♻️ Sourcing lithium sustainably, Solar-based air-to-water dispenser, and water-based heat pump in Scotland

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

Happy belated World Environment Day (June 5, 2024) and World Ocean Day (June 8, 2024)!

Last week spotlighted yet another solar-driven innovation with scientists from Nanjing University in China developing a sustainable method for more efficient solar-based evaporation by using nanoconfinement to enhance water properties. They created a composite material with vertically aligned Janus carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which exhibited a unique diameter-dependent evaporation rate. Additionally, California built the world’s largest wildlife bridge to aid animal conservation and scientists also devised a sturdy longer-lasting heat-tolerant film from industrial waste equipped with the ability to twist light beams.

This week, American scientists have come up with a more eco-friendly way to source lithium for soaring energy demands with the ambition to overcome conventional challenges. Scientists demonstrated an approach to enhance the efficiency and selectivity of lithium extraction through differences in kinetic and chemo-mechanical barriers. Their findings revealed that medium-sized particles offered the best balance of properties, leading to the highest lithium selectivity. 

With scientists engineering new technologies that convert energy from or to water, DrinkingMaker has developed a multifunctional air-to-water dispenser that can also use solar power to produce 19 liters of water per day. Additionally, it can dehumidify and purify the air. Recently, a Scottish firm, SeaWarm devised a new water-based heat pump that harnesses energy from any waterbody including mine water. It has been equipped with the potential to deliver 400 percent more heat than the energy it uses, paving the way for a more sustainable solution to power homes and businesses. 

On the 51st World Environment Day, UNEP emphasized global land degradation affecting 3.2 billion people. They proposed sustainable practices to restore the land. These efforts noted in the last section aim to combat erosion, maintain biodiversity, and enhance productivity, benefiting the environment and vulnerable populations.

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

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NEWS

• 💧 New air-to-water converter uses solar power to deliver 19 liters a day This new solar-based air-to-water dispenser by DrinkingMaker can also dehumidify and purify the air.

• 🐋 Crossbows and eerie silences – following Antarctic whales for climate change clues BBC science team crossed the Southern Ocean, with the researchers, on a mission to follow and study the giant whales of this remote, frozen wilderness.

• 🐾 Volvo: World’s 1st EV passport to offer carbon footprint, battery origins The European Union (EU) has made it mandatory for all EVs to have a battery passport, beginning February 2027.

• ⚙️ China installs world’s 1st 18 MW wind turbine, can power 36,000 homes yearly The turbine can power 36,000 households every year and will save 22,000 tonnes of coal from being burnt.

• 🌅 New water-based heat pump delivers 400% more heat than the energy it uses SeaWarm’s heat pump can harness energy from any water body, offering a more sustainable solution for powering homes and businesses.

• ♻️ Swiss approve law boosting renewable energy generation Switzerland approved a law on Sunday aimed at accelerating the development of renewable energies, as part of the country's bid to attain carbon neutrality by 2050.

MUST READ

🔋 Experts devise new approach for sourcing lithium sustainably to meet soaring energy demands

With the demand for lithium soaring high as a result of the booming electric vehicle market, scientists have been on the hunt for a more efficient and sustainable way to source lithium. This led, researchers from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) in a new study to investigate the selective extraction of lithium (Li) over sodium (Na) from dilute water sources using one-dimensional (1D) olivine iron phosphate (FePO4) particles. 

They examined a series of FePO4 particles equipped with different features with the ambition of enhancing the selectivity and efficiency of lithium extraction by leveraging differences in kinetic and chemo-mechanical barriers between lithium and sodium intercalation. It resulted in particle sizes ranging from 20 to 6,000 nanometers. This approach ultimately helped optimize the extraction process for environmental and practical benefits.

The new method addresses the challenges of conventionally used extraction methods involving rock ores or brines which are often not enough to meet the high energy demands, environmental costs, and the need for highly concentrated lithium sources. 

