GT/ New sustainable method for creating organic semiconductors
Energy & green technology biweekly vol.63, 25th January — 15th February
TL;DR
- Researchers have developed a new, more environmentally friendly way to create conductive inks for use in organic electronics such as solar cells, artificial neurons, and soft sensors. The findings pave the way for future sustainable technology.
- Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in Redox Flow Desalination (RFD), an emerging electrochemical technique that can turn seawater into potable drinking water and also store affordable renewable energy.
- A movable seawall system, capable of generating sufficient electricity to raise gates and protect ports against tsunamis, has been proposed by researchers. The system has been found feasible in areas prone to Nankai Trough earthquake tsunamis. Additionally, it can generate surplus energy to supply emergency power to ports during power outages that commonly occur in natural disasters. This innovative system integrates disaster prevention with the use of renewable energy.
- An economical process with green hydrogen can be used to extract CO2-free iron from the red mud generated in aluminum production.
- New research demonstrates how glycerol carbonate, a biosourced industrial additive, can be produced in record time using CO2 and a by-product of the cooking oil recycling industry. The process relies on a hybrid approach combining fundamental physical organic chemistry and applied flow process technology. Two industrial wastes are thus converted into glycerol carbonate, a biosourced rising star with high added-value.
- Researchers have outlined ambitious targets to help deliver a sustainable and net zero plastic economy. The authors argue for a rethinking of the technical, economic, and policy paradigms that have entrenched the status-quo, one of rising carbon emissions and uncontrolled pollution.
- A new battery material could offer a more sustainable way to power electric cars. The lithium-ion battery includes a cathode based on organic materials, instead of cobalt or nickel.
- Researchers have created a new way to detect ‘forever chemical’ pollution in water, via a luminescent sensor.
- Researchers have presented a new study on cyberattack risks to offshore wind farms in Glasgow, United Kingdom. They looked specifically at wind farms that use voltage-source-converter high-voltage direct-current (VSC-HVDC) connections, which are rapidly becoming the most cost-effective solution to harvest offshore wind energy around the world. They found that their complex, hybrid-communication architecture presents multiple access points for cyberattacks.
- Harmful emissions from the industrial sector could be reduced by up to 85% across the world, according to new research. The sector, which includes iron and steel, chemicals, cement, and food and drink, emits around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions — planet-warming gases that result in climate change and extreme weather.
- And more!
Green Technology Market
Green technology is an applicable combination of advanced tools and solutions to conserve natural resources and environment, minimize or mitigate negative impacts from human activities on the environment, and ensure sustainability development. Green technology is also referred to as clean technology or environmental technology which includes technologies, such as IoT, AI, analytics, blockchain, digital twin, security, and cloud, which collect, integrate, and analyze data from various real-time data sources, such as sensors, cameras, and Global Positioning System (GPS).
Green technology, also known as sustainable technology, protects the environment by using various forms of sustainable energy. Some of the best examples of green technologies include solar panels, LED lighting, wind energy, electric vehicles, vertical farming, and composting.
The global Green Technology and Sustainability market size to grow from USD 11.2 billion in 2020 to USD 36.6 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.6% during the forecast period. The growing consumer and industrial interest for the use of clean energy resources to conserve environment and increasing use of Radio Frequency Identification sensors across industries are driving the adoption of green technology and sustainability solutions and services in the market.
The blockchain segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR: Energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining has caused a spike in carbon emission, and hence blockchain is capable of driving innovation in the field of green technology.
Latest Research
Ground-state electron transfer in all-polymer donor:acceptor blends enables aqueous processing of water-insoluble conjugated polymers
by Tiefeng Liu, Johanna Heimonen, Qilun Zhang, et al in Nature Communications
Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed a new, more environmentally friendly way to create conductive inks for use in organic electronics such as solar cells, artificial neurons, and soft sensors. The findings pave the way for future sustainable technology.
Organic electronics are on the rise as a complement and, in some cases, a replacement to traditional silicon-based electronics. Thanks to simple manufacturing, high flexibility, and low weight combined with the electrical properties typically associated with traditional semiconductors, it can be useful for applications such as digital displays, energy storage, solar cells, sensors, and soft implants.
Organic electronics are built from semiconducting plastics, known as conjugated polymers. However, processing conjugated polymers often requires environmentally hazardous, toxic, and flammable solvents. This is a major obstacle to the wide commercial and sustainable use of organic electronics.
Now, researchers at Linköping University have developed a new sustainable method for processing these polymers from water. In addition to being more sustainable, the new inks are also highly conductive.
“Our research introduces a new approach to processing conjugated polymers using benign solvents such as water. With this method, called ground-state electron transfer, we not only get around the problem of using hazardous chemicals, but we can also demonstrate improvements in material properties and device performance,” says Simone Fabiano, senior associate professor at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics.
