Press Release
The importance of sustainability: Why eco-friendly blockchains are the future

As more and more decentralized applications (DApps), such as GameFi, DeFi, NFTs, and more, are being developed, heated discussions about the environmental impact of blockchain and cryptocurrency have reignited once more. Especially after China’s crackdown on cryptocurrency mining activities, public debates about blockchain and crypto-related energy consumption rates have reached a climax.
Proof of Work’s environmental impact
Since the birth of Bitcoin, the Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanism has always been fundamental to the security of blockchain networks. This consensus is reached through computing power, commonly referred to as hash rate.
Over time as blockchain technology is being adopted by the world, the energy consumption rate of the entire blockchain network has skyrocketed, leading to significant environmental costs. The University of Cambridge estimates that Bitcoin mining consumes about 130 TWh per year, accounting for about 0.1% of the world’s total primary energy consumption.
As far as DApp development is concerned, energy consumption-related environmental issues are mostly derived from Ethereum mining, since Ethereum is a PoW blockchain with the largest ecosystem full of projects in varying sizes. With the recent London hard fork, the transition to Ethereum 2.0-a complete Proof of Stake (PoS) blockchain, will be completed as early as 2022. As a result, the current energy consumption per transaction on Ethereum is about 35 kWh, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of a single person in developing countries for 3 days.
The true cost of DApp transactions
While mass crypto adoption is happening around the world, DApps and their applicability will eventually catch up. New projects such as wealth management applications, lending platforms, decentralized exchanges (DEX), NFT-inspired metaverses, and more, that are gradually taking over social media and our lives are the ultimate proof. If you have been paying attention to what’s happening around you, the crypto community’s passion and loyalty towards decentralized, immutable technology are clearly reflected in the real world.
That is certainly good news for crypto enthusiasts, but for the environment, it’s an entirely different story. Take NFTs for example. Memo Atken, a digital artist and engineer, estimates that the true cost of an NFT is much higher than a typical energy consumption of a transaction on Ethereum (35 kWh). He believes that NFT-related transactions will cost much more because all NFTs have to be minted and exchanged multiple times on the blockchain.
He is certainly correct. In fact, an NFT’s creation and distribution do not only consist of a simple mint and sale process. There will be many subsequent transactions made by collectors and traders, which makes the average carbon footprint of each NFT close to 340kWh (an average of 211 kg of CO2), equivalent to a single person’s energy consumption in a developed country for more than a month.
Why eco-friendly blockchains are favored by developers
In early 2021, several public blockchains underwent considerable ecosystem expansion, such as ThunderCore, Solana, Polkadot, and Binance Smart Chain. These blockchains’ ecosystems are in full bloom, as decentralized projects like DAOs, Oracles, Token Bridges, DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, blockchain games, and more, are being deployed consistently. There are many reasons for the expansion of these networks, but one thing they all have in common is that none of them utilize a PoW consensus mechanism (meaning zero physical mining facilities are used). Instead, novel mechanisms, such as PoS, that allow on-chain staking and other models to replace PoW are applied.
Among them, the ThunderCore blockchain uses the state-of-the-art PoS consensus mechanism, PaLa, which not only solves the “scalability trilemma”, but also supports the chain’s entire ecosystem with cheap renewable energy. ThunderCore is an eco-friendly public blockchain, and its CO2 emissions, resulting from on-chain transactions, are reduced by more than 10,000x. For example, its block creation does not require the support of large amounts of energy resources like Bitcoin and Ethereum do. ThunderCore is also EVM compatible, which allows the rapid migration and deployment of Ethereum projects. With low gas fees (<$0.00001), sub-second confirmations, and 4,000+ TPS, ThunderCore has become a platform favored by developers from the world over.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Cryptorefills launches x402 payments for AI agents, publishes agentic commerce reference
USDC payments on Base for AI agents at checkout, alongside open-source documentation of how merchants run agent-driven commerce.
Amsterdam, May 11th 2026, ZEX PR WIRE, 15:00 CEST. Cryptorefills has enabled x402 payments at checkout, allowing AI agents to pay for gift cards, mobile top-ups and eSIMs using USDC on the Base network. The protocol, developed by Coinbase and Cloudflare, lets autonomous software settle stablecoin transactions programmatically. Cryptorefills has also published an open-source operations reference for the merchant operations layer of agentic commerce.

