Hydrogen energy storage in AMMONIA: Fantastic future or fossil fuel scam?

Steam methane reforming is currently used to convert methane to hydrogen using high pressure steam, and generates a lot of waste CO2. 

The Liquid Metal Battery: Innovation in stationary electricity storage

Making jet fuel out of carbon dioxide

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-jet-fuel-carbon-dioxide.html 

$35M of $60M by DOE - for Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research - goes toward Battery Research

For the fans of solid state batteries, this tranche of money may seem like a waste. However, the government beaurocracies are high level thinking, but rather the entrenchment of the established. So, see this as a direction of those in the market, not those coming into the market.

From an article by greencarcongress.com

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) announced up to $60 million in new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies research. (DE-FOA-0002420) This funding opportunity supports priorities in batteries and electrification, advanced engine and fuel technologies, materials, and new mobility technologies.

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Batteries and Electrification (Up to $35 million)

• Advanced liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion cells under extreme conditions, such as extreme fast charging, and mechanical, thermal, or electrical abuse.
• Novel liquid electrolytes for lithium-sulfur cells that improve the overall stability and performance of these cells.
• Lithium-sulfur and lithium-air battery cell development.
• High-power-density traction inverters for use in light-, medium-, or heavy-duty vehicle applications.

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SOURCES

DOE announces $60M to accelerate advanced vehicle technologies research
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/12/20201211-vto.html
11 December 2020

Vehicle Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2021 Research Funding Opportunity Announcement
https://epicweb.ee.doe.gov/EPICWeb/#/public/submission/opportunityDetail/2311

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Fusion is a Terrible Way to Produce Electricity: Princeton Physicist Who...

Fusion can't work says this scientist. Let's see why. Source : Giant U.S. fusion laser might never achieve goal, report concludes https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/... Tritium supply and use: a key issue for the development of nuclear fusion energy https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... The Indian Nuclear Bomb Tests http://www.ccnr.org/india_press.html Tritium Breeding https://www.iter.org/mach/TritiumBree... Fusion reactors: Not what they’re cracked up to be https://thebulletin.org/2017/04/fusio... ITER is a showcase … for the drawbacks of fusion energy https://thebulletin.org/2018/02/iter-... What are the effects of fusion on the environment? https://www.iaea.org/topics/energy/fu... Brexit’s nuclear fallout: 3,000 cubic metres of Oxfordshire waste https://www.ft.com/content/6ee1ba76-b... Quench detection in ITER superconducting magnet systems http://www-naweb.iaea.org/napc/physic... The beauty of the beast https://www.iter.org/newsline/252/1449 What is ITER? https://www.iter.org/proj/inafewlines The demonstration power plant: DEMO https://www.euro-fusion.org/programme... Beyond ITER – next steps in fusion power https://www.theengineer.co.uk/beyond-... Plans For New Reactors Worldwide https://www.world-nuclear.org/informa... Why France is eyeing nuclear power again https://www.technologyreview.com/2019... Fusion Energy Innovation: Accelerated Progress in 2020 https://www.cleantech.com/fusion-ener... Which countries have a net-zero carbon goal? https://www.climatechangenews.com/201... Renewable Energy Prices Hit Record Lows: How Can Utilities Benefit From Unstoppable Solar And Wind? https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyin...

TerraScale Signs an Agreement With Ambri To Deploy Its Liquid Metal Battery Technology For Energos Reno Project

Ambri, a battery system maker, has cut a deal with Terrascale, an official Partner of IBM, to provide a large scale battery plant for a data center project named Energos Reno

An article by energy-storage.news described it as such

Co-founded by MIT materials chemistry professor Donald Sadoway and part-funded to get off the ground by Bill Gates, Ambri has designed a battery that uses a liquid calcium alloy anode, molten salt electrolyte and a cathode made of solid particles of antimony. The company claims this enables a low number of steps in the cell assembly process while the materials are low-cost. Ambri also integrates the batteries into a containerised energy storage system solution.

Terrascale describe the project, Energos Reno, as such

The Energos Reno development is centered around two key strategies. The first is the development of critical infrastructure (roadways and utilities) that meet the demands of digital data/technology, manufacturing, distribution and warehousing for the US supply chain. The second is the development of renewable power by expanding the existing solar and geothermal sources; along with, future development of other potential technologies under discussion.

