🌍 Constructed wetlands’ ability to capture carbon, world’s largest floating wind turbine, climate action for 2025

Welcome to the 23rd issue of the Sustainability newsletter by Interesting Engineering. 

Last month, MIT scientists discovered tiny emerald-tinged plants in the ocean called Prochlorococcus cross-feed nightly with other microbes, especially SAR11. This could represent one of the most significant cross-feeding relationships in the ocean, playing a vital role in regulating the ocean carbon cycle.

This month, scientists are exploring the long-term impact of constructed wetlands on carbon mitigation. They measured carbon sequestration rates over 29 years in constructed wetlands in the midwestern US and found that the carbon-capturing ability of these artificial wetlands appears to have stabilized as the wetlands matured rather than diminished.

The Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH), claimed as the world’s largest renewable energy project, has begun its first round of public consultation of a massive energy project. This project is bigger in area than the entire country of El-Salvador and would be targeted mainly for the export market as the ‘green fuels’ market expands during the 2030s.

Recently, a new MIT study in an aim to provide a more comprehensive and actionable analysis of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) recommends ways “to cap global warming at 1.5°C” and avert that scenario. It suggests biochar and enhanced weathering (EW), among other capabilities.

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NEWS BULLETIN

🌍 60 million solar panels to power El Salvador-sized, world’s largest renewable project
One of the principal parts will be a plant for green ammonia production, determined as the flagship export product for the hub’s environmental assessment.

🔋 Recycling batteries better than mining virgin minerals, slashes 81% emissions: Study 
The study quantified the environmental footprint of this recycling process, and found it emits less than half the greenhouse gases (GHGs) of conventional mining.

🏭 Smart carbon dioxide removal yields economic and environmental benefits 
MIT study finds a diversified portfolio of carbon dioxide removal options delivers the best return on investment.

🌫️ US scientists develop 92% efficient electric lithium extraction with 75% less emission 
An electrical field applied to the mineral spodumene allowed researchers to efficiently extract lithium ions, preventing the adverse effects of conventional methods.

🌞 Solar panels on train tracks: French railway testing new system for power generation 
AREP will now explore optimizing the system for higher efficiency.

🔋 Recycling batteries better than mining virgin minerals, slashes 81% emissions: Study 
The study quantified the environmental footprint of this recycling process, and found it emits less than half the greenhouse gases (GHGs) of conventional mining.

🐀 Rat populations in cities are booming as the planet warms up 
Global warming is helping rats thrive in major cities around the world, with Washington DC seeing the fastest growth in rats

MUST READ

🪸 Constructed wetlands’ ability to capture carbon is declining

Carbon sequestration of constructed wetlands has been known to help mitigate the aggravating environmental impact. However, a new study proposes that constructed wetlands’ ability to capture carbon from the environment may stabilize rather than diminish as wetlands mature.

But what are actually constructed wetlands? According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), constructed wetlands are treatment systems that use natural processes involving wetland vegetation, soils, and their associated microbial assemblages to improve water quality.

The study was conducted at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP) in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The researchers measured soil samples taken over many years and estimated soil samples to determine if the wetlands were capturing an adequate amount of carbon from the environment.

The long term carbon sequestering rate of constructed wetlands showed that the wetlands seem to have reached a stable state. The soil samples were compared from the data ranging from previous time stamps – 18 months, 10 years, and 15 years within a 29-year timeline.

Scientists undertook this research subjecting the constructed wetlands in the US midwestern to assess if the construction of these wetlands was mitigating the carbon in the environment.

The study spotlighted that historically, the majority of the world's wetlands have been destroyed due to human activities, with the midwestern U.S. being one of the most affected regions. Only in recent history has the US sought to remedy this by mandating the construction of wetlands to replace those that are drained.

“While long-term carbon sequestration rates for natural wetlands are well-documented, it is unknown how constructed wetlands sequester carbon long-term,” the study added.

Understanding this is crucial because constructed wetlands are increasingly used as a mitigation strategy for climate change, especially in areas where natural wetlands have been lost. The IPCC emphasizes the need for such mitigation strategies to prevent catastrophic warming.

“Wetlands are generally thought of as the kidneys of our world because they can clean water naturally and sequester carbon well,” stated Jay Martin, a professor in food, agricultural, and biological engineering at Ohio State University and a co-author of the study.

“As we try to combat climate change, they also provide habitat for many species that are important to us.”

The study was published in the journal Science Direct.

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES

• 🚀 ‘Drill, baby, drill’: Trump declares energy emergency, eyes Mars mission

• 🔌 First-ever hydrogen nanogrid by US Army replaces diesel generators at key missile site

• 🌬️ 20 MW: World’s largest floating wind turbine spanning 7 soccer fields tested by China

• 💧 MIT spinout Gradiant reduces companies’ water use and waste by billions of gallons each day

• 🌀 25 MW: China to deploy record-breaking colossal wind turbines, says report

• 🌪️ Supercharged hurricanes will cause more blackouts across the US

• 🔥 Climate change made LA fires worse, scientists say

🌍 Act to shrink your carbon footprint

In anticipation of a boom in demand for critical minerals, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres convened the UN Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.

The panel was kicked off with an aim to develop principles that ensure a just and sustainable transition to renewable energy.

The Panel focuses on the responsible sourcing and management of minerals like copper, lithium, and nickel, which are essential for clean energy technologies. The Panel aims to promote transparency, fairness, and environmental protection in the mining and use of these resources.

Some of the Panel’s objectives are: 

1. Support a just and equitable transition to renewable energies while harnessing critical energy transition minerals for sustainable development.

2. Ensure countries and local communities endowed with these minerals fully benefit economically, including through local value addition, while safeguarding social and environmental protections for affected communities and ecosystems.

3. Strengthen international cooperation, including through the alignment and harmonization of existing norms, standards, and initiatives, and agree on areas for enhanced multilateral action.

The Panel also called for written submissions as an imperative step to share information, build understanding and help advance its work to finalize a set of common and voluntary principles in an open, transparent, and inclusive manner.

The panel's recommendations, such as establishing a High-Level Expert Advisory Group and a global traceability framework, will likely be taken up by the UN and other stakeholders in 2025. This means the UN, member states, and organizations will be working on putting these recommendations into action.

More to come in the forthcoming edition of Sustainability.