When researchers tested the new conductive ink as a transport layer in organic solar cells, they found that both stability and efficiency were higher than with traditional materials. They also tested the ink to create electrochemical transistors and artificial neurons, demonstrating operating frequencies similar to biological neurons.
“I believe that these results can have a transformative impact on the field of organic electronics. By enabling the processing of organic semiconductors from green and sustainable solvents like water, we can mass-produce electronic devices with minimal impact on the environment,” says Simone Fabiano, a Wallenberg Academy Fellow.
Investigation of flow rate in symmetric four-channel redox flow desalination system
by Stephen A. Maclean, Syed Raza, Hang Wang, Chiamaka Igbomezie, Jamin Liu, Nathan Makowski, Yuanyuan Ma, Yaxin Shen, Jason A. Rӧhr, Guo-Ming Weng, André D. Taylor in Cell Reports Physical Science
Researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering achieved a major breakthrough in Redox Flow Desalination (RFD), an emerging electrochemical technique that can turn seawater into potable drinking water and also store affordable renewable energy.
In a paper, the NYU Tandon team led by Dr. André Taylor, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of DC-MUSE (Decarbonizing Chemical Manufacturing Using Sustainable Electrification), increased the RFD system’s salt removal rate by approximately 20 percent while lowering its energy demand by optimizing fluid flow rates.
RFD offers multiple benefits. These systems provide a scalable and flexible approach to energy storage, enabling the efficient utilization of intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. RFD also promises an entirely new solution to the global water crisis.
“By seamlessly integrating energy storage and desalination, our vision is to create a sustainable and efficient solution that not only meets the growing demand for freshwater but also champions environmental conservation and renewable energy integration,” said Taylor.
RFD can both reduce reliance on conventional power grids and also foster the transition towards a carbon-neutral and eco-friendly water desalination process. Furthermore, the integration of redox flow batteries with desalination technologies enhances system efficiency and reliability. The inherent ability of redox flow batteries to store excess energy during periods of abundance and discharge it during peak demand aligns seamlessly with the fluctuating energy requirements of desalination processes.
“The success of this project is attributed to the ingenuity and perseverance of Stephen Akwei Maclean, the paper’s first author and a NYU Tandon Ph.D. candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering,” said Taylor. “He demonstrated exceptional skill by designing the system architecture using advanced 3D printing technology available at the NYU Maker Space.”
The intricacies of the system involve the division of incoming seawater into two streams: the salinating stream (Image above, CH 2) and the desalinating stream (Image above, CH 3). Two additional channels house the electrolyte and redox molecule (Image above, A). These channels are effectively separated by either a cation exchange membrane (CEM) or an anion exchange membrane (AEM).
In CH 4, electrons are supplied from the cathode to the redox molecule, extracting Na+ that diffuses from CH 3. The redox molecule and Na+ are then transported to CH 4, where electrons are supplied to the anode from the redox molecules, and Na+ is allowed to diffuse into CH 2. Under this overall potential, Cl- ions move from CH 3 through the AEM to CH 2, forming the concentrated brine stream. Consequently, CH 3 generates the freshwater stream.
“We can control the incoming seawater residence time to produce drinkable water by operating the system in a single pass or batch mode,” said Maclean.
In the reverse operation, where the brine and freshwater are mixed, the stored chemical energy can be converted into renewable electricity. In essence, RFD systems can serve as a unique form of “battery,” capturing excess energy stored from solar and wind sources. This stored energy can be released on demand, providing a versatile and sustainable supplement to other electricity sources when needed. The dual functionality of the RFD system showcases its potential not only in desalination but also as an innovative contributor to renewable energy solutions.
While further research is warranted, the findings from the NYU Tandon team signal a promising avenue towards a more cost-effective RFD process — a critical advancement in the global quest for increased potable water. As climate change and population growth intensify, more regions grapple with water shortages, underscoring the significance of innovative and efficient desalination methods.
This research aligns seamlessly with the mission of DC-MUSE (Decarbonizing Chemical Manufacturing Using Sustainable Electrification), a collaborative initiative established at NYU Tandon. DC-MUSE is committed to advancing research activities that diminish the environmental impact of chemical processes through the utilization of renewable energy. The current study builds upon Taylor’s extensive body of work in renewable energy, with a recent emphasis on storing sustainably produced energy for utilization during off-peak hours.
Feasibility of a self-powered movable seawall using microtidal energy in Japan
by Hiroshi Takagi, Ryouichi Tomiyasu, Taketo Araki, Tomoyuki Oyake, Noritaka Asakawa, Ichiro Ishihara, Takeharu Kawaoka, Feng Yan, Hayato Kokusho, Mikio Hino in Renewable Energy
With over 2,780 fishing ports and 993 commercial and industrial ports, Japan faces the challenge of safeguarding these important coastal assets from the destructive forces of tsunamis. A promising solution lies in the form of a movable barrier system, where gates rising from the seafloor act as barriers, protecting ports against tsunamis, storm surges and high waves. However, during natural disasters, power outages may disrupt the electricity needed to operate the gate.
