Sub's Alternative Energy Thread

[SubGod22]

Another interesting potential form of generating a non-polluting electricity.

Generating Electricity Out of Moisture in the Air Is Becoming Increasingly Possible, Even in the Sahara Desert

A totally science-fiction device developed by scientists in Massachusetts would allow people to pull electricity out of thin air.

Back in 2020, GNN reported on an exciting experimental technology called Air-gen.

It used a protein nanowire film derived from the bacteria species Geobacter sandwiched between two electrodes that could generate electricity via the humidity absorbed within the fine pores of the film.

Now, the team from Univ. of Massachusetts Amhurst has made another breakthrough in this Air-gen technology.

“What we realized after making the Geobacter discovery is the ability to generate electricity from the air—what we then called the ‘Air-gen effect’—turns out to be generic,” explains Amhurst Professor Jun Yao.

“Literally any kind of material can harvest electricity from the air—as long as it has a certain property. It just needs to have holes smaller than 100 nm (nanometers)—or less than a thousandth of the width of a human hair.”

No need for sun or wind. Works indoors. Low cost, non-polluting, and renewable.

Another potentially exciting source to follow.

[SubGod22]

Are electric vehicles, and other powerful lithium batteries really ready for Prime Time? Besides being very expensive, difficult to dispose of, and without infrastructure to re-charge, they are dangerous. They don't require a "vehicle crash" to ignite. Are we only a half a decade away from doing away with Internal combustion engines?

Lithium-ion batteries caused an electric Wichita city bus to catch fire early Wednesday morning, making it the second time in a week fire officials have attributed a damaging fire to such batteries. The bus damage is estimated at $650,000. It’s a growing problem nationwide, so much that it will be the topic during a national fire convention next month.

https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article275502066.html

Working for a company that has some connection to some of these types of jobs from time to time, I just learned that the City of Wichita didn't go through a company specializing in this sort of tech and essentially retrofit a gas powered bus with parts bought off of Amazon and put it together. Also bought the charging unit off of Amazon rather than going through a company that specializes in these sorts of things.

So this incident may have had less to do with the actual tech and more to do with the City trying to do it on the cheap and failing to do it properly.

[SubGod22]

A potential future fuel source that is clean and renewable. It's a ways a way, but it's an interesting tech if they can continue to increase its efficiency.

Revolutionary New Clean Fuel Developed that Could See Cars Being Powered by Sunshine

An environmentally clean fuel made from the power of the sun has been devised by scientists which could revolutionize motoring.

The solar-powered technology converts carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels that can be directly dropped into a vehicle’s engine.

The researchers from the University of Cambridge harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert CO2, water, and sunlight into multi-carbon fuels—ethanol and propanol—in a single step.

These fuels have a high energy density and can be easily stored or transported, according to scientists whose work was published in Nature Energy.

“Shining sunlight on the artificial leaves and getting liquid fuel from carbon dioxide and water is an amazing bit of chemistry,” said Dr. Motiar Rahaman, the new study’s first author.

“Normally, when you try to convert CO2 into another chemical product, you almost always get carbon monoxide or syngas, but here, we’ve been able to produce a practical liquid fuel just using the power of the Sun.”

They managed this by developing a copper and palladium-based catalyst, optimized to allow the artificial leaf to produce more complex chemicals.

Unlike fossil fuels, these solar fuels produce net zero carbon emissions and are completely renewable—and unlike most bioethanol, they do not divert any agricultural land away from food production, experts said.

It's conceptually interesting and like most new things, will take time to improve upon. But it's still pretty cool to see the different avenues that may end up being the future.

[C0|dB|00ded]

50 years from now when there's nothing but electric vehicles...The air quality is better than it has ever been LA and NYC. Yet there's so much toxic waste disposed of in Kansas that the average lifespan is 55 years.

If you're looking at it from a total lifetime environmental cost then there's no point in calling attention to the localized advantages. This sounds like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

I hope we charge 'em billions to dump their toxic waste (in western Ks.), our economy could sure use it.

[Atxshoxfan]

Incorrect. If you replaced all the gasoline cars/busses/trucks from a random major city with electric, you would notice an immediate large, not negligible, improvement in local air quality. The improvement in noise pollution would be even greater.

There still is legitimate debate over the ultimate/total/lifetime environmental cost of processing batteries vs. dinosaurs. It's clear we are heading in the right direction for the future.

Subsidies are bad.

Electric cars are FUN!

Anyone Who believes the crap you do is about as believable as Dumbo.

[wufan]

Incorrect. If you replaced all the gasoline cars/busses/trucks from a random major city with electric, you would notice an immediate large, not negligible, improvement in local air quality. The improvement in noise pollution would be even greater.

There still is legitimate debate over the ultimate/total/lifetime environmental cost of processing batteries vs. dinosaurs. It's clear we are heading in the right direction for the future.

Subsidies are bad.

Electric cars are FUN!