TerraScale is developing 3,700 acres of land near Fernley, NV in the Reno/Sparks Interstate I-80 corridor. Upon completion, Energos Reno will be the largest industrial / commercial / residential development in the US powered by hybrid renewable energy (geothermal, solar and other).

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SOURCES

Ambri's liquid metal battery to be used at desert data centre in Nevada
https://www.energy-storage.news/news/ambris-liquid-metal-battery-to-be-used-at-desert-data-centre-in-nevada
26 Nov 2020

Energos Reno
https://terrascale.org/projectenergos

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Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB) might be a step toward All Electric Vehciles - at Least Worth a Look

Exposed view of AGM Battery

An article from trucker.com caught out eye:

[I]n testing at 50 deg. C, an EFB battery was able to absorb 52% more energy than a comparable AGM [Absorbed Glass Mat] battery before collapse. In practice, he explained further, an EFB will last 52% longer than an AGM in high temperature environments before thermal stability and water loss failure is realized. In addition, in over 18 weeks of testing, the total average capacity output of the EFB was 50% greater than an equally sized AGM battery.

To be clear, rbbattery.com says an EFB is a rechargeable battery that contains a liquid electrolyte. This is what a is typically thought of as an automobile/truck lead-acid battery.

So an obvious question is: How is this different?

Reliable Power (rbbattery.com) describes it as such:

Exploded EFB battery

Enhanced flooded batteries have two main characteristics, namely scrim and acid circulator.

The Scrim is a polyester element added between the plate and the separator. Its purpose is to prevent the erosion of mass by holding the reactive material in its place.

This results in an enhanced deep cyclic resistance and a superior charge acceptance.

The acid circulator prevents the stratification of the acid. This modification utilizes the inertial movements of the vehicle to maintain a constant circulation of the acid.

Due to the homogenous density levels of the acid, charge acceptance and overall battery life are improve

Interestingly, this is an article by a specialty website (trucker.com). As such, we will watch this technology unknown to us more closely.

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SOURCES

Battery technology developments for heavy-duty trucks
https://www.trucker.com/technology/article/21147960/battery-technology-developments
Nov 17, 2020

EFB Battery Guide: Everything You Need to Know About EFB Technology
https://www.rbbattery.com/efb-battery-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-efb-technology/
April 29, 2019

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Australia plans to build a "Giant" 300 Megawatt "battery" with the help of Neoen SA and Tesla

From an story by techxplore.com

Australia is poised to construct one of the world's largest batteries, using Tesla's technology for lithium-ion batteries. The football-field sized battery will provide up to 300 megawatts of power output and 450 megawatts-hours of storage in a country that has been struggling to meet energy demands during skyrocketing power usage triggered by record-breaking temperatures. Last year, Australia suffered its hottest and driest year ever, with temperatures topping 121 degrees Fahrenheit last December.

The battery, known as the Victorian Big Battery Megapack, will be located in the state of Victoria, Australia's second most populous region. The move to a modernized power generator and storage system is seen as critical by Australian officials to meet growing demands that are overwhelming older power grids that suffered numerous blackouts in recent years.

::

The battery is expected to have the capacity to power half a million homes for one hour.

::

The Victorian Big Battery Megapack plant is expected to open next summer.

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Australia constructing giant 300-megawatt battery
https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-australia-giant-megawatt-battery.html
by Peter Grad - November 6, 2020

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New GM EV Battery Plant in Lordstown, Ohio - in Preperation for Opening - is Accepting Job Applications

A plot of land with 158-acre will soon have a 3 million square foot facility with an "annual capacity of more than 30 gigawatt hours."

According to the press release visible at the blog gmauthority.com

General Motors just announced that it's seeking to add 1,100 new team members to the Ultium Cells LLC battery production plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The facility will mass-produce Ultium battery cells for use in General Motors' upcoming range of all-electric vehicle offerings.

Follow gmauthority.com for more information on GM related information.

