by Komoneed | Mar 6, 2024
A team of researchers from UNSW Sydney has come up with a novel way to produce synthetic fuel — directly from sunlight. The process involves using light and heat to induce a reaction that creates synthetic methane from CO2.
By leveraging renewable energy to power the conversion process, this method could help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The research was led by a team from UNSW’s School of Chemical Engineering: Professor Rose Amal, Dr Priyank Kumar, Dr Emma C Lovell, Yi Fen (Charlotte) Zhu, Associate Professor Jason Scott, Dr Bingqiao Xie and Dr Jodie A Yuwono. It has been published in EES Catalysis.
“Methane is the major component of natural gas, and already widely used as a source of fuel, but is also a powerful greenhouse gas. Creating synthetic methane using only the natural resource of the sun is a cleaner and greener alternative for usage in heavy transportation, shipping and other specific industries where gas usage is essential,” Lovell said.
“By employing specific catalysts and support materials, we have demonstrated a new pathway for visible light to drive the conversion of CO2 into methane. This not only contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions, but also adds value to the captured CO2 by creating a valuable chemical product.”
A closed-loop system
The transformation of waste CO2 into synthetic fuel creates a circular fuel economy — a closed-loop system that addresses environmental concerns while lessening reliance on fossil fuel extraction. The process also has the benefit of being relatively cheap, as the efficient utilisation of sunlight offsets power consumption and associated overhead costs for the reaction. This leads to reduced production costs for synthetic fuel, making it more economically viable and accessible.
“Being able to directly use sunlight reduces the costs required for energy generation to facilitate the reaction. This alleviates one of the major challenges in the pursuit and application of CO2-derived fuel, which is contingent on the availability of low-cost, low carbon energy inputs,” PhD candidate Zhu said.
Beyond fuel production
The team is currently applying their research to the creation of other high-value chemicals, potentially benefiting a wide range of industries from fuel production to pharmaceuticals.
“One of the most promising aspects of this research is its potential impact on industries like fuel production, cement manufacturing, biomass gasification and pharmaceuticals. I would say it represents a more sustainable fuel alternative by closing the carbon loop,” Scott said.
“In terms of converting the CO2 into value-added products, this represents a much cleaner alternative than products which currently rely on fossil fuel-derived precursors for their manufacture.
“Looking ahead, we are already envisioning a new future direction.”
Scott added that the biggest challenge lay in being able to effectively introduce the light into a larger-scale system to illuminate the particles completely. “We are exploring methods such as harnessing sunlight to drive multiple phenomena simultaneously, like solar-thermal alongside light assistance,” he said.
“Currently, we are conducting experiments at the lab scale, aiming to advance to demonstration/prototype scale within approximately a year. Following that milestone, our goal is to transition to pilot scale and ultimately to commercial/industrial scale.”
The research resulted from a collaboration between the UNSW School of Chemical Engineering and School of Photovoltaic & Renewable Energy Engineering, the University of Adelaide and CSIRO.
Image credit: iStock.com/bruev
by Komoneed | Mar 6, 2024
It is notoriously difficult to transform used cotton into new garments, but new regulations and ongoing demand is unlikely to stop companies from trying.
by Kate Mothes | Mar 6, 2024
With a body made from a motorcycle fender, wings from bike chain guards, and legs from tapestry staples and spectacle case parts, a beady-eyed owl comes to life from discarded metal.
French artist Edouard Martinet (previously) has a knack for revitalizing materials like motor components, medical implements, bicycle parts, and other accessories into meticulously detailed animals. While one fish takes shape from fan blades, cake molds, spatulas, and oil lamp badges, another’s teeth and bones are composed of upholstery staples and tablespoons. More
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article From Recycled Motors and Discarded Metals, Edouard Martinet Imagines Meticulously Detailed Wildlife appeared first on Colossal.
by Komoneed | Mar 6, 2024
The Unjust Climate: Bridging the Gap for Women in Agriculture
jschoshinski
Tue, 03/05/2024 – 19:34
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s new report – The unjust climate. Measuring the impact of climate change on the poor, women, and youth – demonstrates how climate stressors widen the income gap among rural people along the lines of class, gender, and age. By combining socioeconomic data from over 950 million rural people across 24 countries with over 70 years of climate data, this report reveals how climate change has adversely impacted female-headed households’ livelihoods to a greater degree than male-headed households. Despite the pronounced and disproportionate impacts of climate change on women, these issues remain barely visible in national climate policies and associated climate financing. There is an urgent need to increase awareness of these disparate climate impacts and to direct additional resources towards women’s empowerment and women farmers’ resilience.
Please join the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program on Friday, March 8 at 11:00AM EST to discuss the unequal impacts of climate change on rural women in agriculture and the critical investments needed to address these disparities. CSIS is honored to welcome Deputy Director Lauren Phillips and Senior Economist Nicholas Sitko from FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality for opening remarks, followed by keynote remarks from USDA’s Xochitl Torres Small, a panel discussion between USAID’s Ann Vaughan, U.S. Department of State’s Christina Chan, and Lauren Phillips, and concluding remarks from FAO’s Chief Economist Máximo Torero.
Following the event there will be an in-person reception with light refreshments.
Video URL
Teaser Text
Join the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program to discuss the unequal impacts of climate change on rural women in agriculture and the critical investments needed to address these disparities.
Event Date
Friday, March 8, 2024, 11:00 am
– 12:00 pm EST
(4:00 – 5:00 pm UTC)
Advanced registration required
Off
External Link
Register Here
Event Format
Virtual
In-Person
Event Type
Webinar/Presentation
Topic
Agriculture
Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Climate Change
Climate Finance
Climate Finance and Economic Growth
Food Security
Gender and Social Inclusion
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Resilience
Strategic Objective
Adaptation
Integration
Mitigation
Sectors
Agriculture and Food Systems
Gender and Social Inclusion
Region
Global
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2024-03-08 16:00:00
2024-03-08 17:00:00
The Unjust Climate: Bridging the Gap for Women in Agriculture
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s new report – The unjust climate. Measuring the impact of climate change on the poor, women, and youth – demonstrates how climate stressors widen the income gap among rural people along the lines of class, gender, and age. By combining socioeconomic data from over 950 million rural people across 24 countries with over 70 years of climate data, this report reveals how climate change has adversely impacted female-headed households’ livelihoods to a greater degree than male-headed households. Despite the pronounced and disproportionate impacts of climate change on women, these issues remain barely visible in national climate policies and associated climate financing. There is an urgent need to increase awareness of these disparate climate impacts and to direct additional resources towards women’s empowerment and women farmers’ resilience.
Please join the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program on Friday, March 8 at 11:00AM EST to discuss the unequal impacts of climate change on rural women in agriculture and the critical investments needed to address these disparities. CSIS is honored to welcome Deputy Director Lauren Phillips and Senior Economist Nicholas Sitko from FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality for opening remarks, followed by keynote remarks from USDA’s Xochitl Torres Small, a panel discussion between USAID’s Ann Vaughan, U.S. Department of State’s Christina Chan, and Lauren Phillips, and concluding remarks from FAO’s Chief Economist Máximo Torero.
Following the event there will be an in-person reception with light refreshments.
Video URL
Global Climate Change
team@climatelinks.org
UTC
public
by Komoneed | Mar 6, 2024
Pricing will be key, but for now the plug-in hybrid Volkswagen Passat is an impressive all-round car
