Hey Readers,
We have a long list of innovations this week, so let’ s dive in!
A French company is using enzymes to recycle certain types of single-use plastics. Most commonly used to make single-use plastics is PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate). The company has a enzyme-based degradation process that they have piloted recently. They have a pilot plant around the size of a cargo van (200 sqft), which can hold two metric tons of plastic, or the equivalent of about 100,000 ground-up bottles at a time, and break it down into the building blocks of PET—ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid—in 10 to 16 hours.
These constituent parts can be recycled to make more plastic. The enzyme is from the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis strain, latches onto the plastic particle and breaks the polymer chain and forms to the initial monomers which can recycled.
Removing Boron from desalinated water
Dutch researchers at the Wageningen University in working together with colleagues from Technion—the Israel Institute of Technology, and from Wetsus—the European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology in Leeuwarden, have developed a model of removing boron using a process known as capacitive deionisation.
Seawater contains boron, which is toxic in high concentrations and it inhibits plant growth. This is currently something that has to be removed with chemical methods or via a membrane screen. With this new method of capacitive deionisation, they have a membraneless technique to remove boron.
Hydrogel tablet to clean water
Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have created a hydrogel tablet that can rapidly purify contaminated water. One tablet can disinfect a liter of river water and make it suitable for drinking in an hour or less. Hydrogels generate hydrogen peroxide to neutralize bacteria at an efficiency rate of more than 99.999%. The hydrogen peroxide works with activated carbon particles to attack essential cell components of bacteria and disrupt their metabolism.
The process requires zero energy input and doesn't create harmful byproducts. The hydrogels can easily be removed, and they don't leave any residue. Materials for making them are inexpensive, and the synthesis processes are simple and remain that way at large scale.
Mussel inspired MagRobot to remove microplastics in the sea
Researchers at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, and their colleagues have developed a magnetic microrobot, called MagRobot to ‘consume’ microplastics. The method of consuming the microplastics is inspired by the adhesive properties of the marine mussel’s muscular foot, which is coated in a chemical called 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (DOPA) that helps it adhere to underwater surfaces.
The team coated magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with polydopamine (PDA), a polymerized dopamine, which has a similar structure and adhesive properties to DOPA. These serve two purposes: to catch plastic particles and immobilize enzymes to help break them down. When in the ocean, a swimming MagRobot will collect microplastic particles as it is guided through a set magnetic fields. The PDA coating contains an immobilized enzyme, called lipase, which aids the breakdown of a specific plastic called polycaprolactone (PCL).
Solarpunk integrated concept from Dutch Architects
While not typical, this innovation is from a team of Dutch architects who are debuting a Solarpunk concept at the Dubai Expo 2020 (which ironically is scheduled from 1 October 2021 – 31 March 2022). Their ‘miniature world’ – or Biotope pavilion features an integrated water, energy and food system through a cone-shaped ‘vertical farm’ with a contained climate system.
It also creates a cool microclimate within the cone for mushrooms to grow, with colorful solar panel skylights providing the energy to power the whole system. The water harvesting system works by causing condensation on a cooled metal plate, creating drops of water. The solar panels allow colored, patterned light into the space at wavelengths that support photosynthesis. Amazing!
In Other News
First off, since folks keep forgetting the drinking water issues in Michigan, celebrities and talk show hosts need to remind them. Latest in that list is John Oliver explaining the PFAS situation in Michigan. Do watch and learn about it here. If nothing else, for Danny DeVito’s cameo appearance.
In other fun news about chemicals in the water, a new study by IIT Madras, found that a range of contaminants including pharmaceutically-active compounds, personal care products, plastics, flame retardants, heavy metals and pesticides pollute the River Cauvery in South India.
A Finnish water technology company, is deploying solar desalination technology in Kitui County, Kenya as part of a long-term goal to provide water for 400,000 rural Kenyans by 2023. This tech will convert between 4,000 and 7,000 liters per hour from seawater, or 10,000 liters per hour from brackish water, powered entirely by solar panel.
In similar news the Korea International Cooperation Agency’s project on improving water supply and sanitation in Gurage Zone in Ethiopia is getting clean water to 6,000 Ethiopians in 48 villages.
Water4Mercy, a nonprofit from Florida run by an American of Egyptian origin, has successfully gotten water to 30,000 people living in villages across Tanzania and plans to expand to Kenya in 2022. Water4Mercy is a 501(c)3 and relies on gifts to reach people in Africa. To make an online tax-deductible donation, visit their website.
In other good news, the residents of the town of Liwali in Nepal enjoy clean water year-round, thanks to a rooftop rainwater-harvesting plant built in a disused earthquake camp. The water is stored in a 106,000-litre underground tank, filtered and dispensed through a set of taps, and evenly shared among nearly 100 households, each of whom gets 40 litres every other day.
A Coastguard in Maine who is also an Endurance athlete has raised thousands of dollars for clean water. She has run, biked and rowed thousands of miles to benefit the international nonprofit organization H2O For Life. All her efforts have helped 30,000 people thus far.
That is it for this week folks,
‘Til next Friday, Peace