To address this, researchers led by Professor Hiroshi Takagi from Tokyo Institute of Technology have proposed a self-powered movable seawall system (SMS) that uses microtidal energy to operate the gates. The proposed system consists of gates placed at the port entrance designed to close during periods of port inactivity such as nighttime or holiday seasons. When raised, the differences in water levels between the inside and outside of the port are used to generate electricity, which is then stored and utilized for subsequent gate operations.
“To our knowledge, there is yet no system in the world that uses movable seawalls to generate electricity and then uses that electricity to operate the system itself. In this sense, SMS is a completely new concept,” says Prof. Takagi.
Despite Japan’s extensive coastline, the tidal ranges — representing the height difference between high and low tides — are considered too small for large-scale tidal power generation. In contrast, the SMS system harnesses microtidal amplitudes in the sea level, which ranges from 10 cm to 150 cm during spring tides. The system consists of a series of gates with a 30 cm gap that aims to operate the adjacent gates smoothly without interaction and small turbines for power generation housed within the gap. Turbines, with one propeller per 50 cm interval vertically, are placed in the gaps between the gates.
The researchers tested the system’s feasibility in Japanese ports, where it operates for eight hours a day, to determine if it can generate enough electricity to restore the gates under the seafloor after the tsunami alert was lifted, considering a buoyant force of floating gate. Out of 56 assessed ports across Japan, nine locations were highly feasible, 14 feasible, and 33 unfeasible due to small potential of energy generation. However, 20 feasible locations were identified along Japan’s western coast, facing the Nankai Trough — a subduction zone known as the source of megathrust earthquakes that occur every century or two. These seismic events have the potential to trigger tsunamis, making the proposed SMS system a promising protective measure for vulnerable ports and their hinterlands.
Furthermore, the researchers identified specific ports, including Himeji and Fukuyama, as examples of favorable locations for generating surplus energy which can be stored for later use. These areas, located in the Seto Inland Sea, serve as major industrial hubs with steel industries, shipbuilding, chemical plants, and various factories. Apart from protecting these critical infrastructures against tsunamis, the proposed system can also provide emergency power to enhance the resilience of these industries in the face of disasters. It integrates disaster prevention with the utilization of renewable energy. “Our findings outline a synergistic system between disaster prevention and the use of renewable energy,” says Prof. Takagi.
While acknowledging challenges such as technical hurdles and restrictions by related laws and regulations, the researchers envision the SMS system as a global safeguard for ports against natural disasters, rising sea levels, and extreme weather, including coastal floods.
Prof. Takagi concludes: “If the technology of the proposed movable tsunami barrier, under the harsh disaster conditions in Japan, can be firmly established through this research, there is no doubt that a day will come when this technology can be exported and deployed overseas as a groundbreaking disaster prevention technology.”
Green steel from red mud through climate-neutral hydrogen plasma reduction
by Matic Jovičević-Klug, Isnaldi R. Souza Filho, Hauke Springer, Christian Adam, Dierk Raabe in Nature
The production of aluminium generates around 180 million tonnes of toxic red mud every year. Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, a centre for iron research, have now shown how green steel can be produced from aluminium production waste in a relatively simple way. In an electric arc furnace similar to those used in the steel industry for decades, they convert the iron oxide contained in the red mud into iron using hydrogen plasma. With this process, almost 700 million tonnes of CO2-free steel could be produced from the four billion tonnes of red mud that have accumulated worldwide to date — which corresponds to a good third of annual steel production worldwide. And as the Max Planck team shows, the process would also be economically viable.
According to forecasts, demand for steel and aluminium will increase by up to 60 percent by 2050. Yet the conventional production of these metals has a considerable impact on the environment. Eight percent of global CO2 emissions come from the steel industry, making it the sector with the highest greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, aluminium industry produces around 180 million tonnes of red mud every year, which is highly alkaline and contains traces of heavy metals such as chromium. In Australia, Brazil and China, among others, this waste is at best dried and disposed of in gigantic landfill sites, resulting in high processing costs. When it rains heavily, the red mud is often washed out of the landfill, and when it dries, the wind can blow it into the environment as dust. In addition, the highly alkaline red mud corrodes the concrete walls of the landfills, resulting in red mud leaks that have already triggered environmental disasters on several occasions, for example in China in 2012 and in Hungary in 2010. In addition, large quantities of red mud are also simply disposed of in nature.
“Our process could simultaneously solve the waste problem of aluminium production and improve the steel industry’s carbon footprint,” says Matic Jovičević-Klug, who played a key role in the work as a scientist at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung.
