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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category

Sep 12, 2024

Powered by renewable energy, microbes turn CO₂ into protein and vitamins

Posted by in categories: biological, health, sustainability

However, the yeast should be treated to rid compounds that can increase the risk of gout if consumed excessively. Even so, treated yeast still meets 41% of the daily protein requirement, comparable to traditional protein sources.

This technology aims to address several global challenges: environmental conservation, , and public health. Running on clean energy and CO2, the system reduces carbon emissions in food production. It uncouples land use from farming, freeing up space for conservation.

Angenent also stresses that it will not outcompete farmers. Instead, the technology will help farmers concentrate on producing vegetables and crops sustainably. The team’s yeast may also help developing nations overcome food scarcity and by delivering protein and vitamin B9.

Sep 11, 2024

Global Study Reveals Urban Areas Receive Significantly More Rainfall Than Rural Neighbors

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

Do cities get more rainfall than rural areas?


How does an urban environment influence its rainfall? This is what a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated what is known as the urban precipitation anomaly, which is when urban environments potentially cause increases in rainfall compared to rural environments due to increased surface temperatures. This study holds the potential to help researchers, climate scientists, and the public better understand the impact that urban environments have on the climate, specifically as climate change continues to ravage the planet.

For the study, the researchers analyzed urban precipitation anomalies across 1.056 cities around the world with the goal of ascertaining the scope of these anomalies based on location and present climates and developing more accurate climatology datasets and greater resilience among cities. In the end, the researchers found that 60 percent of cities around the world have increased levels of urban precipitation anomalies, with the most extreme anomalies occurring in Africa where the surface temperatures are already high, with one factor being tall buildings result in wind being funneled into city centers.

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Sep 10, 2024

Revolutionary Battery Made from Stone Could Transform Electric Cars

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Researchers have developed a groundbreaking battery material from common rock.

Sep 9, 2024

Goliath P1 solid-state EV battery defeats 1112°F thermal runaway

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

A prototype solid-state battery, named the Goliath P1 and developed by UK startup Ilika, has made waves in the electric vehicle (EV) industry due to its significant benefits and implications. The battery achieved a major breakthrough by passing an important safety test known as the nail penetration test.

This test simulates a catastrophic incident that often leads to dangerous thermal runaway—a condition in which traditional lithium-ion batteries, which use liquid electrolytes, can explode or catch fire.

Sep 8, 2024

Scientists make major discovery while working with scrap EV batteries: ‘The need for developing sustainable recycling methods is pressing’

Posted by in categories: chemistry, sustainability

Researchers have discovered a game-changing method for recycling lithium-ion batteries — without using hazardous chemicals.

Sep 8, 2024

Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, economics, energy, supercomputing, sustainability, transportation

A team led by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory identified and successfully demonstrated a new method to process a plant-based material called nanocellulose that reduced energy needs by a whopping 21%. The approach was discovered using molecular simulations run on the lab’s supercomputers, followed by pilot testing and analysis.

The method, leveraging a solvent of sodium hydroxide and urea in water, can significantly lower the production cost of nanocellulosic fiber — a strong, lightweight biomaterial ideal as a composite for 3D-printing structures such as sustainable housing and vehicle assemblies. The findings support the development of a circular bioeconomy in which renewable, biodegradable materials replace petroleum-based resources, decarbonizing the economy and reducing waste.

Colleagues at ORNL, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Maine’s Process Development Center collaborated on the project that targets a more efficient method of producing a highly desirable material. Nanocellulose is a form of the natural polymer cellulose found in plant cell walls that is up to eight times stronger than steel.

Sep 8, 2024

MIT’s rocket horizon project reimagines spaceX starship HLS as sustainable lunar habitats

Posted by in categories: habitats, space travel, sustainability

Rocket horizon, led by a team from MIT, represents a pioneering interdisciplinary effort to create sustainable lunar habitats.

Sep 8, 2024

Catalyst design boosts performance of anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy, sustainability, transportation

Fuel cells are energy-conversion solutions that generate electricity via electrochemical reactions without combustion, thus not contributing to the pollution of air on Earth. These cells could power various technologies, ranging from electric vehicles to portable chargers and industrial machines.

Despite their advantages, many fuel cell designs introduced to date rely on expensive materials and precious metal catalysts, which limits their widespread adoption. Anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) could help to tackle these challenges, as they are based on Earth-abundant, low-cost catalysts and could thus be more affordable.

In recent years, many research groups worldwide have been designing and testing new AEMFCs. While some existing devices achieved promising results, most of the non-precious metals serving as catalysts were found to be prone to self-oxidation, which causes the irreversible failure of the cells.

Sep 8, 2024

Scientists convert waste from solar panels into advanced battery technology — and it could solve major issues with clean energy

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

“We have demonstrated that high-performance and environmentally sustainable lithium-ion batteries are not only possible, but also within reach.” Scientists convert waste from solar panels into advanced battery technology — and it could solve major issues with clean energy first appeared on The Cool Down.

Sep 7, 2024

UC Berkeley Chemists Can Now Vaporize Plastic Waste Into Molecular Building Blocks

Posted by in categories: chemistry, economics, sustainability

With mechanical recycling, “if you mix the sandwich bag and the milk jug together and then try to remake an object from that, you can’t make a very good milk jug and you can’t make a very good sandwich bag,” he said. “We’re trying to bring the plastics back to the chemicals from which they’re made in the first place,” Hartwig said.

The researchers use a catalyst, a component of a chemical reaction that makes it go faster, to vaporize both polyethylene and polypropylene plastics — two of the largest volumes of plastics in existence — transforming the solid waste into gases.

The polymers are reduced to their chemical precursors, which can then be reconstructed. In a press release, the university said the process brings “a circular economy for plastics one step closer to reality.”

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