Australia produces around 3,300 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste each year (CSIRO). Finding a way to extend the useful life of these batteries would likely have numerous financial and environmental benefits. Researchers at the University of Queensland have identified a better way to protect parts of the lithium-ion battery from corrosion. A layer of crystals, only 1 atom thick, can protect against corrosion, while also supporting higher voltages and therefore greater energy density, as well as removing the need for cobalt, which can often be one of the most costly elements in a lithium-ion battery.https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/materials/lithium-ion-batteries-coating-lifespan/
The international council on clean transportation reports "the combustion of 1 liter (or litre) of diesel
fuel releases approx 13% more CO2 than the
same amount of gasoline (or petrol)." Diesel is also more expensive than petrol, but it has qualities which suit heavy-duty vehicle requirements better. However, an Associate Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology has developed a computer model which, when combined with software, may be able to better manage combustion factors in working engines, so diesel engines could become "multi-fuel" engines. This could speed up adoption of lower emission fuels, without requiring large-scale capital investments. https://www.iit.edu/news/illinois-tech-designs-new-engine-brains-
Having already invested in an electric vehicle fleet to decarbonise their operations, what could warrant now changing that fleet over to (renewable) hydrogen fuel cells?Lidl's reasons are outlined in this article and are pretty compelling. But in essence, it comes down to a hydrogen vehicle takes only only 2 to 3 minutes to refuel compared to several hours for a lead-acid battery vehicle to recharge. When you are in the logistics business, and every minute is valuable, refuelling speed is clearly mission-critical.https://thedriven.io/2022/04/02/german-retailer-switches-battery-electric-logistics-fleet-to-green-hydrogen-fuel-cell/
In a normal internal combustion (IC) engine, the crankshaft (+ rods, wristpins & pistons) is the mechanism which captures a portion of the energy released by combustion and converts it into motion. WaveTech Engines have re-thought the normal IC design and created a more "wave-like" motion for pistons vs the tradition up and down rotation. Under computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis, this design indicates 40% less fuel is required for the same or more useable power. In other words greater energy productivity, with added benefits of lower fuel costs and lower emissions. https://www.wavetechengines.com/index.html
Geothermal power plants are typically located near easily accessible, and sufficiently hot hydrothermal reservoirs. This limits their potential. But Canadian Eavor Technologies Inc has designed a closed-loop conduction system which uses the Earth's natural heat to warm a benign, constantly circulating fluid. In short, its like a radiator, just 3 - 5 kilometres underground. The cooler water entering the loop pushes the hot water up to the surface, the heat is captured to deliver constant, predictable, emission-free, base-load electricity and then simply goes back into the loop as cooler water. https://www.upstreamonline.com/energy-transition/bp-and-chevron-become-part-owners-of-de
