Show Notes 28 June 2024
Story 1: New method makes hydrogen from solar power and agricultural waste
Source: Tech Xplore Story by Rob Mitchum
See also: https://today.uic.edu/new-method-makes-hydrogen-from-solar-power-and-agricultural-waste/
- University of Illinois Chicago engineers have helped design a new method to make hydrogen gas from water using only solar power and agricultural waste, such as manure or husks.
- The breakthrough method reduces the energy needed to extract hydrogen from water by 600% [over existing methods to date].
- Hydrogen-based fuels are one of the most promising sources of clean energy. But producing pure hydrogen gas to date has been an energy-intensive process that often requires coal or natural gas and large amounts of electricity.
- In a paper for the publication Cell Reports Physical Science, a multi-institutional team led by University of Illinois Chicago engineer Meenesh Singh outlines a new and radically less energy intensive for green hydrogen production.
- Side note – green hydrogen is hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water, using renewable electricity. Here are the key points about green hydrogen:
- 1. Definition: Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced through the electrolysis of water with 100% or near 100% renewable energy, resulting in close to zero greenhouse gas emissions.
- 2. Production Process: – Electrolysis: Green hydrogen is created by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using a process called electrolysis.
- Renewable Electricity: The electricity used for electrolysis comes from **renewable sources** such as solar, wind, or hydropower.
- 3. Environmental Impact:
- Low Emissions: Production of green hydrogen causes significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to other types of hydrogen.
- Climate-Neutral: It is the only type of hydrogen produced in a climate-neutral manner, making it critical for achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
- Green hydrogen plays a crucial role in the global transition to sustainable energy and net zero economies. It can be used in various sectors, including heavy industry, transportation, and aviation, contributing to a cleaner and more secure energy future.
- The method developed by the University of Illinois Chicago engineers uses a carbon-rich substance called biochar to decrease the amount of electricity needed to convert water to hydrogen. Combine this with the use of renewable energy sources such as solar power or wind for the electricity needed, the new process can reduce greenhouse gas emissions [to produce hydrogen from water] to net zero.
- An associate professor in the department of chemical engineering noted, “We are the first group to show that you can produce hydrogen utilizing biomass at a fraction of a volt. This is a transformative technology.”
- Electrolysis, the process of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, requires an electric current. To do this at an industrial scale, fossil fuels are typically required to generate the large amount of electricity needed.
- Recently, in related research, scientists have made some progress decreasing the voltage required for water splitting by introducing a carbon source to the reaction. But these processes developed to date also use coal or expensive chemicals and releases carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
- The University of Illinois Chicago team modified this process to instead use biomass from common waste products. By mixing sulfuric acid with agricultural waste, animal waste or sewage, they create a slurry-like substance called biochar, which is rich in carbon.
- The team experimented with different kinds of biochar made from sugarcane husks, hemp waste, paper waste and cow manure. When added to the electrolysis chamber, all five biochar varieties dramatically reduced the power needed to convert water to hydrogen.
- The best performer, cow dung, decreased the electrical requirement sixfold to roughly a fifth of a volt.
Story 2: Imagine powering your phone with carbon dioxide
Source: Anthropocene Magazine Story by Anthropocene Team
Link: https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2024/04/co2-in-electricity-out-with-this-new-generator/
See also: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47040-x
- Finding ways to power the world while emitting minimal planet-warming carbon dioxide is a Holy Grail for researchers. Now, scientists at Australia’s University of Queensland have made a device that goes the other way: it consumes carbon dioxide to generate electricity.
- A new carbon-negative power generator, reported in the journal Nature Communications, is only a small proof-of-concept laboratory-scale device right now. But it could pave the way towards a new industrial-scale carbon capture method, its developers say.
- Here’s how it works – The research team developed a device that produces electricity from the flow of charges. They start with microscopic flakes of an atoms-thick material called boron nitride and coat them with a polymer called polyethyleneimine.
- The team embedded these flakes in a hydrogel that is made of 90 percent water. Then they cut the gel into 4-centimeter discs, and then tested the discs in a sealed box pumped full of carbon dioxide.
- While in the sealed box the coated flakes soaked up carbon dioxide and produced positively and negatively charged particles. The positive ions are big and stay confined in the gel, while the much smaller negative ions move through the hydrogel channels, producing electricity.
- Reality Check – A postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the paper noted, “At present we can harvest around one per cent of the total energy carried intrinsically by carbon dioxide but like other technologies, we will now work on improving efficiency and reducing cost.”
- The researchers say there could be two uses for the device [if the technology can be scaled up].
- First, it could be used as a portable electricity generator to power small electronics.
- Second, a much larger-scale application would be to integrate the technology at an industrial carbon capture plant to produce electricity.
Story 3: Scientists found an algae-based power source with negative carbon emissions
Source: BGR.com Story by Joshua Hawkins
Link: https://bgr.com/science/scientists-found-a-power-source-with-negative-carbon-emissions/
See also: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/7/1749
- According to a new research paper published in the journal Energies, Canadian researchers were able to create a renewable power source using algae. The process essentially hijacks photosynthesis, which is the natural process that plants use to turn carbon dioxide into food.
