MIT News October 16, 2020 Researchers at MIT have developed a gas gating mechanism driven by reversible electrochemical metal deposition/dissolution on a conductive membrane, which can continuously modulate the interfacial gas permeability over two orders of magnitude with high efficiency and short response time. The gating mechanism involves neither moving parts nor dead volume and can therefore enable various engineering processes. An electrochemically mediated carbon dioxide concentrator demonstrates proof of concept by integrating the gating membranes with redox-active sorbents, where gating effectively prevented the crosstalk between feed and product gas streams for high-efficiency, directional carbon dioxide pumping. The system could […]
Tag Archives: Environmental science
Meet the robot submarine that acts as a lionfish predator
MIT Technology Review June 4, 2019 A non-profit organization has developed a robot submarine called the Guardian LF1 which features eight thrusters, an onboard computer, a camera, and a power source, along with a set of low voltage “stunning panels” and a chamber for storing captured fish. It is controlled from the surface using a tether but includes an autopilot and a computer vision system capable of distinguishing lionfish from other species. The prey, Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean, were introduced to the waters off the US several decades ago and have since spread through the Caribbean and Gulf […]
Could an anti-global warming atmospheric spraying program really work?
Science Daily November 23, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (Yale University, Harvard University) reviewed the capabilities and costs of various lofting methods intended to deliver sulfates into the lower stratosphere. They lay out a future solar geoengineering deployment scenario of halving the increase in anthropogenic radiative forcing beginning 15 years hence by deploying material to altitudes as high as ~20 km. After surveying an exhaustive list of potential deployment techniques, they settled upon an aircraft-based delivery system. Unlike the one prior comprehensive study on the topic, they conclude that no existing aircraft design—even with extensive modifications—can reasonably […]
Staggering extent of human impact on planet revealed in new report
Science Daily October 31, 2018 The Living Planet Report 2018 , presents a comprehensive overview of the state of our natural world through multiple indicators including the Living Planet Index, which examines trends in global wildlife abundance. It also focuses on the value of nature to people’s health and that of our societies and economies. The top threats to species identified in the report are directly linked to human activities, including habitat loss and degradation and overexploitation of wildlife. WWF is calling on people, businesses and governments to mobilize and deliver on a comprehensive framework agreement for nature and people […]
Searching for clues on extreme climate change
Science Daily September 18, 2018 An international team of researchers (Germany, France, UK, Switzerland, Czech Republic) combined classic tree-ring width measurements with chemical (stable isotope) analyses of carbon and oxygen in tree-rings to reconstruct climate variables. This resulted in novel insights into the hydrological variability and atmospheric circulation changes during an abrupt climate change event. Studying the fossil pines in a French river valley the scientists proved that it was not a change in mean temperatures that was problematic, but rather the environmental stress presumably leading to the tree die off. This stress was caused by the accumulation of extreme weather […]
New particle formation found to occur in heavily polluted air
Phys.org July 20, 2018 An international team of researchers (China, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, USA – industry, Carnegie Mellon University) investigated new particle formation (NPF) in Shanghai and were able to observe both precursor vapors (H2SO4) and initial clusters at a molecular level. High NPF rates were observed to coincide with several familiar markers suggestive of H2SO4–dimethylamine –water nucleation, including sulfuric acid dimers and H2SO4-DMA clusters. NPFs can lead to cloud formation of a type that traps heat. According to the researchers it is likely having a bigger impact on global warming than has been thought. They suggest climate change models […]
MOF material offers selective, reversible and repeatable capture of toxic atmospheric gas
Science Daily June 11, 2018 An international team of researchers (UK, USA – Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Russia, France, China) has developed an MOF, denoted as MFM-300(Al), which exhibits reversible, selective capture of nitrogen dioxide at ambient pressures and temperatures — at low concentrations — in the presence of moisture, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. Despite the highly reactive nature of nitrogen dioxide, the MFM-300(Al) material proved extremely robust, demonstrating the capability to be fully regenerated, or degassed, multiple times without loss of crystallinity or porosity. This work may pave the way for the development of future capture and conversion technologies… […]
Virtual contact lenses for radar satellites
Science Daily April 16, 2018 Water level from sea ice-covered oceans is particularly challenging to retrieve with satellite radar altimeters due to the different shapes assumed by the returned signal compared with the standard open ocean waveforms. An international team of researchers (Germany, Denmark, UK, Italy) has developed a fitting (also called retracking) strategy (ALES+) based on a subwaveform retracker that is able to adapt the fitting of the signal depending on the sea state and on the slope of its trailing edge. The algorithm modifies the existing Adaptive Leading Edge Subwaveform retracker originally designed for coastal waters and is […]
Researchers create a protein ‘mat’ that can soak up pollution
Physorg March 15, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – UC Berkeley, Northwestern University, ARL, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, France) designed four-monomer random heteropolymers to mimic intrinsically disordered proteins for protein solubilization and stabilization in non-native environments. With optimized composition and statistical monomer distribution, they enable cell-free synthesis of membrane proteins with proper protein folding for transport and enzyme-containing plastics for toxin bioremediation. The research affords a new strategy to interface with biological systems for protein-based biomaterials and enable on-demand biochemical reactions where they were once not feasible… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Certain bacteria produce tiny gold nuggets by digesting toxic metals
Science Daily January 31, 2018 In nature, C. metallidurans plays a key role in the formation of so-called secondary gold, which emerges following the breakdown of primary, geologically created, ancient gold ores. It transforms the toxic gold particles formed by the weathering process into harmless gold particles, thereby producing gold nuggets only a few nanometers in size. An international team of researchers (Germany, Australia) has discovered the molecular processes that take place inside the bacteria C. metallidurans to extract valuable trace elements, including tiny gold nuggets, without poisoning itself… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE