Lifeboat Foundation

Earth’s H₂O is 97 percent seawater, and most of the remaining 3 percent is inaccessible, frozen in glaciers or permafrost. Only a small portion, about half of a percent, exists as freshwater in aquifers and rivers that humans can tap into. A process called, however, allows us to dip into the oceans to satisfy our thirst.

Desal has been around for decades and is used to make both seawater and salty groundwater drinkable. But scientists think that it will become increasingly important in a warmer, drier future. In a recent UN-led review, researchers stated that “‘conventional’ sources of water such as rainfall, snowmelt and river runoff captured in lakes, rivers, and aquifers are no longer sufficient to meet human demands in water-scarce areas.”

During a media roundtable at the 2019 American Geophysical Union conference, Peter Fiske, director of the Water-Energy Resilience Research Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, discussed why we might need to more strongly consider this technology—at times written off for its high costs and energy use—to stabilize water supplies in the future. Here’s what you need to know.

Discussion with Jeff Krehmer about his book Infinite Resources: How to sustainably develop the arctic, by supplying green hydrogen, fresh water and healthy food to the world, while mitigating the negative effects of anthropocentric climate change.

Links related to Infinite Resources:
The book Infinite Resources:
https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Resou?tag=lifeboatfound-20…

Continue reading “Infinite Resources: Develop the arctic, green hydrogen, fresh water and healthy food for the world” »

The only problem with plastic profusion is that “recycling” it is at a “caveman’s” level!

In considering materials that could become the fabrics of the future, scientists have largely dismissed one widely available option: polyethylene.

The stuff of plastic wrap and grocery bags, polyethylene is thin and lightweight, and could keep you cooler than most textiles because it lets heat through rather than trapping it in. But polyethylene would also lock in water and sweat, as it’s unable to draw away and evaporate moisture. This antiwicking property has been a major deterrent to polyethylene’s adoption as a wearable textile.

Continue reading “Could we recycle plastic bags into fabrics of the future?” »

A clean energy startup develops a record-breaking residential solar module that records an efficiency figure of 26.9 percent.

Battery technology is undergoing a rapid evolution. Recent years have seen significant improvements in both range and charging speed for EVs. BYD and CATL’s upcoming batteries are the latest example, aiming to revolutionize charging times. These companies are reportedly set to debut their ultra-fast-charging LFP batteries by the end of this year, potentially eliminating the need for lengthy charging stops during road trips.

The key to these rapid charge times lies in the 6C charging rate boasted by both the BYD Blade 2.0 and CATL Qilin 2.0 battery packs. In simpler terms, the “6” signifies that the charging multiplier is six times the battery capacity. For instance, a 100-amp-hour battery could be charged with a massive 600-amp current.

Continue reading “Electric Vehicles Could Soon Recharge in 10 Minutes, BYD and CATL on the Verge of Breakthrough” »

Bioenergy Innovation For The U.S. Bioeconomy — Dr. Valerie Sarisky-Reed Ph.D. — Director, Bioenergy Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

Join host Nick Tucker and team for the first ever Hard Reset Podcast episode on vertical farming. We’re diving deeper on the technology and ideas featured in our vertical farming video episode, sharing bonus info that never made it to the final cut, and responding to some of the most popular (and meanest) comments.

Researchers at the National Graphene Institute have made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionise energy harnessing and information computing. Their study, published in Nature (“Control of proton transport and hydrogenation in double-gated graphene”), reveals how electric field effects can selectively accelerate coupled electrochemical processes in graphene.

Electrochemical processes are essential in renewable energy technologies like batteries, fuel cells, and electrolysers. However, their efficiency is often hindered by slow reactions and unwanted side effects. Traditional approaches have focused on new materials, yet significant challenges remain.

The Manchester team, led by Dr Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo, has taken a novel approach. They have successfully decoupled the inseparable link between charge and electric field within graphene electrodes, enabling unprecedented control over electrochemical processes in this material. The breakthrough challenges previous assumptions and opens new avenues for energy technologies.

A joint research team has unveiled a new topological insulator (TI), a unique state of matter that differs from conventional metals, insulators, and semiconductors. Unlike most known TIs, which are either three-or two-dimensional, this TI is one-dimensional. The breakthrough will lead to further developments of qubits and highly efficient solar cells.

Details of the research were published in the journal Nature (“Observation of edge states derived from topological helix chains”).

TIs boast an interior that behaves as an electrical insulator, meaning electrons cannot easily move; Whereas its surface acts as an electrical conductor, with the electrons able to move along the surface.