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Category: sustainability – Page 3

Floating Robotics: Advanced Greenhouse Automation Solutions

Our compact AI-driven robotic solution brings intelligence and efficiency to greenhouse automation. With 3D vision, onboard Edge Computing, and advanced AI, it detects, analyzes, and interacts with crops in real time. Mounted on a mobile platform, it can perform any of our 4 tasks and seamlessly integrates into any greenhouse to maximize yield and efficiency.

Discover Floating Robotics’ cutting-edge robotic systems designed to automate greenhouse tasks like harvesting and de-leafing, enhancing efficiency and sustainability in modern agriculture.

Heterostructure-Engineered Semiconductor Quantum Dots toward Photocatalyzed-Redox Cooperative Coupling Reaction

Semiconductor quantum dots have been emerging as one of the most ideal materials for artificial photosynthesis. Here, we report the assembled ZnS-CdS hybrid heterostructure for efficient coupling cooperative redox catalysis toward the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol to acetophenone/2,3-diphenyl-2,3-butanediol (pinacol) integrated with the reduction of protons to H2. The strong interaction and typical type-I band-position alignment between CdS quantum dots and ZnS quantum dots result in efficient separation and transfer of electron-hole pairs, thus distinctly enhancing the coupled photocatalyzed-redox activity and stability. The optimal ZnS-CdS hybrid also delivers a superior performance for various aromatic alcohol coupling photoredox reaction, and the ratio of electrons and holes consumed in such redox reaction is close to 1.0, indicating a high atom economy of cooperative coupling catalysis. In addition, by recycling the scattered light in the near field of a SiO2 sphere, the SiO2-supported ZnS-CdS (denoted as ZnS-CdS/SiO2) catalyst can further achieve a 3.5-fold higher yield than ZnS-CdS hybrid. Mechanistic research clarifies that the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol proceeds through the pivotal radical intermediates of • C(CH3)(OH)Ph. This work is expected to promote the rational design of semiconductor quantum dots-based heterostructured catalysts for coupling photoredox catalysis in organic synthesis and clean fuels production.

Copyright © 2023 Lin-Xing Zhang et al.

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Semi-transparent solar cells achieve record efficiency to advance building-integrated photovoltaics

A research team has developed an innovative parameter, FoMLUE, to evaluate the potential of photoactive materials for semi-transparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs), paving the way for their widespread commercial applications.

A paper reporting the research, “Semitransparent organic photovoltaics with wide geographical adaptability as sustainable ,” has been published in Nature Communications.

Transparent solar cells can be integrated into windows, screens and other surfaces, with immense potential for them to revolutionize the renewable energy sector. However, there are challenges to overcome, one of which is balancing transparency with .

Red light and recyclable catalysts drive sustainable photocatalysis

Modern chemistry is increasingly focused on developing sustainable processes that reduce energy consumption and minimize waste. Photocatalysis, which uses light to promote chemical reactions, offers a promising alternative to more aggressive conventional methods. However, most existing photocatalysts are homogeneous—they dissolve in the reaction medium and cannot be easily recovered or reused—and they typically rely on blue or ultraviolet light, which is more energy-demanding and penetrates poorly into reaction mixtures, limiting their large-scale and biological applications.

Researchers at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) have developed an innovative, more sustainable method that uses red light—a low-energy, deeply penetrating —together with recyclable solid catalysts to promote cleanly and efficiently. The study highlights the potential of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as red-light-active heterogeneous photocatalysts, a field that remains largely unexplored. This combination of reusable materials and mild light represents a significant step toward greener chemical methodologies.

The work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The Southern Ocean may be building up a massive burp

The ocean has helped mitigate global warming by absorbing about a quarter of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, along with more than 90% of the excess heat those emissions generate.

Many efforts, including assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, have looked at how the oceans may continue to mitigate increasing emissions and . However, few have looked at the opposite: How will the oceans respond if emissions and associated atmospheric heat levels begin to decrease in response to net negative emissions?

Ivy Frenger and colleagues examined what might happen in the Southern Ocean if, after more than a century of human-induced warming, global mean temperatures were to be reduced via CO2 removal from the atmosphere. Their results are published in the journal AGU Advances.

New Mn-rich cathode could improve sustainability and stability of high-energy Li-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) remain the most widely used rechargeable batteries worldwide, powering most portable and consumer electronics. LiBs are also used to power most electric and hybrid vehicles, which are predicted to become increasingly widespread over the next decades.

Despite their good performance and large-scale adoption, LiBs still primarily rely on based on nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co). Yet the processes required to source both these metals are known to be destructive for , while also leaving a high carbon footprint and requiring significant water.

Moreover, most of the cobalt used worldwide originates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where unsafe mining conditions and child labor are still common. Over the past decades, energy researchers have been trying to identify cathode materials that can be sourced safely and sustainably, while matching the performance of Ni and Co-based cathodes.

Biohybrid leaf mimics photosynthesis to turn CO₂ and sunlight into useful chemicals

Researchers have demonstrated a new and sustainable way to make the chemicals that are the basis of thousands of products—from plastics to cosmetics—we use every day.

Hundreds of thousands of chemicals are manufactured by the chemical industry, which transforms raw materials—usually fossil fuels—into useful end products. Due to its size and its use of fossil fuel feedstocks, the chemical industry is responsible for roughly 6% of global carbon emissions.

But researchers led by the University of Cambridge are developing new methods that could one day lead to the “de-fossilization” of this important sector.

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