In a study the team shows how red mud can be utilized as a raw material in the steel industry. This is because the waste from aluminium production consists of up to 60 percent iron oxide. The Max Planck scientists melt the red mud in an electric arc furnace and simultaneously reduce the contained iron oxide to iron using a plasma that contains ten percent hydrogen. The transformation, known in technical jargon as plasma reduction, takes just ten minutes, during which the liquid iron separates from the liquid oxides and can then be extracted easily. The iron is so pure that it can be processed directly into steel.
The remaining metal oxides are no longer corrosive and solidify on cooling to form a glass-like material that can be used as a filling material in the construction industry, for example. Other research groups have produced iron from red mud using a similar approach with coke, but this produces highly contaminated iron and large quantities of CO2. Using green hydrogen as a reducing agent avoids these greenhouse gas emissions.
“If green hydrogen would be used to produce iron from the four billion tonnes of red mud that have been generated in global aluminium production to date, the steel industry could save almost 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2,” says Isnaldi Souza Filho, Research Group Leader at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung.
The heavy metals in the red mud can also be virtually neutralized using the process. “After reduction, we detected chromium in the iron,” says Matic Jovičević-Klug. “Other heavy and precious metals are also likely to go into the iron or into a separate area. That’s something we’ll investigate in further studies. Valuable metals could then be separated and reused.” And heavy metals that remain in the metal oxides are firmly bound within them and can no longer be washed out with water, as can happen with red mud.
However, producing iron from red mud directly using hydrogen not only benefits the environment twice over; it pays off economically too, as the research team demonstrated in a cost analysis. With hydrogen and an electricity mix for the electric arc furnace from only partially renewable sources, the process is worthwhile, if the red mud contains 50 percent iron oxide or more. If the costs for the disposal of the red mud are also considered, only 35 percent iron oxide is sufficient to make the process economical. With green hydrogen and electricity, at today’s costs — also taking into account the cost of landfilling the red mud — a proportion of 30 to 40 percent iron oxide is required for the resulting iron to be competitive on the market.
“These are conservative estimates because the costs for the disposal of the red mud are probably calculated rather low,” says Isnaldi Souza Filho. And there’s another advantage from a practical point of view: electric arc furnaces are widely used in the metal industry — including in aluminium smelters — as they are used to melt down scrap metal. In many cases, the industry would therefore need to invest only a little to become more sustainable.
“It was important for us to also consider economic aspects in our study,” says Dierk Raabe, Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung. “Now it’s up to the industry to decide whether it will utilize the plasma reduction of red mud to iron.”
Intensified Continuous Flow Process for the Scalable Production of Bio‐Based Glycerol Carbonate
by Claire Muzyka, Sébastien Renson, Bruno Grignard, Christophe Detrembleur, Jean‐Christophe M. Monbaliu in Angewandte Chemie International Edition
A study by the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis (CiTOS, Univerisity of Liège) demonstrates how glycerol carbonate, a biosourced industrial additive, can be produced in record time using CO2 and a by-product of the cooking oil recycling industry. In collaboration with colleagues from the Center for Studies and Research on Macromolecules (CERM) , this study lays the foundations for continuous industrial production.
Ambitious R&D and production directives in Europe are stimulating the integration of innovative technologies to reduce environmental impact and to move away from an exclusive reliance on petrochemical resources. In this context, researchers at CiTOS — directed by Jean-Chrsitophe Monbaliu — are developing new processes that privilege molecules derived from biomass. Among these biobased molecules, glycerol stands out as a prime target due to its abundance. Glycerol is mainly derived from the biodiesel industry and cooking oil recycling; its low economic value has relegated it to the status of waste until now. Another waste turned public enemy number one, CO2,is an industrial gaseous effluent with low economic value. By combining their respective areas of expertise, the teams at CiTOS (continuous flow organic chemistry in micro/mesofluidic reactors and upgrading of biobased compounds) and CERM (synthesis of organic materials from CO2) are developing new methods to valorize glycerol and CO2 toward high value-added molecules.
Glycerol carbonate, which formally results from the condensation glycerol and CO2, has recently become a rising star. It offers several advantages over other petroleum-based carbonates such as ethylene and propylene carbonates, which are key electrolyte carriers in lithium batteries. Its significantly lower flammability could greatly reduce the fire risks inherent in these batteries. The carbonate can also be used as a biolubricant, formulation agent, or alternative green solvent.
“Despite such potential, the current market for glycerol carbonate remains very limited,” comments Jean-Christophe Monbaliu. “The main reason is that current production processes are slow and expensive. Our work is in the process of changing that,” he continues.
The work is based on a hybrid approach combining fundamental and applied organic chemistry: a detailed study of the mechanism through quantum chemistry and its deployment under mesofluidic conditions converge toward a unique intensified process. The process, validated at the pilot scale, transforms a direct derivative of glycerol, namely glycidol, in the presence of CO2 and an organic catalyst into glycerol carbonate. The efficiency of the process, which reaches completion in less than 30 seconds, far surpasses all current processes for glycerol carbonate production. “Such favorable metrics open unprecedented perspectives for potential future industrialization,” concludes Jean-Christophe Monbaliu.”
