🚘 Eco metal-based catalyst, Rock batteries for EV, and Aerogel with 104% solar reflectivity

Welcome back to the tenth edition of Sustainability, a weekly newsletter by Interesting Engineering.

Last week, scientists tapped into the Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems to boost the development of sustainable urban cities. Upon examining soil marine clays in Southeast Asia, they found that when GSHP systems are integrated with energy piles in tropical regions, they helped reduce electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

This week, Japanese chemists sought to make chemistry greener and devised a new catalyst called RhRu bimetallic oxide clusters (RhRuOx/C). These were derived from two metals, mainly Rhodium (Rh) and Ruthenium (Ru), combined with oxygen as the sole oxidant. The metal-based catalyst resulted in the successful production of more efficient and sustainable esters.

Recently, scientists developed a new material based on rock silicates that can potentially replace lithium in electric car batteries. The rock material can be found in regular rocks in your garden, which have been tagged as a good fit for a solid-state electrolyte. Also, Valhall PWP-Fenris project sanctioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy witnessed some progress in redeveloping the oil field in the North Sea. A semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV), the world’s largest crane vessel, installed a 90-meter-long jacket to extend the life of the oil field in the Norwegian Continent Shelf (NCS) for another 40 years.

Experts have also been undertaking new studies to devise environmentally friendly approaches to tackle the climate crisis and progress toward net-zero goals. For instance, researchers in Indonesia are using sugar factory waste to produce amylase enzymes locally. While Swiss scientists revamped and enhanced lithium battery technology by minimizing the use of fluorine which improved the battery's stability and efficiency.

With that, I, Shubhangi Dua, your author for Sustainability, welcome you to the tenth edition.

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NEWS BULLETIN

• 🚘 Rock turned into battery, new electrolyte can transform EV industry According to researchers, these rock silicates can be found in ordinary stones you pick up on the beach or in your garden.

• 🏗️ World’s largest crane vessel places 90-meter-tall jacket for oil project The world’s largest crane will also install large offshore structures in the North Sea as part of the Valhall PWP-Fenris development project.

• 🦋 Harrowing trends: how endangered-species researchers find hope in the dark When data collection can be damaging, conservation scientists must balance ethical trade-offs between interference and inaction.

• 🌬️ Germany picks China to supply world’s most powerful wind turbines, EU upset An order for 18.5 MW turbines made in China could mark the entry of Chinese turbine makers in Europe.

• 🫧 New aerogel hits 104% solar reflectivity, boosts super radiative cooling Scientist says the material has a reflectivity of 104% in the visible region which is obtained by the photoluminescence effect.

• ♻️ New method recycles mixed fiber textiles; can reduce fast fashion waste The chemical process uses zinc oxide as a catalyst to separate polyester, nylon, cotton, and spandex in mixed fiber textiles.

• 🌆 Temperatures 1.5C above pre-industrial era average for 12 months, data shows Copernicus Climate Change Service says results a ‘large and continuing shift’ in the climate.

MUST READ

🧪 Japanese chemists craft new metal-based catalysts for eco-friendly esters

Scientists from the Yokohama National University in Japan have recently devised new catalysts comprising the elements Rhodium (Rh) and Ruthenium (Ru). The chemical reactions involving this catalyst led to the production of esters, which are more efficient and eco-friendly as they employed oxygen as the only oxidant. 

Unlike the new method of attaining greener chemistry, conventional approaches produce esters using comparatively harmful oxidants. Scientists say they can be highly toxic to humans and animals, cause explosions, or produce pollution or harmful byproducts, posing notable environmental and safety concerns.

The recent development of RhRu bimetallic oxide clusters efficiently facilitates the desired chemical reaction using oxygen. This enhances the reaction efficiency while minimizing harmful byproducts.

Chemists explained that the Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling (CDC) reactions are important in organic and industrial chemistry because they activate C−H bonds, making them efficient and sustainable by minimizing waste. These reactions involve arenes (aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene) and carboxylic acids to create aryl esters, which are widely used in pharmaceuticals and polymer production. However, CDC reactions need oxidants to take place.

Ken Motokura, a professor at the Faculty of Engineering of Yokohama National University and corresponding author of the study noted that homogeneous catalysts with hazardous oxidants such as hypervalent iodine reagents have typically conducted the CDC reactions of arenes and carboxylic acids.

The mean diameter of the catalyst was 1.2 nm in addition to the molecular oxygen remaining non-toxic, abundant, environmentally benign, and very effective in transforming reactant to products. Water is the only byproduct observed in the new process.

