💧 Vulnerable US water reservoirs, Heat pipe for EV cooling, and Doomsday glacier

INTERESTING ENGINEERING SHOP

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

Last, week, scientists from Aarhus University developed a more efficient technique to recycle polyurethane (PUR) foam, which is widely used in products like mattresses and insulation. The new method would efficiently recycle the vastly utilized PUR materials and reduce waste as a result, lowering production costs and supporting a more sustainable circular economy.

This week, a new US study sheds light on major water reservoirs across the continental US experiencing longer, more, severe, and more variable periods of low water storage compared to the past. Owing to climate change, reservoirs are becoming less reliable and more vulnerable. Plus, sediment buildup and increased water withdrawals are contributing to the water storage issue. These changes make water storage reservoirs more variable and less predictable, which has significant implications for water management and availability.

Recently, researchers in Japan developed a groundbreaking loop heat pipe (LHP) that achieves unprecedented heat transport capabilities without electricity. The team’s loop heat pipe aims to enhance energy savings and carbon neutrality in industrial waste heat recovery, solar heat utilization, electric vehicle thermal management, and data center cooling. 

A Dartmouth-led study discovered that the worst predictions for ocean rise owing to melting ice sheets are unlikely to occur. The study challenges the existing report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), referring to a possible scenario where Antarctica would significantly contribute to making the average global sea level rise twice as much, and three times by 2030. The researchers reveal that if the report by the IPCC was to be believed then the Florida Peninsula would long be submerged. 

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NEWS BULLETIN

• 🚘 EV cooling efficiency increases 4x with new electricity-free heat pipe tech Within an LHP, heat is efficiently transported across considerable distances using a working fluid and a porous wick structure.

• 🗻 ‘Doomsday glacier’ that can flood coastlines globally may not collapse as predicted The so-called “doomsday glacier” may not collapse as feared, says a new Dartmouth-led study.

• ☢️ Breakthrough nuclear reactor one mile below ground to transform energy generation To generate power, the reactor follows a process similar to pressurized water reactors.

• ⚙️ US creates new resin for recyclable wind turbine blades to end landfill waste The researchers used this biomass-derivable resin to create a prototype 9-meter blade.

• ⚡️ New nanogenerators achieve 140-fold power density gain, could rival solar cells If a traditional nanogenerator produces ten milliwatts of power, this new technology could increase that output to over 1,000 milliwatts.

• 🔋 Stanford’s new method makes lithium extraction 40% cheaper, sustainable The direct lithium extraction techniques are gaining popularity for their environmental compatibility, and efficiency.

• 🛍️ Shopping centers, factories can produce 25% of Australia’s power, reduce emissions Rooftop solar produced 70% more electricity in Australia than either hydro generators or solar farms.

• ♨️ Energy game-changer: 85% efficient green electricity-powered reactor unveiled Scientists developed an electrified, scalable reactor infrastructure for thermochemical processes, allowing ideal heating and heat-transfer properties.

• ☘️ Leaf-shaped solar concentrators to enable flexible, scalable renewable energy The new leaf model design improves photon collection efficiency, reduces losses, and makes the system more adaptable and replaceable.

• 🦠 Bacteria helping to extract rare metals from old batteries in boost for green tech Team at University of Edinburgh using microbes to recycle lithium, cobalt, and other expensive minerals

MUST READ

💧 Reservoirs are becoming more vulnerable to climate change, study reports

Recently, a team of scientists led by Caelan Simeone, a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Oregon Water Science Center conducted a study to analyze water levels in 250 large reservoirs across the US from 1981 to 2020. 

Their findings revealed that reservoirs are experiencing longer, more severe, and more variable periods of unusually low storage in contrast to previous decades. Western and Central US are affected most by this issue in addition to many reservoirs only been designed for predominantly over-year storage capacity. This leaves even the eastern and southeastern US vulnerable to the threats of water scarcity. 

