As we become more and more aware of the state that our environment is in, inventors are thinking up ways to resolve pollution and work toward a greener Earth. Their innovative inventions help to reduce pollution, enable us to cope with changes in our ecosystem, and improve the quality of our air and water. Some recent inventions show great promise for eliminating the pollutants released into the atmosphere or for cleaning what we've already put out.

Motor Development International (MDI) has created a zero-pollution engine that runs on air. Mono Energy Engines use ambient air that is compressed in the vehicle’s tank, making them entirely eco-friendly, creating no pollutants. Zero pollution motors actually produce three times less carbon dioxide than a thermal engine with similar power.

Researchers at the University of Leeds have invented a washing machine that uses almost no water. The clothes come out clean and almost dry, which reduces the need for a dryer. Xeros washing machines use just one cup of water per wash cycle and uses tiny beads in the cleaning process. Xeros Ltd says that converting to a virtually waterless machine will save 90 percent of the fresh water used currently with conventional machines. In the U.S., this means saving 1.2 billion tons of water each year.

When you factor in the decreased amount of time needed to dry your clothes, Xeros washing machines also reduce your carbon footprint by up to 40 percent because you use less electricity and laundry detergent than you would with conventional washing machines.

Xeros Ltd says that if all U.S. homes used the Xeros washing machines, the reduction in America’s carbon footprint would equal taking 5 million cars off the road.

Roberto V. Celis, a Filipino inventor, has created an invention he calls the Hydrogasifier. This invention uses water as a supplemental fuel for most engine types (gasoline, natural gas, diesel, bio-fuel and hybrids), which lowers pollutants released into the atmosphere. The hydrogasifier uses the exhaust gases from the engine to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen which enter the combustion chamber to burn the fuel that is in the tank. Celis claims that vehicles using the hydrogasifier would work like trees, lowering carbon emissions in the air.

Regulating our air temperature through heating, cooling and dehumidifying currently consumes about one-sixth of all the energy used in the world. Professor Matthew Johnson from the University of Copenhagen has invented a device that cuts that energy usage by up to 25 percent. Lab tests have shown Johnson’s device removes viruses, bacteria, organic solvents, hydrocarbons and particles from the air. Cigarette smoke is neutralized by his invention. According to PhysOrg, in a recent test the device removed 40 different compounds from a new office building soon after switching on the device. The Cleanair invention is now being tested to see if it can remove VOC (volatile organic compounds) from industrial smokestacks. If it does, it could make big changes in the pollutants released from factories.