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General Motors Now Hiring For Ultium Cells Battery Plant In Ohio https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/11/general-motors-now-hiring-for-ultium-cells-battery-plant-in-ohio/
5 Nov 2020

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$39 Million To Bust USA Renewable Energy Dam Wide Open

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/02/39-million-to-bust-us-renewable-energy-dam-wide-open/ 

Australian AAM Self-charging Battery Technology uses 3D-Printable Ink With Advanced Graphene Oxide

Cool if, commercially viable

A quote from stockhead.com.au

Special Report: Self-charging battery technology that can create electricity from humidity in the air or the skin's surface is being developed by Strategic Elements and its research partners. Strategic Elements Limited (ASX:SOR) through its subsidiary Australian Advanced Materials (AAM) has teamed up with the University of New South Wales and CSIRO for the $1m project.

::

The optimisation of the battery cell ink formulation, scaling up production of battery ink to at least 1 litre, and developing a successful prototype connecting several battery cells that produces at least 3.7 volts.

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Strategic Elements advances self-charging battery technology
https://stockhead.com.au/tech/strategic-elements-advances-self-charging-battery-technology/
October 27, 2020

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THE BATTERY SHOW & EV TECH DIGITAL DAYS

https://battery.im.informa.com/digital/registrations/DIGITAL?_mc=gle_x_nbattr_le_aud_nbatt_x_x-DigitalDays-gleanin 

SK Innovation to Test Business Viability of Carbon Dioxide Battery Technology

In a short, badly, worded, press release (PR), the South Korean company, SK Innovation, "will promote the commercialization of the carbon dioxide battery technology, which generates electricity and creates hydrogen using carbon dioxide." From the PR, it appears the battery is made of water and carbon dioxide, and works via some type of "electrochemical reaction."

From the description we can read

When carbon dioxide is added to water, electrochemical reactions eliminate carbon dioxide, the main culprit behind climate change, generating electricity and hydrogen. This system elevates the conversion efficiency of carbon dioxide to about 60 percent.

It is unclear how this is a "battery." The PR admits as much in the last paragraph.

If commercial feasibility is confirmed, SK Innovation will create a business together with Kim’s team.

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SK Innovation to Verify Carbon Dioxide Battery Technology
http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=53606
By Choi Moon-hee - October 21, 2020

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Austin-area's Statesman openly Speculates Tesla will add "battery production" to new Tesla Facilities

An Austin, Texas newspaper, the Statesman, is openly speculating that Tesla will add "battery cell production" to a new Tesla plant already in process. They base their speculation on an unreferenced statement by the CEO Elon Musk and a filing from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. They are not the first to speculate on Tesla and we expect they will not be the last.

To be clear, based on what the Statesman quote, the facility will "produce the battery packs" for vehicles. This means they will do the final assembly of the "battery pack" just before they are installed into vehicles. They will NOT produce batteries at that location.

Here are the relevant paragraphs from that news paper

Without naming Austin specifically, Musk also said Tesla will expand and improve its battery technology and battery cell production.

:::

An air-quality permit application filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality indicates the facility would include capabilities for stamping, die casting, drive units assembly, cell manufacturing, battery pack assembly, general assembly and paint repair operations. It would also include support equipment such as boilers, emergency engines, a wastewater treatment plant and a cooling tower.

"The facility is proposing to operate a cell-manufacturing unit to produce the battery packs that are installed in the vehicle. The final product from this operation are the cells," the filing said.

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Tesla's Austin-area site could include battery production
https://www.statesman.com/business/20201021/teslarsquos-austin-area-site-could-include-battery-production
by Kara Carlson - Oct 21, 2020 at 6:05 PM

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Battery Chargning Research finds New Formula for Fast Charging Batteries

For those unfamiliar with battery charging, ANY battery change be charged quickly, not as fast as SuperCapacitors, but definitely in minutes. However, two major problems make this unwise.

1. There is a potential for the battery to overheat and possibly explode.
2. If battery does not explode, there is a good change the battery will be damage in a way that shortens the battery life.

Regardless, there are lots of tricks, including making changes in the battery formula. This article from koreabizwire.com outlines the results from the research.

A joint research team from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Sungkyunkwan University announced Monday that they had developed EV battery technology that enables faster and more durable charging.

Thus far, decreasing the size of particles of electrode materials was the primary method to speed up charge and discharge from secondary cells or EV batteries.

The downside, however, was that this method reduced the density of energy in the cell.

The research team came up with a solution that enables quick charge and discharge without loss of energy density by creating an intermediate phase during the phase variation of charge and discharge, without having to reduce the size of electrode particles.

