Researchers have developed a groundbreaking battery material from common rock.
Category: sustainability – Page 47
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.
Researchers have discovered a game-changing method for recycling lithium-ion batteries — without using hazardous chemicals.
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.
Rocket horizon, led by a team from MIT, represents a pioneering interdisciplinary effort to create sustainable lunar habitats.
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.
“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.
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.”
Dr. Wencai Zhang: “Our goal is to contribute to the supply chain of these critical materials while also making a positive environmental impact. We specifically aim to reduce the environmental consequences that can be associated with produced water.”
How can lithium, one of the most demanded minerals for clean energy products like electric vehicles, be harvested without harming the environment? This is | Technology.
🚀 LumenOrbit (YC S24) is building a network of megawatt-scale data centers in space, scalable to gigawatt capacity.
Why we should train AI in space.
To keep pace with AI development, vast new data centers and many gigawatts of new energy projects to power them will need to be deployed around the…
Lumen Orbit is building data centers in space to make use of 24/7 solar energy and passive cooling.