- The researchers found that they were able to extract energy from algae by suspending the algae in a two-millimeter solution within an anode and a cathode chamber and separating it by a honeycomb-shaped proton exchange membrane.
- This new power source is a completely carbon-negative technology. That’s because the only byproduct that it creates is water, and the entire process is started by taking in carbon dioxide.
- This means it is more than just a zero-emission technology, as it is actually taking carbon from the atmosphere and not putting more out there.
- The entire process works by capturing the electrons that the algae create during photosynthesis and harnessing them to create electricity.
- Reality check – So far, the researchers have only discovered a maximum possible terminal voltage of 1.0V from a single micro photosynthetic power cell.
- That means scaling up this algae-based carbon-negative power source to actually power a city is going to be a different matter altogether. However, scientists believe that with enough research and development, we could see it scaled up to a point where entire cities may be able to take advantage of the algae-based power source, thus helping to cut down on carbon emissions significantly.
Story 4: ‘Space hairdryer’ uses shockwaves to regenerate heart cells post-surgery
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Mrigakshi Dixit
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/science/space-hairdryer-regenerates-heart-cells
See also: https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae341/7695522
- Researchers have developed and tested a new shockwave device that could improve heart function after bypass surgery.
- After years of work, researchers and surgeons at the University Clinic for Cardiac Surgery in Innsbruck, Austria, have showcased the effectiveness of this new approach that combines bypass surgery with shockwave therapy via this device.
- The clinical trial proved shockwave therapy’s ability to regenerate heart tissue as well as improve heart pumping function in patients.
- Michael Grimm, director of the University Clinic for Cardiac Surgery in Innsbruck, in the press release announcing this new system noted, “For the first time, it is possible to improve the heart muscle substantially and persistently.” [following bypass surgery]
- Researchers have named this device a “space hairdryer,” and it is expected to be launched in 2025. They are now planning to conduct large-scale trials of this device.
- Bypass surgery involves bypassing clogged arteries with a healthy artery obtained from another part of the body. This keeps the heart functioning, but it doesn’t necessarily make it stronger.
- This is where the new shockwave therapy comes in.
- The idea behind shockwave therapy is to deliver gentle sound waves to stimulate patients’ heart muscles. Researchers believe that administering these waves during bypass surgery can awaken inactive cardiac cells and stimulate the development of new blood vessels.
- In the clinical study, the surgeons applied mild soundwaves shortly after bypass surgery, and this process took about 10 minutes. The shockwave therapy was given to 63 people in Austria.
- Patients experienced a significant improvement in their heart‘s pumping function. They could walk further, had a better quality of life, and their hearts pumped more oxygenated blood.
- The group that received shockwave therapy showed an 11.3% boost in their heart’s ability to pump oxygenated blood after just one year.
- The researchers are now hoping the European regulators will give a green light to the usage of this device by the end of the year. This will pave the way for its use in patients outside clinical trials in 2025.
- The findings have been reported in the European Heart Journal.
Honorable Mentions:
Story: Radical New Theory Gives a Very Different Perspective on What Life Is
Source: ScienceAlert.com Story by Felicity Nelson
Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/radical-new-theory-gives-a-very-different-perspective-on-what-life-is
- Biologists usually define ‘life’ as an entity that reproduces, responds to its environment, metabolizes chemicals, consumes energy, and grows. Under this model, ‘life’ is a binary state; something is either alive or not.
- This definition works reasonably well on planet Earth, with viruses being one notable exception. But if life is elsewhere in the universe, it may not be made of the same stuff as us. It might not look, move, or communicate like we do. How, then, will we identify it as life?
- Arizona State University astrobiologist Sara Walker and University of Glasgow chemist Lee Cronin think they’ve found a way.
- They argue that chance alone cannot consistently produce the highly complex molecules found in all living creatures.
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Story: Scientists grow diamonds from scratch in 15 minutes thanks to groundbreaking new process
Source: LiveScience.com Story by Deepa Jain
- Scientists have used a new technique to synthesize diamonds at normal, atmospheric pressure and without a starter gem, which could make the precious gemstones much easier to grow in the lab.
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Story: Hyundai’s hydrogen truck clocks 10 million km total driving distance in Switzerland.
Source: Hydrogen Fuel News Story by Erin Kilgore
Link: https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/hyundai-xcient-new-record/8565280/
- The Hyundai XCIENT fuel cell electric heavy-duty truck achieved a new record, recently surpassing a cumulative driving distance of 10 million kilometers (6.2+ million miles) in Swiss fleet usage. The company achieved this feat in only three years and eight months, since the hydrogen truck started its fleet operations in Switzerland in October 2020.
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Story: New breakthrough EV battery goes 1 million miles, handles -22°F to 149°F
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Christopher McFadden
- China’s Farasis Energy unveiled a new electric vehicle (EV) battery with exceptional range, climate temperature tolerances, and charge cycle lifespan.
- The new battery can operate normally between -22 °F (-30°C) and 149 °F (65°C) and can continue to operate at 70% state-of-health (SOH) even after thousands of charge cycles.
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