As a result of the diminishing water in US states, water storage reservoirs have become even more critical to develop but also need to be designed for longer-lasting storage capacity. However, natural storage has certainly become less reliable over the years. 

Scientists stated that in many regions, snowpack is diminishing, rivers are running low, and humans are pumping away groundwater reserves. Reservoirs are becoming less reliable and more vulnerable because of climate change, sediment buildup behind dams reducing storage capacity, and increased water withdrawals. These changes make water storage reservoirs more variable and less predictable, which has significant implications for water management and availability.

Simeone explained that reservoirs are a key component of the modern water cycle, and they’re a part that water managers can influence. “We know that reservoirs are changing and that reservoirs were designed for historical water conditions. So now there’s uncertainty about how, or whether, reservoirs will be able to adapt.”

Scientists believe that better water source management, undertaking sustainable tasks to tackle implications of climate change, and policy and governance are needed to resolve the water reservoir issue.

The study mainly spotlights the growing challenges faced by reservoirs across the US due to hydrological drought, climate change, and sedimentation. These findings are encouraging experts to consider the need for adaptive water management strategies for reliable water supplies in the face of changing conditions.

The study was published on August 22, 2024, in the journal  – Geophysical Research Letters.

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES

• 🔋 MIT develops low-cost, high-energy batteries using disordered rock salt cathodes

• ☢️ Artificial sun: Nuclear fusion closes in, new method can tackle key challenges

• 🚘 Breakthrough: 25% hidden EV battery power unlocked by tracking lithium ions 

• 💧 Portable air-to-drinking water converter fits in bag, ready for military use

• 💣 Switzerland seeks ideas to safely retrieve WWI-era bombs dumped in lakes

• 🕳️ Industry acts to head off regulation on PFAS pollution from semiconductors

• 🏭 New device captures CO₂ and converts it to useful products

• ♻️ The Green Economy Is Hungry for Copper—and People Are Stealing, Fighting, and Dying to Feed It

• 🍔 Scientists may have found a radical solution for making your hamburger less bad for the planet

• 🏔️ Everest's Sherpas fear their homes could wash away

🗼 Act to shrink your carbon footprint

Did you ever consider the impact your pension pot has on climate change? It turns out that greening your pension can in fact minimize your carbon footprint 21 times more than someone who flies, a vegetarian or switched energy provider combined. This information was reported in a UK-based Climate Action Report, 2024 by Make My Money Matter (MMMM), a non-profit organization.

It’s already been established that money submitted in pension pots is used to invest on behalf of organizations and their employees to help them secure a better future post-retirement. However, these investments often fail to consider the impact on people and the planet, affecting returns and investments of the future. 

Pension investments are often invested in profitable industries like tobacco, fossil fuels, weaponry, and gambling. Such pension savings can actually compromise sustainability goals and impact net-zero goals. In the UK alone, 88 billion is invested in fossil fuel companies. MMMM revealed in their Green Pensions Guide that the investments the investments make up for £3,000 per pension holder contributing businesses like Shell and BP. Also for every £10 contributed to pension pot, £2 is linked to deforestation. 

How do we fix this?

Sign up for green pensions! Ensure your hard-earned money is invested in companies actually trying to have an environmental impact and focus on sustainability goals over pure profits. Research the climate actions of each provider linked to your pension. Following your research, engage with your pension contributor scheme. 

Ask vital questions such as the following:

Do you have net-zero targets aligned to 1.5 degrees, including a halving of emissions by 2030? Do you invest your pension in any fossil fuel companies?

How do you engage with these companies to make sure our money isn’t helping them expand their operations?

Do you have plans to tackle links to deforestation in your portfolio?

Do you invest our pension in any companies conducting deforestation?

Do you have plans to increase investments in the solutions to the climate crisis, like renewable energy?

How much of our pension is invested in companies like this?

How do you engage with the highest emitting companies that you invest in and do you publish a clear voting policy?

When do you consider divesting from these companies?

More to come in the forthcoming edition of Sustainability.