The findings showed that medium-sized particles offered the best balance of kinetic and thermodynamic properties, leading to the highest lithium selectivity over sodium. This study proposed a more environmentally friendly and efficient lithium extraction approach, potentially securing a more sustainable lithium supply. This approach could also lead to faster, greener lithium extraction, meeting the growing demand in the electric vehicle market and beyond.

“We have to keep this desired particle size in mind as we pick synthesis methods to scale up,” Chong Liu, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering and senior author of the study, expressed in a statement. She added that to maintain the desired particle size being manifested, synthesis methods helped scale up. This could lead to the development of an approach that reduces the environmental impact of lithium production and secures the lithium supply in this country.

The study’s findings were published on June 7, 2024, in the journal – Nature Communications.

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES

• 🌊 Lithium extracted from seawater, new method to speed up battery development

• 🌲 Forest office: The role of wood in Paris's low-carbon building boom

• 💧 Dead solar panels get a greener 2nd life with saltwater solution: Study

• 🔥 Weather tracker: May sets new global temperature record

• ⛽️ Ban fossil fuel ads to save climate, says UN chief

• ⚙️ Screw-like tidal power generator made from plastic trash seeks trial in UK 

• 🔋 Tree-based batteries to power Europe’s fight against China’s lithium dominance

• ♻️ China set to beat the world in green hydrogen with 220,000 tonne output

🐾 Act to shrink your carbon footprint

The globe witnessed the 51st World Environment Day earlier this week on June 5. On this occasion, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a statement about efforts to restore landscapes. Land is the most significant source that provides humanity with food, water, and a myriad of other resources that make life possible. However, the UN noted that one-fifth of the Earth’s land is degraded affecting 3.2 billion people (40 percent of the global population). This weighs disproportionately on women and the poor particularly.

Therefore, here are some recommendations to help restore specific types of land.

👨🏽‍🌾 Farmlands

According to a report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, croplands make up roughly one-third of the world’s farmlands and have majorly contributed to ecosystem degradation. This was because the original vegetation and soil disturbance were removed via arable farming activities. Erosion, nutrient depletion, and salinity on irrigated lands have damaged the ecosystem and reduced crop yields. However, sustainable land management (SLM) practices such as climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and good agricultural practices (GAP) could aid in the revival of farmlands. These practices prevent soil loss, build up organic matter, and offer direct benefits to farmers, incentivizing them to invest in sustainable methods. Conservation agriculture, cross-slope bunds, agroforestry, and organic production could help devise synergies, leading to notable positive consequences on the larger ecosystem.

🏜️ Grasslands, shrublands, and savannas

The UN proposed restoring vegetation cover by reestablishing native plants to prevent erosion and maintain biodiversity or adopting sustainable grazing practices such as regulating livestock farming that does not exceed the land's carrying capacity, allowing the land to rest and recuperate. Another suggestion is to implement rotational grazing systems to balance livestock use, helping avoid overgrazing and mismanagement. Additionally, the report also recommended managing and controlling invasive species to protect native flora. These practices, when widely adopted, can reduce land pressure, enhance productivity, and provide environmental benefits like improved hydrological regulation and increased carbon storage.

🌳 Forests

In this case, community management has been noted as a key strategy. The UN proposes that local communities could hone and employ their cultural values for sustainable use of the land and protect it. This can also involve propagating indigenous species by encouraging the growth of native plants to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Also, agroforestry systems could be applied to mimic forests, such as growing coffee under tree canopies, to combine production with conservation. Riparian forest protection meaning planting perennial plants along riverbanks to prevent erosion, filter sediment, and support biodiversity is another solution. The commonly known solution we’ve seen governments around the world talk about is reducing deforestation such as executing policies and practices to reduce deforestation rates, particularly in tropical regions, and promoting reforestation and afforestation efforts.

More to come in the forthcoming edition of Sustainability.