I was referrencing impact on global warming by switching to electric. If the goal of the conversion is for noise/smog pollution, they should state that as the primary benefit. All I keep hearing is that “the earth is burning”.

[Ta Town Shocker]

Incorrect. If you replaced all the gasoline cars/busses/trucks from a random major city with electric, you would notice an immediate large, not negligible, improvement in local air quality. The improvement in noise pollution would be even greater.

There still is legitimate debate over the ultimate/total/lifetime environmental cost of processing batteries

50 years from now when there's nothing but electric vehicles...The air quality is better than it has ever been LA and NYC. Yet there's so much toxic waste disposed of in Kansas that the average lifespan is 55 years.

If you're looking at it from a total lifetime environmental cost then there's no point in calling attention to the localized advantages. This sounds like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[C0|dB|00ded]

The tech is still early. Lots of problems, some probable upside. The environmental impact is negligible.

Incorrect. If you replaced all the gasoline cars/busses/trucks from a random major city with electric, you would notice an immediate large, not negligible, improvement in local air quality. The improvement in noise pollution would be even greater.

There still is legitimate debate over the ultimate/total/lifetime environmental cost of processing batteries vs. dinosaurs. It's clear we are heading in the right direction for the future.

Subsidies are bad.

Electric cars are FUN!

[wufan]

No people are not ready, nor is the technology. If a gasoline vehicle burst into flames for no apparent reason, it would be pulled from the market.

Gas (and steam) powered vehicles also used to burst into flames. Agreed tech is not quite there for electric and gov pushing it is silly.

[Atxshoxfan]

I don't get it at all. Tax payers subsidize companies to invest in "clean energy" including electric vehicles. Then govt demand the public purchase them to reduce fossil fuel usage. But then the electric companies use fossil fuels to generate most of the electricity.
And by the way, if your planning on taking a 4 or more hour trip in one, take a pillow and blanket as you will be spending some time waiting for the damn thing to charge.

No people are not ready, nor is the technology. If a gasoline vehicle burst into flames for no apparent reason, it would be pulled from the market.

[wufan]

Are electric vehicles, and other powerful lithium batteries really ready for Prime Time? Besides being very expensive, difficult to dispose of, and without infrastructure to re-charge, they are dangerous. They don't require a "vehicle crash" to ignite. Are we only a half a decade away from doing away with Internal combustion engines?

Lithium-ion batteries caused an electric Wichita city bus to catch fire early Wednesday morning, making it the second time in a week fire officials have attributed a damaging fire to such batteries. The bus damage is estimated at $650,000. It’s a growing problem nationwide, so much that it will be the topic during a national fire convention next month.

https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article275502066.html

The tech is still early. Lots of problems, some probable upside. The environmental impact is negligible.

[Ta Town Shocker]

The bus damage is estimated at $650,000[/B][/I]

https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article275502066.html

They could have dumped all 650k in dollar bills into the Arkansas River and it would have generated the same $ ROI and resulted in less environmental impact. What a tragic misuse of taxpayer dollars.

[Shockm]

Are electric vehicles, and other powerful lithium batteries really ready for Prime Time? Besides being very expensive, difficult to dispose of, and without infrastructure to re-charge, they are dangerous. They don't require a "vehicle crash" to ignite. Are we only a half a decade away from doing away with Internal combustion engines?

Lithium-ion batteries caused an electric Wichita city bus to catch fire early Wednesday morning, making it the second time in a week fire officials have attributed a damaging fire to such batteries. The bus damage is estimated at $650,000. It’s a growing problem nationwide, so much that it will be the topic during a national fire convention next month.

https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article275502066.html

[Atxshoxfan]

Microbes that Digest Plastics at Low Temps Are Discovered in the Alps and the Arctic



This could be a game changer in reducing plastic waste as breaking down the plastics will become much cheaper and easier to do.

So how many hours/days/weeks or years would it take a 5 gallon can of microbes to eat 1 - 16oz soda bottle?

[SubGod22]

Microbes that Digest Plastics at Low Temps Are Discovered in the Alps and the Arctic

Microbes that can eat plastic at low temperatures, making them more cost-effective than current ones, have been found in the Alps.

Several microorganisms capable of destroying plastic polymers have already been discovered. As a result, businesses have latched onto bioengineering the enzymes found in various bacteria and fungi as a means to tackle plastic pollution.

But the industry has been limited by the need for heating since already-discovered ones require artificially high temperatures to work, making the process costly and not carbon neutral.

Now, the Swiss Federal Institute WSL found the most effective performers were two fungi in the genera Neodevriesia and Lachnellulam, which were novel and that worked at just 15 degrees Celsius, or 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

They are capable of digesting biodegradable polyester-polyurethane (PUR), and two commercially available biodegradable mixtures of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA.)

But the study went far further, finding a total of nine fungi and eight bacteria species from multiple genera that were able to digest PUR, and a total of 14 fungi and three bacteria managed to eat mixtures of PBAT and PLA.

This could be a game changer in reducing plastic waste as breaking down the plastics will become much cheaper and easier to do.