Latest news with #JournalofCleanerProduction
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists unveil breakthrough device that pulls drinking water from thin air: 'Deployed in real-world applications'
What if we could pull drinkable water from the air around us? A research collaboration between engineers from Australia and China has accomplished just that. A device that looks like a sponge captures ambient water from the air and, using solar power, can deposit the water for drinking. The device modifies the natural features of balsa wood to be able to pull water from the environment. According to TechXplore, the technology functioned from 30% to 90% humidity and from 41 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. These ranges bode well for use in a wide range of environments. The team published their research in the Journal of Cleaner Production. "In outdoor tests, our device captured 2.5 milliliters of water per gram overnight and released most of it during the day, achieving a daily water collection efficiency of 94%," Dr. Junfeng Hou from Zhejiang A&F University told TechXplore. This technology and others like it use scientific innovation to address a crucial issue of drinking water scarcity around the world. The rising average temperatures around the globe are contributing to water scarcity. In a heatwave or drought, water supplies are diminished both through evaporation and through increased consumption to prevent dehydration. Continued reliance on dirty energy sources is speeding up the planet's heating. Scientists warn of the environmental and public health risks associated with these higher average temperatures. Pollution also poses issues for clean drinking water. From the EPA rescinding limits on forever chemicals in drinking water to the 1.7 billion people who drank water contaminated with feces in 2022, access to clean, safe water is a serious concern. Technology like this sponge-like device can provide drinkable water to many around the world, saving many lives. The United Nations estimates that 3.5 million people die each year from causes related to water scarcity. Beyond that, lack of water access impacts over four billion people globally every year. The team is working on further testing with industry partners. They're trying to integrate energy storage capabilities with solar to allow for water production during cloudy periods or overnight. Inspired by natural design and proven to work under a variety of conditions, the device can "be manufactured in large quantities and deployed in real-world applications such as water collection in remote or arid regions," Dr. Derek Hao of RMIT University in Melbourne told TechXplore. How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Discovered An Amazing Practical Use For World's Leftover Coffee Grounds
We could be producing concrete that's 30 percent stronger by processing and adding charred coffee grounds to the mix, researchers in Australia discovered. Their clever recipe could solve multiple problems at the same time. Every year the world produces a staggering 10 billion kilograms (22 billion pounds) of coffee waste globally. Most ends up in landfills. "The disposal of organic waste poses an environmental challenge as it emits large amounts of greenhouse gases including methane and carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change," explained RMIT University engineer Rajeev Roychand when the research was published in 2023. With a booming construction market globally, there's also an ever increasing demand for resource intensive concrete causing another set of environmental challenges too. "The ongoing extraction of natural sand around the world – typically taken from river beds and banks – to meet the rapidly growing demands of the construction industry has a big impact on the environment," said RMIT engineer Jie Li. "There are critical and long-lasting challenges in maintaining a sustainable supply of sand due to the finite nature of resources and the environmental impacts of sand mining. With a circular-economy approach, we could keep organic waste out of landfill and also better preserve our natural resources like sand." Organic products like coffee grounds can't be added directly to concrete because they leak chemicals that weaken the building material's strength. So using low energy levels the team heated coffee waste to over 350 °C (around 660 °F) while depriving it of oxygen. This process is called pyrolyzing. It breaks down the organic molecules, resulting in a porous, carbon-rich charcoal called biochar, that can form bonds with and thereby incorporate itself into the cement matrix. Roychand and colleagues also tried pyrolyzing the coffee grounds at 500 °C but the resulting biochar particles were not as strong. The researchers cautioned that they still need to assess the long term durability of their cement product. They're now working on testing how the hybrid coffee-cement performs under freeze/thaw cycles, water absorption, abrasions and many more stressors. The team is also working on creating biochars from other organic waste sources, including wood, food waste and agricultural waste. "Our research is in the early stages, but these exciting findings offer an innovative way to greatly reduce the amount of organic waste that goes to landfill," said RMIT engineer Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch. "Inspiration for my research, from an Indigenous perspective, involves Caring for Country, ensuring there's a sustainable life cycle for all materials and avoiding things going into landfill to minimize the impact on the environment." Their research was published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. An earlier version of this article was published in September 2023. Extreme 'Feast And Famine' Cycle Sparked Explosion of Life on Earth It's The First World Day For Glaciers – And Scientists Are Concerned Scientists Reveal What Antarctica Would Look Like With No Ice
