon power sources

group of non-conventional fuel materials

agricultural technique

study and practice of environmentally sustainable computing or IT

any method for storing hydrogen for later use

sustainable and resilient infrastructure

building method that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat, rice, rye and oats straw) as structural elements, building insulation, or both

process of converting wastewater into water that can be reused for other purposes

economic branch

process of infiltration and percolation of water in the ground and aquifers

type of fuel which have no net greenhouse gas emissions

thumb|Viola lutea subsp. calaminaria, also known as the zinc violet, grows in soils high in zinc.

methods of energy production from various sources

ventilation using solar energy

thumb|The Alpena biorefinery plant in the USA A biorefinery is a refinery that converts biomass to energy and other beneficial byproducts (such as chemicals). The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 42 defined biorefining as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio-based products (food, feed, chemicals, materials) and bioenergy (biofuels, power and/or heat)". As refineries, biorefineries can provide multiple chemicals by fractioning an initial raw material (biomass) into multiple intermediates (carbohydrates, proteins, triglycerides) that can be further converted in

A windpump is a wind-driven device which is used for pumping water. thumb|right|The windmills at Kinderdijk in the village of [[Kinderdijk, Netherlands is a UNESCO World Heritage Site]] thumb|De Olifant, Burdaard|De Olifant at [[Burdaard, Friesland]] thumb|right|Tjasker in Hayward, California Windpumps were used to pump water since at least the 9th century in what is now Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The use of windpumps became widespread across the Muslim world and later spread to China and India. Windpumps were later used extensively in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and the East

device for generating a directed flow of plasma

installment of one or several wave power devices in one place

technics

thermal process converting organic matter into synthesis gas using a plasma torch

heat pump that uses air as the heat source / sink

heating and/or cooling system that transfers heat to or from the ground

building material

device for producing electrical power

A bioeffector is a viable microorganism or active natural compound which directly or indirectly affects plant performance (biofertilizer), and thus has the potential to reduce fertilizer and pesticide use in crop production.

Ecotechnology is an applied science that seeks to fulfill human needs while causing minimal ecological disruption, by harnessing and manipulating natural forces to leverage their beneficial effects. Ecotechnology integrates two fields of study: the 'ecology of technics' and the 'technics of ecology,' requiring an understanding of the structures and processes of ecosystems and societies. All sustainable engineering that can reduce damage to ecosystems, adopt ecology as a fundamental basis, and ensure conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development may be considered as forms of ecotechn

Eco-innovation is the development of products and processes that contribute to sustainable development, applying the commercial application of knowledge to elicit direct or indirect ecological improvements. This includes a range of related ideas, from environmentally friendly technological advances to socially acceptable innovative paths towards sustainability. The field of research that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new "ecological" ideas and technology spread is called eco-innovation diffusion. thumb|A seat made from waste containing cartons, foams, and PET bottles

thumb|upright=1.35|Steps of usage of the arborloo. thumb|Arborloo in Ekwendeni, [[Malawi]] An arborloo is a simple type of composting toilet in which feces are collected in a shallow pit and a fruit tree is later planted in the fertile soil of the full pit. Arborloos have: a pit like a pit latrine but less deep; a concrete, ferrocement or other strong floor; a superstructure (toilet house or outhouse) to provide privacy; and possibly a ring beam to protect the pit from collapsing. The pit should remain well above the water table in the soil, so as to not contaminate groundwater.

storage of heat or cold for periods of up to several months

Norwegian power plant

thumb|300px|The passivhaus standard combines superinsulation with other techniques and technologies to achieve ultra-low energy use. Superinsulation is an approach to building design, construction, and retrofitting that dramatically reduces heat loss (and gain) by using much higher insulation levels and airtightness than average. Superinsulation is one of the ancestors of the passive house approach.

eco-design of information and communication technology

any material that originates from living organisms

vehicle capable of running on two fuels

smartphone consisting of replaceable modules

conservation-oriented land use planning

bus powered by solar energy

Bioconversion, also known as biotransformation, is the conversion of organic materials, such as plant or animal waste, into usable products or energy sources by biological processes or agents, such as certain microorganisms. One example is the industrial production of cortisone, which one step is the bioconversion of progesterone to 11-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone by Rhizopus nigricans. Another example is the bioconversion of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol, which is part of scientific research for many decades.