x402 lets a software agent receive an HTTP 402 Payment Required response from a merchant, settle the requested amount in stablecoin, and complete the transaction in a single automated exchange. For Cryptorefills, checkout becomes a programmable endpoint that agents can call directly.
The x402 launch adds a second agent-payment rail to the platform. Cryptorefills released its Model Context Protocol server in October 2025, allowing agents to discover products, build orders, and complete purchases through MCP. x402 addresses a different pattern: the agent calls a Cryptorefills endpoint, receives payment terms, settles in USDC, and completes the request in one round trip. The two rails serve different agent contexts and run in parallel.
“We shipped x402 and open-sourced our merchant operations work in the same week on purpose. One is a payment rail, while the other is what a merchant needs around it to accept agent traffic. Agentic commerce is happening, and very little about the second part has been written down,” said Massimiliano Silenzi, CEO of Cryptorefills. “We’ve been running stablecoin checkout since 2018, and a lot of what we learned there carries over. We chose to publish what we’ve learned and continue building the rest openly.”
The reference repository, available at github.com/Cryptorefills/agentic-commerce, covers the operations surface that surrounds the protocol stack. Topics include catalogue discovery for agent buyers, settlement reconciliation across chains, quote-and-pricing handling, and delivery confirmations. Documentation is released under CC0; example code is Apache 2.0.
“In the repository we just open-sourced there are nine playbooks, the TypeScript schemas behind them, and five runnable examples. Two of them connect to our live MCP and x402 endpoints, so a developer can clone the repository and watch the agent-merchant exchange execute against production,” said Simonluca Landi, CTO of Cryptorefills.
Cryptorefills serves AI agents through three of the field’s emerging standards: MCP for context, Agent Skills for capability publishing, and x402 for stablecoin settlement.
About Cryptorefills
Cryptorefills enables people in over 180 countries to spend cryptocurrency on everyday products and services. Categories include gift cards from over 6,600 brands, mobile top-ups across 600 operators, eSIMs, flights across 300 airlines, and stays at over 1 million hotels and properties. The platform supports stablecoin checkout across Base, Ethereum, Tron, Solana, Polygon, and other major networks, alongside Bitcoin and Lightning. It is among the first ecommerce companies to integrate AI-agent payment standards including MCP, Agent Skills, and x402.
Operating publicly since 2018 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Cryptorefills is a member of the Holland Fintech Association and Blockchain Netherlands Foundation.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Emicap, ICEnergy Forge Partnership to Accelerate European Carbon Capture Deployments
Collaboration to focus on cost-effective capture and mineralization of biogenic CO₂ in Europe
Korea South, 11th May 2026, – SEOUL, South Korea & KORTRIJK, Belgium – South Korea’s ICEnergy and Belgium-based Emicap have partnered to deploy cryogenic carbon capture systems targeting biogenic CO₂ in Europe. The partnership combines ICEnergy’s proprietary capture technology with Emicap’s cryogenic R&D and market access, supported by Emicap’s sister company, LM Engineering, which provides industrial engineering and execution capabilities.
Dr. Sungho Park(icenergy0805@gmail.com), CEO of ICEnergy, stated that he hopes this partnership will enable ICEnergy and Emicap to take a further step toward realizing carbon neutrality in the European market. The collaboration comes at a pivotal moment following the successful demonstration of ICEnergy’s technology. Amid a rapidly expanding European market for biogenic CO₂ solutions, early deployment is critical to secure access to high-quality feedstocks and permanent storage pathways.
ICEnergy recently demonstrated a 10 ton/day cryogenic carbon capture system for both onshore and marine applications. The system converts flue gas CO2 directly into dry ice, avoiding the need for conventional separation and liquefaction steps. A key feature of the electrically driven process is the internal recovery and reuse of cold energy. By recycling this energy, external demand is reduced and consumption is focused on CO₂ conversion, resulting in approximately 30% lower energy use compared to conventional systems, supporting a low lifecycle carbon footprint.
Emicap integrates cryogenic CO2 capture with downstream applications by coupling emission sources from Waste-to-Energy and biomass plants to the carbonation of alkaline industrial residues such as steel slags and fly ash. To ensure seamless site-specific deployment, Emicap applies its cryogenic R&D expertise to tailor ICEnergy’s capture systems for these European industrial plants. This integration enables the permanent storage of CO2 while upgrading captured emissions and industrial residues into supplementary cementitious materials for use in low-carbon construction. By operating across the full value chain, Emicap helps offset capture costs, reducing reliance on institutional subsidies.