Designing a circular carbon and plastics economy for a sustainable future
by Fernando Vidal, Eva R. van der Marel, Ryan W. F. Kerr, Caitlin McElroy, Nadia Schroeder, Celia Mitchell, Gloria Rosetto, Thomas T. D. Chen, Richard M. Bailey, Cameron Hepburn, Catherine Redgwell, Charlotte K. Williams in Nature
Researchers from the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Plastics, University of Oxford, have outlined ambitious targets to help deliver a sustainable and net zero plastic economy. In a paper, the authors argue for a rethinking of the technical, economic, and policy paradigms that have entrenched the status-quo, one of rising carbon emissions and uncontrolled pollution.
Currently the global plastics system results in over 1 gigatonnes per annum (Gt/annum) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions which is the same as the total combined emissions of Europe’s three largest economies (UK, Germany and France). If left unchecked, these emissions could rise to 4–5 Gt/annum with other sources of pollution also causing concern. Another problem is the lack of effective recycling — in 2019, only 9% of the world’s plastic waste was turned into new products through mechanical recycling. The majority ended up in landfills or was incinerated, and a significant proportion was mismanaged, ending up polluting terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
The authors analyse the current and future global plastics system, proposing technical, legal, and economic interventions from now until 2050 to allow it to transition to net zero emissions and to reduce other negative environmental impacts. The study includes a future scenario centred on four targets:
- Reducing future plastics demand by one half, substituting and eliminating over-use of plastic materials and products.
- Changing the way plastics are manufactured to replace fossil fuels as the hydrocarbon source to use only renewably raw materials, including waste biomass and carbon dioxide.
- For plastics which are recoverable, maximising recycling very significantly, targeting 95% recycling of those materials which are retrievable from wastes.
- Integrating plastic manufacturing and recycling with renewable power and minimising all other negative environmental impacts, including of additives.
The authors emphasise the need for concerted action across all four target areas to ensure the global plastics systems curbs its climate impacts and meets UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Charlotte Williams, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford’s Department of Chemistry and lead author said: ‘We need plastics and polymers, including for future low emission technologies like electric vehicles, wind turbines, and for many essential everyday materials. Our current global plastics system is completely unsustainable, and we need to be implementing these series of very bold measures at scale, and fast. This is a solvable problem but it needs coherent and combined action, particularly from chemical manufacturers.’
To successfully transition the plastics system, the authors set out principles to ensure ‘smart materials design’ and differentiate between plastics which are recoverable and irretrievable after use, noting that there is not a one size fits all solution. Rather, the authors propose careful use of the design principles to help select the optimum production methods and appropriate use of resources, deliver the required performances, ensure waste management, and minimise broader environmental impacts. A timeline of technical-economic-policy and legal interventions helps readers focus on the actions needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
‘The time for action has arrived, we cannot afford to wait any longer,’ study co-author Fernando Vidal, Postdoctoral Researcher in Chemistry at POLYMAT in Spain and former Oxford Martin School Fellow on the Future of Plastics concluded. ‘We must change our concepts around the way we make, use, and dispose of plastics, otherwise we risk perpetuating this problem. The upcoming UN Global Plastic Treaty is the opportunity to make a lasting change in the right direction.’
Study co-author Cameron Hepburn, Battcock Professor of Environmental Economics at the Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, said: ‘The problem is that plastics, while contributing hugely to global pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, are extraordinarily useful. Our research finds that creating a circular economy for plastics in order to reduce their negative impacts is possible, but only if we can reduce future demand by half, switch to renewable plastics that aren’t made from fossil fuels, recycle 95% of what’s left, and minimise environmental impacts at every step of the process.
‘The challenge is enormous, but we present a roadmap to transform the whole system, including through the smart design of plastics, economic and legal interventions, and a shift away from overconsumption.’
A Layered Organic Cathode for High-Energy, Fast-Charging, and Long-Lasting Li-Ion Batteries
by Tianyang Chen, Harish Banda, Jiande Wang, Julius J. Oppenheim, Alessandro Franceschi, Mircea Dincǎ in ACS Central Science
Many electric vehicles are powered by batteries that contain cobalt — a metal that carries high financial, environmental, and social costs.
MIT researchers have now designed a battery material that could offer a more sustainable way to power electric cars. The new lithium-ion battery includes a cathode based on organic materials, instead of cobalt or nickel (another metal often used in lithium-ion batteries).
In a new study, the researchers showed that this material, which could be produced at much lower cost than cobalt-containing batteries, can conduct electricity at similar rates as cobalt batteries. The new battery also has comparable storage capacity and can be charged up faster than cobalt batteries, the researchers report. Dincǎ is the senior author of the study. Tianyang Chen PhD ’23 and Harish Banda, a former MIT postdoc, are the lead authors of the paper. Other authors include Jiande Wang, an MIT postdoc; Julius Oppenheim, an MIT graduate student; and Alessandro Franceschi, a research fellow at the University of Bologna.
