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Category: sustainability – Page 45

Solar-powered method converts sewage sludge into green hydrogen and animal feed

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have developed an innovative solar-powered method to transform sewage sludge—a by-product of wastewater treatment—into green hydrogen for clean energy and single-cell protein for animal feed.

Published in Nature Water, the sludge-to-food-and-fuel method tackles two pressing global challenges: managing waste and generating sustainable resources. This aligns with NTU’s goal of addressing humanity’s greatest challenges, such as climate change and sustainability.

The United Nations estimates that about 2.5 billion more people will be living in cities by 2050. Along with the growth of cities and industries comes an increase in , which is notoriously difficult to process and dispose of due to its complex structure, composition, and contaminants such as and pathogens.

LoRa-Based Smart Agriculture Monitoring and Automatic Irrigation System

Abstract

Agriculture is a sector that plays a crucial role in ensuring food security and sustainable development. However, traditional agriculture practices face challenges such as inefficient irrigation methods and lack of real-time monitoring, leading to water waste and reduced crop yield. Several systems that attempt to address these challenges exist, such as those based on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G/4G cellular technology; but also encounter difficulties such as low transmission range, high power consumption, etc. To address all these issues, this paper proposes a smart agriculture monitoring and automatic irrigation system based on LoRa. The system utilizes LoRa technology for long-range wireless communication, Blynk platform for real-time data visualization and control, and ThingSpeak platform for data storage, visualization, and further analysis. The system incorporates multiple components, including a sensor node for data collection, a gateway for data transmission, and an actuator node for irrigation control. Experimental results show that the proposed system effectively monitors collected data such as soil moisture levels, visualizes data in real time, and automatically controls irrigation based on sensor data and user commands. The system proposed in this study provides a cost-effective and efficient solution for sustainable agriculture practices.

Smart Agriculture, Internet of Things, LoRa, Power Consumption, Real-Time Monitoring.

Eukaryotic phytoplankton decline due to ocean acidification could significantly impact global carbon cycle

Princeton University and Xiamen University researchers report that in tropical and subtropical oligotrophic waters, ocean acidification reduces primary production, the process of photosynthesis in phytoplankton, where they take in carbon dioxide (CO2), sunlight, and nutrients to produce organic matter (food and energy).

A six-year investigation found that eukaryotic phytoplankton decline under high CO2 conditions, while cyanobacteria remain unaffected. Nutrient availability, particularly nitrogen, influenced this response.

Results indicate that ocean acidification could reduce primary production in oligotrophic tropical and subtropical oceans by approximately 10%, with global implications. When extrapolated to all affected low-chlorophyll ocean regions, this translates to an estimated 5 billion metric tons loss in global oceanic primary production, which is about 10% of the total carbon fixed by the ocean each year.

Hydroelectric Cell produces electricity from water without using chemicals

Countries worldwide are continuously pursuing green and hygienic technology to generate power from limited natural resources. Power generation from renewable energy sources has reached equality with conventional forms. However, the portability of energy derived from cleaner sources has always been challenging.

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Conventional batteries use elements such as lithium-ion and lead acid, which are toxic, have a serious risk of explosion, and are expensive and harmful to the environment.

Simplified method for observing electron motion in solids unveiled

The ultrafast dynamics and interactions of electrons in molecules and solids have long remained hidden from direct observation. For some time now, it has been possible to study these quantum-physical processes—for example, during chemical reactions, the conversion of sunlight into electricity in solar cells and elementary processes in quantum computers—in real time with a temporal resolution of a few femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second) using two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES).

However, this technique is highly complex. Consequently, it has only been employed by a handful of research groups worldwide to date. Now a German-Italian team led by Prof. Dr. Christoph Lienau from the University of Oldenburg has discovered a way to significantly simplify the experimental implementation of this procedure. “We hope that 2DES will go from being a methodology for experts to a tool that can be widely used,” explains Lienau.

Two doctoral students from Lienau’s Ultrafast Nano-Optics research group, Daniel Timmer and Daniel Lünemann, played a key role in the discovery of the new method. The team has now published a paper in Optica describing the procedure.

Cement and Concrete Innovation for Construction

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13 Climate Action.

As the global construction industry strives to reduce its environmental footprint, sustainable processes and materials are becoming increasingly vital. Innovation in cement and concrete technologies plays a key role in minimizing resource consumption, lowering carbon emissions, and enhancing long-term resilience. This collection highlights research that advances both sustainable development and application of cement and concrete for the building sector.

Topics of interest include the development of low-carbon cement alternatives, recycling and reuse of concrete materials, 3D concrete printing, and other energy-efficient construction techniques. We welcome contributions from fundamental material research, to applied solutions and large-scale real-world demonstrations.

Tesla Will DOUBLE US Production over the next 2 years

Can Tesla REALLY Build Millions of Optimus Bots? ## Tesla is poised to revolutionize robotics and sustainable energy by leveraging its innovative manufacturing capabilities and vertical integration to produce millions of Optimus bots efficiently and cost-effectively ## Questions to inspire discussion ## Manufacturing and Production.

S low model count strategy benefit their production? A: Tesla s speed of innovation and ability to build millions of robots quickly gives them a key advantage in mass producing and scaling manufacturing for humanoid robots like Optimus. + s factory design strategies support rapid production scaling? A: Tesla## Cost and Efficiency.

S vertical integration impact their cost structure? A: Tesla s AI brain in-house, Tesla can avoid paying high margins to external suppliers like Nvidia for the training portion of the brain. +## Technology and Innovation.

S experience in other industries benefit Optimus development? A: Tesla s own supercomputer, Cortex, and AI training cluster are crucial for developing and training the Optimus bot## Quality and Reliability.

S manufacturing experience contribute to Optimus quality? A: Tesla## Market Strategy.

S focus on vehicle appeal relate to Optimus production? A: Tesla## Scaling and Demand.

Continue reading “Tesla Will DOUBLE US Production over the next 2 years” | >

Machine learning reveals how to dissolve polymeric materials in organic solvents

It’s about my paper.

Dissolving polymers with organic solvents is the essential process in the research and development of polymeric materials, including polymer synthesis, refining, painting, and coating. Now more than ever recycling plastic waste is a particularly imperative part of reducing carbon produced by the materials development processes.

Polymers, in this instance, refer to plastics and plastic-like materials that require certain solvents to be able to effectively dissolve and therefore become recyclable, though it’s not as easy as it sounds. Utilizing Mitsubishi Chemical Group’s (MCG) databank of quantum chemistry calculations, scientists developed a novel machine learning system for determining the miscibility of any given polymer with its solvent candidates, referred to as χ (chi) parameters.

This system has enabled scientists to overcome the limitations arising from a limited amount of experimental data on the polymer-solvent miscibility by integrating produced from the computer experiments using high-throughput quantum chemistry calculations.

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