Researchers at the University of Toronto are using artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific breakthroughs in the search for sustainable energy. They have used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to confirm that an AI-generated “recipe” for a new catalyst offered a more efficient way to make hydrogen fuel . To […]
Freshwater scarcity affects over two billion people in the world, primarily in arid and remote regions, as well as islands and coastal areas without freshwater sources. Climate change and population growth are only making the problem worse, and existing methods require an energy input, usually electrical. Renewable energy can fix this and is required for […]
Chemical engineering • Food processing • Materials • Mechanical Engineering • Nanotechnology
Imagine a close basketball game that comes down to the final shot. The probability of the ball going through the hoop might be fairly low, but it would dramatically increase if the player were afforded the opportunity to shoot it over and over. A similar idea is at play in the scientific field of membrane […]
A roasted and ground coffee matrix is a highly complex porous medium characterized by multiscale features. A typical coffee matrix used for double-shot espresso brew is about 15 ml in volume and consists of millions of coffee particles. These coffee particles are produced by grinding roasted coffee beans, and have an approximately bimodal size distribution […]
A team of researchers has invented a more efficient way to extract lithium from waste liquids leached from mining sites, oil fields and used batteries. They demonstrated that a common mineral can adsorb at least five times more lithium than can be collected using previously developed adsorbent materials. The new low-cost high-lithium-uptake process presents the […]
Chemical contamination of water bodies on one hand, and water shortages due to overexploitation on the other, have increased the need for effective and efficient water treatment and decontamination processes. Two important aspects need to be taken into consideration to define what is an “effective and efficient” treatment. First, as current methods of removing pathogens […]
Evaporation is happening all around us all the time, from the sweat cooling our bodies to the dew burning off in the morning sun. But science’s understanding of this ubiquitous process may have been missing a piece all this time. In recent years, some researchers have been puzzled upon finding that water in their experiments […]
Chemical engineering • Economics • Food processing • Materials
Authors: Mireia Martín, Life Cycle Thinking Group, Department of Graphic Design and Engineering Projects. University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Erlantz Lizundia, Life Cycle Thinking Group and BCMaterials One of the consequences of global population growth is an increase in food waste. This is a relevant issue not only in terms of the waste […]
Ammonia (NH3), a ubiquitous compound, was generated in excess of 187 million tons globally in 2020. Roughly 85% is employed in the creation of nitrogenous fertilizers, while the remainder is used for refining petroleum, producing various other chemicals, and manufacturing synthetic fibers like nylon. However, these processes come with a substantial energy expenditure. Presently, the […]
Water is critical for life on Earth. Our own biology, the chemistry of our bodies, is based on it. Access to clean drinking water is a human right, and is included as one of the global 17 sustainable development goals for 2030. However, today, one in three humans worldwide does not have access to safe […]