👩🏽‍🔬 Material detects toxic gases, Repurposed beer yeast, and Deep-sea mining 'dust clouds'

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

In a Nature study, chemists at Utrecht University proposed designing refineries equipped to produce chemicals, materials, and synthetic fuel from biomass, recycled plastic, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen to decarbonize crude oil refineries and reform the fossil infrastructure highlighted in last week's edition.

This week's spotlight features an innovation by MIT researchers—a material that continuously detects toxic gases in industrial and domestic settings. This long-term-use material was devised using a hybridization model involving the blend of metal-organic framework (MOF) and conductive polymers (cPs) to develop advanced gas sensors. 

An exciting development involves tackling waste in the beverage industry, particularly beer breweries, which annually discard thousands of tons of surplus yeast. MIT and Georgia Tech researchers found a cost-effective approach to repurposing yeast through a process called biosorption.

The US is making significant strides in the competition for solar infrastructure dominance. Recently, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced that the US has officially exceeded five million solar installations, hailing it as an achievement in the nation’s clean energy transition. 

A recent Nature study disclosed the Mediterranean Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) that occurred between 5.97 and 5.33 million years ago experienced extreme salinity owing to restricted water exchange with the Atlantic Ocean, leading to the formation of massive salt deposits, known as salt giants. This event altered ocean chemistry, increasing ocean pH, reducing atmospheric CO2 levels, and contributing to global cooling. It represents hope in mitigating the present climate crisis.

Another study published in the journal Science says that comprehensive spatial planning in international waters is key to achieving ocean sustainability. This is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the BBNJ Agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction which was adopted in 2023 and signed by nearly 90 nations. 

This edition also discusses significant historical scientific milestones including Charles David Keeling's 1958 discovery of fossil fuels' contribution to elevated CO2 levels and Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald's 1967 development of the first accurate climate model.

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

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NEWS

• 🍻 Repurposed beer yeast may offer a cost-effective way to remove lead from water A filter made from yeast encapsulated in hydrogels can quickly absorb lead as water flows through it.

• 🇺🇸 US installs record 5 million solar panels, aims 10 million by 2030 SEIA predicts that solar installations in the US will increase twofold to 10 million by 2030 and triple to 15 million by 2034.

• 🪸 ‘Dust clouds’ from deep-sea mining threatening marine ecosystems: Study Marine geologist confirmed that mining activities involving extracting valuable metals from the ocean floor have indeed formed “dust clouds.”

• 🌧️ Great Lakes All Contain 'Hazardous' Forever Chemicals Study found forever chemicals mainly called Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are entering the Great Lakes mainly through rainfall.

• ⚡️ Researchers devise air-doped sustainable semiconductors for next-gen electronics Oxygen used as a dopant made the semiconductor more scalable and cost-effective for various electronic applications.

MUST READ

🧫 Thin long-term use material detects toxic gases in industrial and domestic settings 

Typically, toxic gases in industrial or domestic settings are discerned by utilizing a type of gas sensor that can only detect toxic gas once. Recently, in an ambition to detect toxic gases repeatedly using the same material, a team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has tapped into a material made from a metal-organic framework (MOF) and conductive polymers (cPs) and developed advanced gas sensors.

A study was conducted to enhance the performance of gas sensors by employing a hybridization strategy combining conductive MOFs (cMOFs) with cPs. This new method addressed the single-use limitation of MOFs and thus scientists sought to improve sensor recovery kinetics, cycling stability, and dynamic range at room temperature of such a material.

Researchers say the material could be made as a thin coating to analyze air quality in industrial or home settings over time. Polymers were blended with a powdered form of MOF material in a liquid solution, this mixture was then deposited on a substrate where it dries into a uniform thin coating. The amalgamation allowed the material to detect toxic gases quickly, making the new innovation highly sensitive and reversible at the same time.

The material's electrical resistance alters when gas molecules are temporarily trapped in it. By attaching an ohmmeter, these resistance changes can be continuously monitored. Researchers demonstrated that the composite material could detect nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas from combustion, in a small lab device. Even after 100 detection cycles, the material maintained its baseline performance within five to 10 percent, demonstrating its potential for long-term use.