The researchers confirmed the formation of the RhRu bimetallic oxide clusters by employing advanced imaging and spectroscopic techniques. Meanwhile, meticulous kinetic and computational studies have shown the reaction mechanics. According to the chemists, the catalysts’ high reactivity with various types of arenes and carboxylic acids was demonstrated, making them versatile for producing aryl esters.

Shingo Hasegawa, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Engineering of Yokohama National University and the first author of the study stated that the study shows noble-metal-based bimetallic oxide clusters are promising for the C–H bond activation reactions using molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant.

“Our ultimate goal is to establish efficient and regioselective C–H functionalization reactions catalyzed by metal oxide clusters using molecular oxygen under mild conditions, promoting more environmentally friendly chemistry practices,” stated Motokura.

The findings were published on June 6, 2024, in the journal – ACS Publications.

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES

• 🐟 Fish-friendly fans: US firm’s turbines make hydropower safe for marine life

• 🏚️ 100-year-old house displays record-breaking heat pump, one of UK’s best

• ☢️ Fusion confusion: World’s largest nuclear reactor won’t power up for 15 years

• 🪨 Hot rocks evoked supercontinent breakup 400 million years ago in Mongolia

• 🇦🇶 West Antarctica was ice-free 34 million years ago, reveal geological samples

• 🏗️ WindSpider gets funding for possibly world’s tallest crane for turbines

• 🌀 How record-breaking Hurricane Beryl is a sign of a warming world

• 🛢️ China state media slams Sinograin over alleged use of fuel tankers to transport cooking oil

• ☔️ Heavy rains in India's Mumbai impact transport, shut schools

• 🏝️ Sicily's only natural lake drying up as island grapples with drought

♻️ Act to shrink your carbon footprint

With rapid advancements today, scientists and engineers are particularly focused on devising eco-friendly approaches to tackling the climate crisis and adhering to net-zero goals.

Here are some of the latest developments undertaken recently:

🍭 Sugar factory waste used to produce amylase enzymes locally

Amylase enzymes are proteins that help break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. They are widely adopted in a variety of industries such as food processing, detergents, and pharmaceuticals, to facilitate different processes by breaking down starches. In this new research, chemists, and biotechnologists at Universitas Negeri Malang in Indonesia are working on isolating amylase-producing bacteria from sugar factory waste to produce amylase locally. Producing amylase locally from waste helps reduce environmental impact by minimizing the need for importing chemicals and lowering industrial waste output.

🔋 Swiss researchers enhance lithium battery tech by minimizing fluorine use

ETH Zurich scientists enhanced lithium battery technology aiming to reduce the environmental impact rendered by traditional lithium batteries. They significantly minimized the use of fluorine which improved the battery's stability and efficiency while reducing the risk of short circuits and overheating. It aims to make electric vehicles travel farther per charge and reduce the frequency of smartphone recharges, marking a significant step towards more sustainable energy storage solutions.

🗻 Experts are striving to improve climate models' accuracy to simulate Arctic climate 

Recently, experts from Okayama University in Japan investigated the Radiative Effects of Precipitation (REP) on climate models as conventional models often overlook the impact of precipitating particles on radiation budgets and hydrological cycles. Now, scientists uncovered that precipitating particles REP alters the balance of shortwave and longwave radiation, resulting in warming effects in polar regions, particularly during winter, and changes in precipitation patterns elsewhere. When REP is combined with General Circulation Models (GCMs), it could reduce biases in simulating temperature and precipitation, thereby enhancing the accuracy of climate predictions and improving our understanding of future climate changes and extreme weather events. A scientist explained that this study could help simulate the Arctic climate more accurately as it’s remotely linked to mid-latitude meteorology and weather. This study will contribute towards improving climate models for more accurate prediction of future climate change and changes in the occurrence of extreme weather. 

🏭 New copper-based catalyst converts captured carbon into valuable products

Scientists from the University of Toronto, Canada, developed a new catalyst to effectively convert captured carbon into valuable products even in the presence of sulfur dioxide. This contaminant degrades the performance of other catalysts. This innovation is a significant advancement for carbon capture and storage technologies, potentially reducing the need for costly impurity removal processes and making carbon utilization more economically viable for industries like steel and cement manufacturing. The catalyst is made from copper-based material coated with layers of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) and Nafion. These coatings help the catalyst resist degradation from sulfur dioxide (SO2), allowing it to efficiently convert captured CO2 into valuable products even when the feedstock contains industrial contaminants.

More to come in the forthcoming edition of Sustainability.