ICEs have intrinsic drawbacks: They require fossil fuels, they produce a lot of pollution, and they're noisy. Steam engines, by comparison, are very quiet, very clean, and can use almost any fuel.

The invention and eventually widespread use of the steam engine, Jacobson says, really accelerated pollution. Until then, businesses were artisan shops dispersed throughout a city.

How might the steam engine have helped with pollution? The heat in a steam engine is not created in the cylinders like a gasoline engine. The steam generator's burner can use a variety of fuels.

Formula 1 engines typically operate at more than 17,000rpm, while aircraft turbine engines turn at 85,000rpm and above. "One difficulty was getting a turbine and transmission system in such a small ...

A 1937 steam locomotive is getting a makeover in a bid to prove the viability of solid biofuel and modern steam locomotive technology. Sustainable Rail International May 24, 2012, 6:33 PM EDT ...

Malcolm Brabant: While steam engines pump out carbon dioxide, along with water vapor, the biggest environmental impact of the locomotive age was to encourage air pollution by other heavy industries.