“I think this material could have a big impact because it works really well,” says Mircea Dincǎ, the W.M. Keck Professor of Energy at MIT. “It is already competitive with incumbent technologies, and it can save a lot of the cost and pain and environmental issues related to mining the metals that currently go into batteries.”
Most electric cars are powered by lithium-ion batteries, a type of battery that is recharged when lithium ions flow from a positively charged electrode, called a cathode, to a negatively electrode, called an anode. In most lithium-ion batteries, the cathode contains cobalt, a metal that offers high stability and energy density. However, cobalt has significant downsides. A scarce metal, its price can fluctuate dramatically, and much of the world’s cobalt deposits are located in politically unstable countries. Cobalt extraction creates hazardous working conditions and generates toxic waste that contaminates land, air, and water surrounding the mines.
“Cobalt batteries can store a lot of energy, and they have all of features that people care about in terms of performance, but they have the issue of not being widely available, and the cost fluctuates broadly with commodity prices. And, as you transition to a much higher proportion of electrified vehicles in the consumer market, it’s certainly going to get more expensive,” Dincǎ says.
Because of the many drawbacks to cobalt, a great deal of research has gone into trying to develop alternative battery materials. One such material is lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP), which some car manufacturers are beginning to use in electric vehicles. Although still practically useful, LFP has only about half the energy density of cobalt and nickel batteries. Another appealing option are organic materials, but so far most of these materials have not been able to match the conductivity, storage capacity, and lifetime of cobalt-containing batteries. Because of their low conductivity, such materials typically need to be mixed with binders such as polymers, which help them maintain a conductive network. These binders, which make up at least 50 percent of the overall material, bring down the battery’s storage capacity.
About six years ago, Dincǎ’s lab began working on a project, funded by Lamborghini, to develop an organic battery that could be used to power electric cars. While working on porous materials that were partly organic and partly inorganic, Dincǎ and his students realized that a fully organic material they had made appeared that it might be a strong conductor. This material consists of many layers of TAQ (bis-tetraaminobenzoquinone), an organic small molecule that contains three fused hexagonal rings. These layers can extend outward in every direction, forming a structure similar to graphite. Within the molecules are chemical groups called quinones, which are the electron reservoirs, and amines, which help the material to form strong hydrogen bonds.
Those hydrogen bonds make the material highly stable and also very insoluble. That insolubility is important because it prevents the material from dissolving into the battery electrolyte, as some organic battery materials do, thereby extending its lifetime.
“One of the main methods of degradation for organic materials is that they simply dissolve into the battery electrolyte and cross over to the other side of the battery, essentially creating a short circuit. If you make the material completely insoluble, that process doesn’t happen, so we can go to over 2,000 charge cycles with minimal degradation,” Dincǎ says.
Tests of this material showed that its conductivity and storage capacity were comparable to that of traditional cobalt-containing batteries. Also, batteries with a TAQ cathode can be charged and discharged faster than existing batteries, which could speed up the charging rate for electric vehicles.
To stabilize the organic material and increase its ability to adhere to the battery’s current collector, which is made of copper or aluminum, the researchers added filler materials such as cellulose and rubber. These fillers make up less than one-tenth of the overall cathode composite, so they don’t significantly reduce the battery’s storage capacity. These fillers also extend the lifetime of the battery cathode by preventing it from cracking when lithium ions flow into the cathode as the battery charges.
The primary materials needed to manufacture this type of cathode are a quinone precursor and an amine precursor, which are already commercially available and produced in large quantities as commodity chemicals. The researchers estimate that the material cost of assembling these organic batteries could be about one-third to one-half the cost of cobalt batteries.
Luminescence Lifetime-Based Sensing Platform Based on Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes for the Detection of Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Aqueous Samples
by Kun Zhang, Andrew J. Carrod, Elena Del Giorgio, Joseph Hughes, Knut Rurack, Francesca Bennet, Vasile-Dan Hodoroaba, Stuart Harrad, Zoe Pikramenou in Analytical Chemistry
Researchers have created a new way to detect ‘forever chemical’ pollution in water, via a luminescent sensor.
Scientists in Chemistry and Environmental Science at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with scientists from the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, have developed a new approach for detecting pollution from ‘forever chemicals’ in water through luminescence.
PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ are manufactured fluorine chemicals that are used widely in different industries — from food packaging to semiconductor production and car tires. They are non-degradable and accumulate in the environment. Concerns regarding the toxic pollution they cause, particularly in water, have been rising in recent years.
Stuart Harrad, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, who — with colleague Professor Zoe Pikramenou, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Photophysics — co-led the design of a new sensor, said: “Being able to identify ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water, or in the environment from industrial spills is crucial for our own health and the health of our planet. Current methods for measurement of these contaminants are difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. There is a clear and pressing need for a simple, rapid, cost-effective method for measuring PFAS in water samples onsite to aid containment and remediation, especially at (ultra)trace concentrations. But until now, it had proved incredibly difficult to do that.”
