Question

What are the new types of novelty materials are needed for innovating the materials for waste to energy and water distribution efficiency to reduce climate change? Write a 600 words on these materials and new materials implemetation and issues.

Answer 1

1. Innovative materials for waste to Energy initiative

One of the biggest innovations coming to waste management industry is ability to turn waste into actual power. Instead of sitting in landfill, certain types of waste can simply be converted into energy. New machinery is known as the “digesters” can take waste and biogas it produces and turns it into energy that can be used on site. This kind of technology can be used on the variety of waste, including food, animal waste, agricultural leftovers, and more.

Thermal conversion is the another new technology that can be used to convert waste into specialty products. This process takes some cues from the natural geothermal processes that use heat and pressure to turn the useless materials into useful products. It could be used to turn the waste into chemicals, fertilizes, oils, and other useful materials that could give your waste another life and some cost-saving alternatives.

Some landfill gas can even be converted into energy. This kind of gas would normally be released or flared, but now it can be turned into an energy source with the aid of some new technology. Bioreactors, microturbine technology, and even fuel cells can now be used to do something useful with waste, monetizing the waste which was once a biggest headache of man.

2. Innovative materials for water distribution efficiency

I. Drinkable book

In partnership with the non-profit organization Water is Life, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed this education and filtration tool. Each page of the book provides basic water and sanitation advice, such as the importance of keeping contaminants like rubbish and feces away from water, often unknown in developing countries. Perhaps more novel is that the advice is printed on a “scientific coffee filter” paper that can be used to purify drinking water and reduce 99.9% of bacteria. Each book has enough filtration sheets to provide its reader with clean water for five years. It’s being distributed in Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, Ethiopia, India, and Tanzania, and a Farsi version of the book is in development.

ii. Water seer

It looks like a well, but instead of withdrawing groundwater, the WaterSeer uses surrounding environment to extract water from the atmosphere. It is planted six feet below the surface, where its lower chamber is surrounded by cool earth. Above ground, the wind spins a turbine which spins fan blades inside the device. These blades send the air into an internal condensation chamber where, as the warm air cools, the vapor condenses on the sides of the chamber. Water then flows down to lower chamber and can be extracted with a simple pump and hose. In ideal conditions, it can collect 37 liters of water a day. Developed by in US, the project is being tested by the National Peace Corps Association and will be piloted later this year.

iii. Desalinisation

Desalination, converting saltwater into freshwater, has historically been too expensive and energy-intensive to serve as a widespread solution for improving access. However, Lockheed Martin has developed and patented a Perforene graphene filter which it claims would reduce the energy cost of conventional reverse osmosis desalination by 20%, while withstanding higher pressure and temperatures. The perforated, hyper-permeable filter is one atom thick and is said to improve the flow of water compared to conventional methods by 500%. While the technology would be hugely beneficial to the oil and gas sector, which reportedly produces 18bn gallons of wastewater each year, the company is also researching other applications for the technology, including in food and energy generation.