Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:PLA BOTTLE

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Ever wondered how we can reduce plastic pollution in India?

The Mysuru-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), affiliated with the DRDO, has launched an eco-friendly remedy with the introduction of biodegradable water bottles.

Crafted from sustainable Polylactic acid (PLA) material, these bottles not only combat plastic waste but also contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint.

The best thing about this bottle is its all-encompassing sustainability approach – the bottle, cap, and label are all compostable.

This innovation, derived from 100% bio-based and renewable sources, sets us on a path towards environmental conservation and fosters a greener and more sustainable future.

Source:The Better India

#polymers #bioplastics #pla  #compostable  #ecofriendly #sustainability

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Cobalt-free batteries could power cars of the future

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Cobalt-free batteries could power cars of the future

MIT chemists developed a battery cathode based on organic materials, which could reduce the EV industry’s reliance on scarce metals.

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.

“I think this material could have a big impact because it works really well,” says Mircea Dincă, 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.”

Alternatives to cobalt

“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,” Dincă 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, Dincă’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, Dincă 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,” Dincă says.

Strong performance

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.

Lamborghini has licensed the patent on the technology. Dincă’s lab plans to continue developing alternative battery materials and is exploring possible replacement of lithium with sodium or magnesium, which are cheaper and more abundant than lithium.

Source:MIT News

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Complex Morphology

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Injection Molding creates non-monotonic crystallinity gradients through the thickness, and corresponding non monotonic elastic modulus.

On one hand the rapid quench of the skin (combined with fountain flow) reduces crystallinity of the most outer layers leading to typically half the nominal modulus ( PP data).

The high shear just below (frozen skin) will produce strong "flow induced nucleation" and more crystallinity ( and oriented structures). These layers can be 4X stiffer than the skin in PP.
Finally the core section undergoes a more quiescent crystallization with slower cooling and shear rates and will have "average" crystallinity, larger non-oriented crystals and pretty much the data-sheet kind of modulus.

Source:Vito leo

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :Biochar from Green Algae:

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Biochar from Green Algae: A Dual-Solution for Green Energy

A new study has harnessed the power of a humble green macroalgae, dry, to create a biochar with surprising capabilities. This biochar acts as a dual-threat in the world of green energy, functioning both as an efficient hydrogen catalyst and an electrocatalyst for fuel cells.

The research, published in Fuel, highlights the potential of E. intestinalis as a sustainable and cost-effective resource for clean energy solutions. Traditionally, hydrogen production from sodium borohydride relies on expensive metal catalysts. This biochar, however, offers a promising alternative, significantly boosting hydrogen production rates.

But the biochar’s talents don’t stop there. It also shines as an electrocatalyst for methanol fuel cells. These cells hold immense potential for clean energy generation, but often require expensive platinum-based catalysts. The E. intestinalis biochar paves the way for a more affordable and environmentally friendly option.

The key to unlocking the biochar’s dual potential lies in optimizing its creation process. The researchers employed Taguchi’s experimental design, a robust method for identifying the ideal combination of factors for superior performance. By analyzing various parameters like acid concentration, impregnation times, and burning temperatures, they identified the settings that yielded the most effective biochar.

This study is significant for several reasons:

Sustainability: E. intestinalis is readily available and grows rapidly, making it a sustainable source for biochar production.

Cost-effectiveness: Compared to traditional metal catalysts, the biochar offers a more affordable solution for both hydrogen production and fuel cell applications.

Environmental benefits: Replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen and methanol fuel cells reduces greenhouse gas emissions,contributing to a cleaner environment.

Overall, this research opens exciting possibilities for utilizing E. intestinalis biochar in the development of clean and sustainable energy solutions. Its dual functionality and impressive performance make it a valuable asset in the fight against climate change and the quest for renewable energy sources.

Further research could explore:

Scaling up the biochar production process for large-scale applications.

Investigating the long-term durability and stability of the biochar in both hydrogen production and fuel cell operation.

Exploring the potential of other readily available biomaterials for creating similar dual-functional catalysts.

Source:biochartoday

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : SEM Vs TEM

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

SEM Vs TEM:

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are the two most common forms of electron microscopy. While both techniques share the same fundamental principles, there are several distinct differences in their instrumentation and what signals are analyzed. In an SEM, the secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electrons (BSE) are used to acquire images of a sample’s surface whereas in a TEM, the transmitted electrons are detected to produce a projection-image through a sample’s interior.

To make a meaningful comparison between SEM and TEM, it’s important to note what all electron microscopes have in common. The “column” of all electron microscopes contains a series of components that are responsible for core functions. 