The researchers have created a prototype model which detects the ‘forever chemical’ perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The approach uses luminescent metal complexes attached to a sensor surface. If the device is dipped in contaminated water, it detects PFOA by changes in the luminescence signal given off by the metals.
Professor Pikramenou commented: “The sensor works by using a small gold chip grafted with iridium metal complexes. UV light is then used to excite the iridium which gives off red light. When the gold chip is immersed in a sample polluted with the ‘forever chemical’, a change of the signal in the luminescence lifetime of the metal is observed to allow the presence of the ‘forever chemical’ at different concentrations to be detected. So far, the sensor has been able to detect 220 micrograms of PFAS per litre of water which works for industrial wastewater, but for drinking water we would need the approach to be much more sensitive and be able to detect nanogram levels of PFAS.”
The team has collaborated with surface and sensor scientists BAM in Berlin for the assay development and dedicated analytics at the nanoscale. Dan Hodoroaba, head of BAM’s Surface and Thin Film Analysis Division, emphasized the importance of chip characterization: “Advanced imaging surface analyses are essential for the development of dedicated chemical nanostructures on customised sensor chips to ensure optimal performance.”
Knut Rurack, who leads the Chemical and Optical Sensing Division at BAM, added: “Now that we have a prototype sensor chip, we intend to refine and integrate it to make it portable and more sensitive so it can be used on the site of spills and to determine the presence of these chemicals in drinking water.”
Professor Pikramenou concluded: “PFAS are used in industrial settings due to their useful properties for example in stain-proofing fabrics. But if not disposed of safely these chemicals pose a real danger to aquatic life, our health, and the broader environment. This prototype is a big step forward in bringing an effective, quick, and accurate way to detect this pollution helping to protect our natural world, and potentially keep our drinking water clean.”
A Data Integrity Attack Targeting VSC-HVDC-Connected Offshore Wind Farms
by Juanwei Chen, Hang Du, Jun Yan, Rawad Zgheib, Mourad Debabbi in IEEE International Conference on Communications, Control, and Computing Technologies for Smart Grids (SmartGridComm)
The hurrying pace of societal electrification is encouraging from a climate perspective. But the transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable sources like wind presents new risks that are not yet fully understood.
Researchers from Concordia and Hydro-Quebec presented a new study on the topic in Glasgow, United Kingdom at the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Communications, Control, and Computing Technologies for Smart Grids (SmartGridComm). Their study explores the risks of cyberattacks faced by offshore wind farms. Specifically, the researchers considered wind farms that use voltage-source-converter high-voltage direct-current (VSC-HVDC) connections, which are rapidly becoming the most cost-effective solution to harvest offshore wind energy around the world.
“As we advance the integration of renewable energies, it is imperative to recognize that we are venturing into uncharted territory, with unknown vulnerabilities and cyber threats,” says Juanwei Chen, a PhD student at the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering (CIISE) at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.
“Offshore wind farms are connected to the main power grid using HVDC technologies. These farms may face new operational challenges,” Chen explains. “Our focus is to investigate how these challenges could be intensified by cyber threats and to assess the broader impact these threats might have on our power grid.”
Concordia PhD student Hang Du, CIISE associate professor Jun Yan and Gina Cody School dean Mourad Debbabi, along with Rawad Zgheib from the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute (IREQ), also contributed to the study. This work is part of a broad research collaboration project involving the group of Prof. Debbabi and the IREQ cybersecurity research group led by Dr. Marthe Kassouf and involving a team of researchers including Dr. Zgheib.
Offshore wind farms require more cyber infrastructure than onshore wind farms, given that offshore farms are often dozens of kilometres from land and operated remotely. Offshore wind farms need to communicate with onshore systems via a wide area network. Meanwhile, the turbines also communicate with maintenance vessels and inspection drones, as well as with each other.
This complex, hybrid-communication architecture presents multiple access points for cyberattacks. If malicious actors were able to penetrate the local area network of the converter station on the wind farm side, these actors could tamper with the system’s sensors. This tampering could lead to the replacement of actual data with false information. As a result, electrical disturbances would affect the offshore wind farm at the points of common coupling.
In turn, these disturbances could trigger poorly dampened power oscillations from the offshore wind farms when all the offshore wind farms are generating their maximum output. If these cyber-induced electrical disturbances are repetitive and match the frequency of the poorly dampened power oscillations, the oscillations could be amplified. These amplified oscillations might then be transmitted through the HVDC system, potentially reaching and affecting the stability of the main power grid. While existing systems usually have redundancies built in to protect them against physical contingencies, such protection is rare against cyber security breaches.
