Material & Energy Archives - Page 2 of 21 - Scitke

New Reactor Recycles Battery Waste into Lithium Feedstock

Engineering, Material & Energy, Material Technology / Eduardo Paulo

As electric vehicle use rises worldwide, discarded battery packs are rapidly turning into a significant waste source. Lithium is expensive to extract, and most existing recycling techniques consume substantial energy and chemicals, typically yielding lithium carbonate that still requires additional processing to become reusable lithium hydroxide. Instead of smelting or leaching shredded battery material (“black […]

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Scientists Create a Synthetic Leaf that Turns Pollution into Energy

Material & Energy, Renewable Energy / Marcílio Santos

Modeled on natural processes, the artificial leaf harnesses sunlight and catalysts to transform CO₂ and water into energy-rich compounds like hydrogen or methanol, using advanced materials for greater efficiency than plants. This artificial photosynthesis process can both remove pollutants and produce usable energy, making it a highly discussed breakthrough in environmental science. Optimizing Materials for

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Affordable Materials Turn Waste Carbon into High-Energy Compounds

Carbon Capture, Material & Energy / Valeriano Ndeyi

Converting waste carbon into valuable products is essential for sustainable manufacturing. We can recycle carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and then convert it into energy-dense compounds using electricity. However, current systems rely on anion exchange membranes that degrade over time when exposed to organic substances, reducing their overall efficiency. Low-Cost Diaphragms Offer Efficient Alternative for

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Polluted Water Enhances Opportunities for Clean Hydrogen

Material & Energy / Valeriano Ndeyi

According to new research from Princeton Engineering, wastewater can substitute for clean water in hydrogen production, overcoming a key limitation of hydrogen fuel and cutting water treatment costs by up to 47%. Published in the journal Water Research, the study represents progress toward making hydrogen a viable option for decarbonizing hard-to-electrify industries like steel and

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The first Wind-Powered Underwater Data Center has Been Unveiled

Material & Energy, Renewable Energy / Eduardo Paulo

China has built the world’s first wind-powered underwater data center near Shanghai. The ¥1.6 billion (US$226 million) project represents a major advance in sustainable, high-performance computing. Powered by offshore wind and seabed cooling, the facility cuts power use by 22.8%, eliminates fresh water needs, and reduces land use by over 90%. Seawater Cooling Slashes Energy

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Lasers and Gold Nanoparticles Enable Crystal Growth for New Materials

Material & Energy, Material Technology, Nanotechnology / Eduardo Paulo

Michigan State University researchers have found a way to create crystals on demand, which are essential for technologies like solar panels, LED lighting, and medical imaging. A New Frontier in Material Science Published in ACS Nano, the breakthrough involved hitting gold nanoparticles with a single laser pulse. “We’re only starting to explore the possibilities. This

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Deep Fission Secures $30 Million To Develop Mile-Deep Nuclear Reactor

Material & Energy, Nuclear & Particles / Samilton Santos

Bringing a new dimension to underground energy, Deep Fission Nuclear has raised US$30 million to build a micro-reactor inside a borehole one mile (1.6 km) deep, with completion targeted for July 4, 2026, under the US Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program. An unconventional approach to reactor design More than a year ago, the company

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Atmospheric CO₂ Reaches New High—A Dire Alert from Mauna Loa

Carbon Capture, Material & Energy / Jorge Paka

For the first time ever, carbon dioxide levels have exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm) at their seasonal peak, according to researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Data from the Mauna Loa Observatory, a key global site for monitoring atmospheric CO₂, recorded a monthly average of

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Scientists Develop Transparent Solar Windows Using Liquid Crystals

Material & Energy, Nanotechnology / Jorge Paka

A Nanjing University team developed a transparent solar concentrator that coats ordinary window glass. The device employs cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) multilayers with submicron-scale periodic structures to function as a diffractive solar concentrator (CUSC). It channels sunlight toward the window’s edges, where photovoltaic cells capture the energy. The findings were published in PhotoniX. Next-Gen Solar

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Nuclear Waste Could Become a Source of Tritium for Fusion Power

Material & Energy, Nuclear & Particles / Samilton Santos

A looming shortage of fuel for nuclear fusion may have an unexpected fix. A physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) suggests that tritium for fusion reactors could be generated using nuclear waste left over from fission plants. If fusion energy becomes practical, it could revolutionize power production, delivering virtually limitless electricity on demand. Yet,

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