These include:

The electron source – produces the electron beam.

Condenser lenses – directs the beam onto the sample.

Objective lens – containing the most important electromagnetic lens in the column, is responsible for forming an image of the transmitted electrons (TEM) or for forming the final focused probe that is scanned across the sample surface (SEM).

Sample chamber – holds the sample and determines the size of the sample that can be analyzed.

Detectors – collect signals to produce images.

Source:Nanoscience

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Radical Chain Reactions

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

New Method Uses Common Plastics to Initiate Radical Chain Reactions:

A team led by researchers at the Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery, Hokkaido University has developed a method that uses common plastic materials instead of potentially explosive compounds to initiate radical chain reactions.

This approach significantly increases the safety of the process while also providing a way to reuse common plastics such as polyethylene and polyvinyl acetate. These findings have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Utilizes Plastic Waste for Dehalogenation:

Researchers utilized a ball mill, a machine that rapidly shakes a steel ball inside a steel jar to mix solid chemicals. When the ball slams into the plastic, the mechanical force breaks a chemical bond to form radicals, which have a highly reactive, unbonded electron. These radicals facilitated a self-sustaining chain reaction that promotes dehalogenation i.e., the replacement of a halogen atom with a hydrogen atom of organic halides.

“The use of commodity plastics as chemical reagents is a completely new perspective on organic synthesis,” said associate professor Koji Kubota. “I believe that this approach will lead to not only the development of safe and highly efficient radical-based reactions, but also to a new way to utilize waste plastics, which are a serious social problem.”

The reuse of waste plastic was demonstrated by adding plastic shreds of a common grocery bag to the ball mill jar and successfully carrying out the reaction. The team also showed their method could be applied to the treatment of highly toxic polyhalogenated compounds, which are widely used in industry. Polyethylene was employed to initiate a radical reaction that removed multiple halogen atoms from a compound commonly used as a flame retardant, thus reducing its toxicity.

Researchers anticipate this method will garner the attention of industry due to advantages in cost and safety.

“Our new approach using stable, cheap and abundant plastic materials as initiators for radical chain reactions holds the significant potential to foster the development of industrially attractive, safe and highly efficient chemical processes,” commented professor Hajime Ito.

Source: Hokkaido University/Omnexus-specialchem

Here are the winners of India’s first green hydrogen and electrolyser subsidy auctions

The results of India’s first auctions for green hydrogen and electrolyser subsidies have been published, with industrial conglomerate Reliance a big winner in both tenders.

The green hydrogen auction, which offered a per-kilogram maximum of 50 rupees ($0.60) in the first year, 40 rupees in the second, and 30 rupees in the third, awarded subsidies to eight companies (see table below) out of thirteen bidders.

Mumbai-based Avaada, Singapore-headquartered Sembcorp and GH4India — a joint venture between Indian Oil, ReNew, and Larsen & Toubro — all lost out on their bids, which applied for subsidies in all three years.

In addition, two companies, UPL Limited and CESC Projects Limited, were included in the list of winners despite not bidding for any subsidies at all.

This bulked up the awarded production capacity to a total of 412,000 tonnes of H2 per year, just below the cap of 450,000 tonnes per year.

India is aiming to produce five million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030, with the cost of production reaching parity with grey H2 made from unabated natural gas in the latter half of this decade.

However, the subsidy per kilogram is extremely low compared to those offered in the US and Europe, with analysts cautioning that in order to compete with grey, the cost of both round-the-clock renewable electricity and electrolyser prices must fall.

Meanwhile, the auction for electrolyser manufacturing subsidies, which offered a maximum incentive of 4,440 rupees per kilowatt of capacity sold, assuming local content and domestic sales conditions are met, was even more competitive.

Out of 21 bids — 14 for any technology and seven specifically for Indian-developed electrolysers — only eight winners were announced (see table below), meeting the cap of 1.5GW of manufacturing capacity.

While Adani, the industrial conglomerate founded by billionaire Gautam Adani, had bid in capacity for both tranches, it only secured partial subsidy for the latter.

US-based Ohmium already has a 500MW electrolyser factory in operation in India, with plans to expand this to 2GW.

Belgian manufacturer John Cockerill also aims to build a 2GW plant in the country, in partnership with one of India’s biggest clean-energy developers, Greenko; while Indian conglomerate L&T (Larsen and Toubro) has agreements in place to use the technology of two European electrolyser makers — France’s McPhy and Norway’s HydrogenPro.

Fellow Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries — run by Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani — plans to build a 1GW factory producing low-cost electrolysers designed by Denmark’s Stiesdal.(Copyright)

Source:hydrogeninsight