The partners are targeting removal of up to 200 kilotons of CO₂ annually by 2035, positioning the collaboration to contribute to industrial-scale, net-negative emissions.
Media Contact
Organization: ICEnergy Co.,
Contact
Person: Sungho Park
Website:
https://www.icenergy.co.kr/
Email:
icenergy0805@gmail.com
Contact Number: 82313307852
Country:Korea South
The post
Emicap, ICEnergy Forge Partnership to Accelerate European Carbon Capture Deployments appeared first on
Brand News 24.
It is provided by a third-party content
provider. Brand News 24 makes no
warranties or representations in connection with it.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Emicap, ICEnergy Forge Partnership to Accelerate European Carbon Capture Deployments
Collaboration to focus on cost-effective capture and mineralization of biogenic CO₂ in Europe
Korea South, 11th May 2026, – SEOUL, South Korea & KORTRIJK, Belgium – South Korea’s ICEnergy and Belgium-based Emicap have partnered to deploy cryogenic carbon capture systems targeting biogenic CO₂ in Europe. The partnership combines ICEnergy’s proprietary capture technology with Emicap’s cryogenic R&D and market access, supported by Emicap’s sister company, LM Engineering, which provides industrial engineering and execution capabilities.
Dr. Sungho Park(icenergy0805@gmail.com), CEO of ICEnergy, stated that he hopes this partnership will enable ICEnergy and Emicap to take a further step toward realizing carbon neutrality in the European market. The collaboration comes at a pivotal moment following the successful demonstration of ICEnergy’s technology. Amid a rapidly expanding European market for biogenic CO₂ solutions, early deployment is critical to secure access to high-quality feedstocks and permanent storage pathways.
ICEnergy recently demonstrated a 10 ton/day cryogenic carbon capture system for both onshore and marine applications. The system converts flue gas CO2 directly into dry ice, avoiding the need for conventional separation and liquefaction steps. A key feature of the electrically driven process is the internal recovery and reuse of cold energy. By recycling this energy, external demand is reduced and consumption is focused on CO₂ conversion, resulting in approximately 30% lower energy use compared to conventional systems, supporting a low lifecycle carbon footprint.
Emicap integrates cryogenic CO2 capture with downstream applications by coupling emission sources from Waste-to-Energy and biomass plants to the carbonation of alkaline industrial residues such as steel slags and fly ash. To ensure seamless site-specific deployment, Emicap applies its cryogenic R&D expertise to tailor ICEnergy’s capture systems for these European industrial plants. This integration enables the permanent storage of CO2 while upgrading captured emissions and industrial residues into supplementary cementitious materials for use in low-carbon construction. By operating across the full value chain, Emicap helps offset capture costs, reducing reliance on institutional subsidies.
The partners are targeting removal of up to 200 kilotons of CO₂ annually by 2035, positioning the collaboration to contribute to industrial-scale, net-negative emissions.
Media Contact
Organization: ICEnergy Co.,
Contact
Person: Sungho Park
Website:
https://www.icenergy.co.kr/
Email:
icenergy0805@gmail.com
Contact Number: 82313307852
Country:Korea South
The post
Emicap, ICEnergy Forge Partnership to Accelerate European Carbon Capture Deployments appeared first on
Brand News 24.
It is provided by a third-party content
provider. Brand News 24 makes no
warranties or representations in connection with it.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
-
Press Release1 week ago
AI Content Forum Releases AI Content Maturity Scale
-
Press Release1 week ago
Actress Tao Tsuchiya Named TOKYO LIGHTS 2026 Ambassador, 12 Light Artworks Announced, Signup Open
-
Press Release13 hours ago
Post Oak Group Brings Institutional Execution to the Middle Market
-
Press Release7 days ago
bajji Launches AvatarBook — A Trust & Settlement Protocol for Autonomous AI Agents
-
Press Release6 days ago
$300M+ Condominium Tower Planned to Transform Downtown Los Angeles Skyline
-
Press Release6 days ago
CloudBasedBackup Introduces Annual Subscription Plans for Managed Nextcloud Hosting
-
Press Release2 days ago
KING VPN Announces Android VPN App Availability for Users in the United States
-
Press Release2 days ago
Cellfie Mobile Announces Deployment of 400 New Base Stations Across Georgia
