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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 431

Aug 13, 2020

Revealing the structure of the mysterious blue whirling flame

Posted by in categories: climatology, computing, sustainability

A team of researchers working at the University of Maryland has uncovered the structure of the mysterious blue whirling flame. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes using computer simulations to determine the structure of the unique type of flame.

Back in 2016, a team of researchers discovered what they described as a blue whirling flame while they were studying the properties of liquid fuel floating on water. They had added fuel to a tank full of water that was enclosed in a space that generated a vortex. They described a fire that looked at first like a tornado, but then shortly after, settled into what they dubbed a blue whirling flame. They noted at the time that its color suggested it likely was very efficient, burning the fuel without creating soot—a property that might be useful in cleaning up oil spills. Since then, others have looked at the unique type of flame, but no one had tried to understand its . In this new effort, the researchers took a closer look at the flame and found it was actually three types of flames that had merged into one.

To learn more about the nature of the blue whirling flame, the researchers created using conditions known to generate them. They then slowly adjusted the parameters until they were able to generate the flame virtually. They discovered that the flame was actually the result of three known types of flames merging: those with an invisible outer flame, which happens when there is less fuel than oxygen in the mix—and two that had types of visible inner flames in which higher ratios are more common.

Aug 13, 2020

Breakthrough technology purifies water using the power of sunlight

Posted by in categories: particle physics, sustainability

A global research team has been able to transform brackish water and seawater into safe, clean drinking water in less than 30 minutes using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and sunlight.

In a discovery that could provide for millions of people across the world, researchers were not only able to filter harmful particles from and generate 139.5L of clean water per kilogram of MOF per day, but also perform this task in a more energy-efficient manner than current desalination practices.

The World Health Organization suggests good quality drinking water should have a total dissolved solid (TDS) of 600 parts per million (ppm). Researchers were able to achieve a TDS of 500 ppm in just 30 minutes and regenerate the MOF for reuse in four minutes under sunlight.

Aug 13, 2020

Elon Musk drops cryptic Plaid Tesla Model S hint ahead of Battery Day

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, internet, sustainability

Tesla’s highly-anticipated Battery Day is still several weeks away, but CEO Elon Musk appears to have started posting cryptic teasers about some of the innovations that would be introduced at the event. Based on a recent post on Twitter, it appears that Tesla’s Plaid Model S, and perhaps even the Plaid Model X, may be unveiled at Battery Day.

Ever the internet’s resident meme lord, Elon Musk recently posted a photo of Herbert Ruggles Tarlek, Jr., a character on the television situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati, which ran from 1978 to 1982. The character was noted for his loud plaid suits, which were usually dominated by bold colors and patterns. Musk’s tweet noted that “One day soon, I will wear this outfit.”

Aug 13, 2020

The future of deep space travel could come down to tiny solar panels

Posted by in categories: solar power, space travel, sustainability

Researchers from Germany sent solar cells into low-Earth Orbit to see how well they might perform in longer, deep space missions.

Aug 13, 2020

Upcycling plastic waste toward sustainable energy storage

Posted by in categories: energy, nanotechnology, sustainability, transportation

What if you could solve two of Earth’s biggest problems in one stroke? UC Riverside engineers have developed a way to recycle plastic waste, such as soda or water bottles, into a nanomaterial useful for energy storage.

Mihri and Cengiz Ozkan and their students have been working for years on creating improved materials from sustainable sources, such as glass bottles, beach sand, Silly Putty, and portabella mushrooms. Their latest success could reduce plastic pollution and hasten the transition to 100% clean .

“Thirty percent of the global car fleet is expected to be electric by 2040, and high cost of raw battery materials is a challenge,” said Mihri Ozkan, a professor of electrical engineering in UCR’s Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. “Using from landfill and upcycling could lower the total cost of batteries while making the battery production sustainable on top of eliminating plastic pollution worldwide.”

Aug 12, 2020

The Department of Energy Learned How to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Liquid Fuel

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy, sustainability

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory say they’ve found a breakthrough way to recycle carbon dioxide into energy-rich ethanol fuel. The secret is an electrified catalyst made from copper and carbon, which the researchers say can be powered using low-cost off-peak or renewable energy. What results is a process that’s more than 90 percent effective, which they say is far higher than any similar existing process.

Northern Illinois University professor and participating Argonne researcher Tao Xu says the new catalyst isn’t just a single stop that can produce ethanol—it’s the first step down a possible long list of ways to turn carbon dioxide into other useful chemicals. Despite the obvious plenitude of carbon dioxide, recycling it effectively into new things has been hard because of how stable and chemically stubborn the molecules are.

Aug 11, 2020

Tesla could become an energy provider around the world, with an “all-inclusive” package

Posted by in categories: energy, space, sustainability

In Elon we trust the planet earth!


Tesla studies the possibility of becoming an energy supplier in Europe, offering photovoltaic, storage and electric car charging in one package.

Tesla doesn’t just sell cars. Among the various sectors in which it operates, domestic energy is perhaps the one with the widest growth margins. After launching its photovoltaic products, both solar panels, and tiles, and after the famous PowerWall accumulation, Musk’s company is studying the possibility of offering all its assets in a single offer, even becoming an electricity provider in the world.

Continue reading “Tesla could become an energy provider around the world, with an ‘all-inclusive’ package” »

Aug 10, 2020

Tesla is going to work with space ships too. Enhanced partnership with SpaceX

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel, sustainability

Tesla is going to work with spaceships too. Enhanced partnership with SpaceX.


This is revealed by a new job position, for future designers who will range from electric cars to spaceships for Mars.

A couple of days ago SpaceX tested a prototype of the future Starship, the spacecraft that will be flying to the Moon and Mars. It was a rather raw reproduction, just slightly reminiscent of the style used in the digital rendering presentation. Today we discover that, as demonstrated by a new job place, Tesla’s may be called into the final design.

Continue reading “Tesla is going to work with space ships too. Enhanced partnership with SpaceX” »

Aug 9, 2020

BYD Buses Covered 13 Million Electric Miles In The U.S.

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

BYD, one of the world’s largest electric bus manufacturer, boasted recently that its zero-emission buses already covered more than 13 million miles (21 million km) in the U.S.

The buses sold in North America are made in Lancaster, California, where local transit agency — the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) — just crossed the 3-million-mile mark of zero-emission operations using BYD buses.

Overall, the company sold buses to more than 50 customers across the country. According to BYD, the total mileage translated into:

Aug 9, 2020

NASA’s Rover Is Taking a Tree-Like Device That Converts CO2 Into Oxygen to Mars

Posted by in categories: space, sustainability

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 30 July, carrying a host of cutting-edge technology including high-definition video equipment and the first interplanetary helicopter.

Many of the tools are designed as experimental steps toward human exploration of the red planet. Crucially, Perseverance is equipped with a device called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE: an attempt to produce oxygen on a planet where it makes up less than 0.2 percent of the atmosphere.

Oxygen is a cumbersome payload on space missions. It takes up a lot of room, and it’s very unlikely that astronauts could bring enough of it to Mars for humans to breathe there, let alone to fuel spaceships for the long journey home.