“The system networks can handle events like router failures or signal decays. If there is an attacker in the middle who is trying to hijack the signals, then that becomes more concerning,” says Yan, the Concordia University Research Chair (Tier 2) in Artificial Intelligence in Cyber Security and Resilience.
Yan adds that considerable gaps exist in the industry, both among manufacturers and utilities. While many organizations are focusing on corporate issues such as data security and access controls, much is to be done to strengthen the security of operational technologies. He notes that Concordia is leading the push for international standardization efforts but acknowledges the work is just beginning.
“There are regulatory standards for the US and Canada, but they often only state what is required without specifying how it should be done,” he says. “Researchers and operators are aware of the need to protect our energy security, but there remain many directions to pursue and open questions to answer.”
Assessing the potential of decarbonization options for industrial sectors
by Ahmed Gailani, Sam Cooper, Stephen Allen, Andrew Pimm, Peter Taylor, Robert Gross in Joule
Harmful emissions from the industrial sector could be reduced by up to 85% across the world, according to new research. The sector, which includes iron and steel, chemicals, cement, and food and drink, emits around a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — planet-warming gases that result in climate change and extreme weather.
This new study, led by the University of Leeds as part of its contribution to the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), found that decarbonising the sector is technically possible with a mix of “high and low-maturity” technologies — those that are tried and tested, along with upcoming tech that is not yet ready to be used in industry.
Lead author of the study, Ahmed Gailani, Research Fellow in Industrial Decarbonisation in Leeds’ School of Chemical and Process Engineering, said: “Decarbonisation is a global priority for governments, companies, and society at large, because it plays such a vital role in limiting global warming. “Our findings represent a major step forward in helping to design industrial decarbonisation strategies and that is a really encouraging prospect when it comes to the future health of the planet.”
The UK has pledged to reduce its GHG emissions to net zero by 2050, meaning it will take as much of the damaging gases out of the atmosphere as it puts in. This new research looked at ways this could be achieved for industry. It found that established “medium to high maturity” technologies that involve carbon capture and storage, or fuel switching to hydrogen or biomass, can save on average nearly 85% of emissions in most industrial sectors.
It also suggests that low-maturity electric technologies, such as electric steam crackers — which are key equipment to produce petrochemical products — can theoretically decarbonise between 40% and 100% of the sector’s direct emissions. Other new electrification technologies can also help reduce emissions from energy-intensive processes such as steel, cement, and ceramics, which in some cases hadn’t previously been thought possible. Some of the results from the study have already been included in a consultation on enabling industrial electrification by the UK’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.
Industrial products such as steel, chemicals and cement are widely used across the global economy. The demand for, and production of, these materials has increased significantly over recent decades, leading to high energy consumption and GHG emissions. However, global industrial emissions will need to be almost eliminated to meet the Paris Agreement targets on climate change.
Peter Taylor, a co-author of the study and Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems in the Schools of Earth and Environment and Chemical and Process Engineering at Leeds, said: “Industrial decarbonisation is challenging compared to other sectors but can be achieved if evidence-based strategies are designed to enable the development of new technologies, encourage investment in related infrastructure, and reduce other barriers that make it difficult for companies to take action.”
He added: “For the UK, if we don’t decarbonise industry, we won’t meet our climate change targets and ultimately industry will move elsewhere because, in the long term, people will be looking for products made in a clean, green way and if our industry can’t produce these then it will become the industry of the past, not the industry of the future.”
Dr Gailani said the study describes the sector’s decarbonisation as “technically possible” because although the researchers had reviewed the technologies applicable, they hadn’t factored in other barriers, such as those related to social, economic or infrastructure issues.
He added: “We wanted to be explicit about the fact that our focus was the technical side of industrial decarbonisation. There are of course many other barriers to overcome. For example, if carbon capture and storage technologies are needed but the means to transport CO2 are not yet in place, this lack of infrastructure will delay the emissions reduction process. There is still a great amount of work to be done.”
The uptake of many industrial decarbonisation technologies is currently impacted by high capital and operational costs, even if their technical challenges can be resolved. Electrification technologies typically have 2–3 times higher operational costs compared to fossil fuel-based technologies due to the higher cost of electricity in many markets.
The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bath and Imperial College London, and assessed the technical potential for emission and energy savings from the most important emission-reducing technologies. The team reviewed the published research and other sources of data to find the abatement options applicable across all sectors and their technology readiness level (TRL). They reached the figure of 85% by calculating the emission abatement potential for the most promising technologies in each sector and taking the average. The sectors analysed were iron and steel; chemicals; cement and lime; food and drink; pulp and paper; glass; aluminium, refining and ceramics.
UKERC Director, Professor Rob Gross, said: “Industrial decarbonisation is an important research priority for UKERC as finding the most appropriate solutions requires a whole systems approach. Many of the most promising industrial abatement options rely on having access to supporting infrastructure whether that is hydrogen and CO2 pipelines, or upgraded electricity connections.”
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