New Advancements in Renewable Technology/Energy
As the world progresses and technology advances, humanity finds new and improved ways to further society. For the past couple of decades, scientists have been working to find a good source of renewable energy. Global warming has affected the Earth greatly, by disrupting the usual balance of nature. More specifically, climate change is leading to rising sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events, and disruptions in ecosystems and biodiversity. The search for a reliable and sustainable source of renewable energy has become paramount in mitigating these effects and ensuring a healthier planet for future generations.
Recently, engineers have created a new design to make hydrogen gas from water using solar energy and agriculture waste. Previously, extracting hydrogen from water took a lot of energy and time, but this new method developed by University of Illinois Chicago engineers has reduced the amount of energy required by 600%. This new and innovative approach uses biochar, a substance rich with carbon that is made from agricultural waste such as manure and husks, to reduce the amount of electricity required for electrolysis, the process to form hydrogen from water. By utilizing renewable energy sources such as solar power and capturing byproducts for other uses, the process can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.
This breakthrough not only makes hydrogen production more sustainable and economically viable but also opens up new opportunities for climate-friendly chemical production. Farmers could use this efficient hydrogen production method to become self-sufficient in energy or create new revenue streams, while the clean production of chemicals like ethylene and pure carbon dioxide offers additional environmental and economic benefits. This technology represents a significant advancement in the pursuit of sustainable and climate-friendly energy solutions.
Another new advancement in renewable energy is the creation of a method to convert carbon dioxide into methane, overall reducing greenhouse gasses and increasing the methane production. A majority of the greenhouse gas emissions are formed from boilers, something that is present in almost every household. While each boiler may not affect the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by itself, hundreds of thousands of them will. A recent study done by Poland and Japan displays a new method to convert CO2 into methane gas. This method implements a distributor-type membrane reactor (DMR) that will be able to house chemical reactions and separate gasses. With the DMR, researchers were able to create methane gas and oxygen from water and carbon dioxide. This in turn resulted in a minimized variation of temperature, minimized amount of carbon dioxide emission, and increased production of methane gas.
Overall, as technology advances and humanity is more aware of the issues surrounding climate change, researchers will continue to find alternative solutions to fossil fuels and hopefully one day we will come across a fully renewable energy source.