The purpose was to devise sensors that recover more quickly, have better cycling stability, and operate effectively at room temperature. This improvement is crucial for the practical and long-term applications of gas sensors in various industries. Additionally, the combination of cPs and cMOFs enabled thin film co-processing and device integration, broadening the potential applications of such hybrid materials in electronics.

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES

• 🏭 The world’s largest carbon-capture plant just switched on

• 🔥 Scientists generate 1832°F heat with solar power to cook cement and steel

• 🚢 China plans facility to turn kitchen food waste into fuel for ships

• 🥵 2023 summer hottest on record, surpasses  warmest period of Roman Empire

• 🏜️ The Horn of Africa's deep groundwater could be a game-changer for drought resilience

Earth's climate journey: From ice ages to contemporary climate discoveries Part II

Last week addressed the empirical findings confirming Earth undergoing climate change before and since the ice ages while emphasizing the urgency to address the contemporary world’s climate change induced by humans. NASA noted that 2023 was the hottest year on record yet, Guy Callendar discovered evidence of Earth warming in 1938 and the first successful demonstration of silicon solar cells happened in April 1954.

Today, this section underlines significant historical scientific milestones including Charles David Keeling's 1958 discovery of fossil fuels' contribution to rising CO2 levels, Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald's 1967 development of the first accurate climate model, Dr. John Mercer's 1968 prediction of the Antarctic ice sheet collapse, and NASA's Nimbus III satellite in 1969, which provided the first global atmospheric temperature measurements.

Scientist found fossil fuels contributed to rising CO2 levels in 1958

The first evidence of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels due to fossil fuels was confirmed by a young postgraduate geochemist, Charles David Keeling, in 1958. He sought to compare CO2 levels in water and air but had to design his apparatus. Keeling measured the levels every day at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii. Post analyzing the samples, the geochemist was able to link the increase in fossil fuel use which confirmed theories proposed by 19th-century scientists. Keeling's work, a milestone in climate science, led to the creating of the 'Keeling Curve', the longest continuous record of atmospheric CO2, maintained for over 60 years.

World’s first computer model of planet Earth’s climate

Scientists – Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald devised the first accurate computer model of Earth’s climate that predicted doubling CO2 concentrations could raise global temperatures by two degrees Celsius. The aim was to comprehend the impact of different elements including the atmosphere, ocean, and clouds on climate. Through the climate model, scientists simulated changes in CO2 levels, predicting the changes in global temperatures. Their prediction has been validated by historical data showing a significant correlation between CO2 levels and global temperature increases. They demonstrated that data from the pre-industrial era through the 1950s closely aligned with their prediction. Since the 1880s, CO2 levels have risen by approximately 50 percent, leading to a 1.1 degrees Celsius increase in global temperatures. Syukuro Manabe, awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics, is recognized for his work on understanding complex systems, including Earth's climate.

First ice cap predicted in 1968

Dr. John Mercer, a glaciologist at Ohio State University at the time predicted that global warming could cause the Antarctic ice sheets to collapse, leading to a considerable rise in sea levels. The prediction was based on his discovery of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melting away, which had been assumed impossible before. While conducting fieldwork in 1968 at the Reedy Glacier in West Antarctica, Dr. Mercer found evidence of a former freshwater lake high in the Transantarctic Mountains, suggesting past ice sheet melting. He proved that sea levels rose by six meters during a previous interglacial period when temperatures were significantly higher. He warned that current warming could similarly destabilize the ice sheet, leading to a five-meter rise in sea levels. His warning gained traction following the collapse of the Larsen A and B ice shelves and the major rift in Larsen C.

World’s first measurement of global atmospheric temperatures made by NASA’s Nimbus III satellite in 1969

According to NASA, Nimbus III satellite carried instruments to measure atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and ozone with altitude, and the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching our atmosphere from the sun. It was equipped with infrared sensors which provided images at night. First launched in 1964, the satellite provided valuable, never-seen-before accurate data on global temperatures for 30 years. It captured the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the ozone layer, as well as sea ice thickness, enabling scientists to devise computer models that could forecast weather up to two weeks in advance, previously nearly impossible.

While these are a few highlights, numerous discoveries have occurred rapidly lately. Subscribe for more in upcoming editions.