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BU-209: How does a Supercapacitor Work?
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/whats_the_role_of_the_supercapacitor

New Technology Charges EV Battery to 90 pct in 6 Minutes
http://koreabizwire.com/new-technology-charges-ev-battery-to-90-pct-in-6-minutes/172326
20 Oct 2020

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New Spin on some Old Ideas: Solar-powered Benches with Zinc-bromide Batteries

Admittedly, we are suckers for technology that is "off grid". What's better than an outdoor solar-powered bench with lights. Here is a bit of information from manmonthly.com.au

Australian battery innovator Gelion Technologies has delivered a roll-out of its solar-powered benches at the University of Sydney, taking its battery technology to the pre-market stage. 

The Endure batteries that power the off-grid smart benches will be the first commercial installation for the company, which was spun-out from the University of Sydney by founder and chemist, Professor Thomas Maschmeyer. 

:: 

The Endure zinc-bromide batteries are optimised for stationary energy storage and could be used to power a range of off- or on-grid applications in the industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential sectors. They are especially suited to hot and remote environments given their high-temperature capability and low-fade characteristics, even if completely charged and discharged on a daily basis.

:: 

Gelion's robust and safe chemistry makes the expensive and complex auxiliary systems typically associated with other battery types unnecessary. As the Endure battery technology does not require air-conditioning, fire suppression or acid catchment areas, the overall costs and difficulty of the battery installation are substantially reduced. 

The Endure battery can be transported and stored with zero voltage, a significant advantage for logistics, safety and cost. The gel used in the Gelion platform has fire-retardant properties, making the batteries resistant to overheating and exploding and are therefore ideally suited for tough and remote environments, for example in off-grid and agricultural markets.

Images of the prototype system.

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University technology spin-off delivers smart solar benches
https://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/university-technology-spin-off-delivers-smart-solar-benches/
October 19, 2020

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INFICON announces New Leak-detection Technology for Batteries using Mass spectrometer and Software

If Inficon's pronouncements work as advertised, this will be a major shift in batteries of all type, but most importantly Lithium-Ion batteries. However, the scant details about this new technology make us cautious.

Here is a quote from metrology.news

The mass spectrometer and software used with the ELT3000 are critical to assuring the most precise measurement of leaks. The mass spectrometer is highly sensitive and selective, enabling it to provide reliable and repeatable measurements that follow international metrology standards such as those applied by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States or the German Institute of Calibration (DKD – Deutscher Kalibrierdienst). Furthermore, the ELT3000's simplified user interface provides an exact and correct measurement process even when used by a relatively unskilled operator.

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Breakthrough EV Battery Tester Spots Dangerous Leaks
https://metrology.news/breakthrough-ev-battery-tester-spots-dangerous-leaks/
October 19, 2020

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Energy Storage & Sustainable Engineering with Lukas Swan and Jeff Dahn

Dr. Lukas Swan and Dr. Jeff Dahn (Dalhousie University) talk about their lifelong research in energy storage and the future of the industry. 

Jeff Dahn is recognized as one of the pioneering developers of the lithium-ion battery that is now used worldwide in laptop computers and cell-phones. Dahn's recent work has concentrated on increasing the energy density, improving the lifetime and lowering the cost of lithium ion batteries. 

Lukas Swan is the principal investigator at the Dalhousie University Renewable Energy Storage Laboratory with extensive experience and focused R&D on unique, elegant, and robust solutions to transition from fossil fuels to renewables. Swan's work encompasses variety of battery packs found in electric vehicles, freight trains, grid storage, remote islands, and more.

Dalhousie Renewable Energy Society is a student group that advocates for sustainability in engineering through hands-on experiences in renewable energy design projects and sustainability-focused events.

Battery researcher, Jeff Dahn, presents Results showing new Tesla Batteries having the Equivalent of over 2 Million Miles

Last year, Jeff Dahn showed the latest Li-ion battery technology can produce batteries that would last 1 million miles in electric vehicles. While the NEW test results are encouraging and very enlightening, the critique here is the same that is has been used against other battery - using test conditions that would be idealized conditions for the operation of any electric vehicle. In this case, using an electric vehicle for less than 30 miles per day. 

To be clear, if an electric vehicle is used "less than 30 miles per day," then the battery will be "discharged between 25% to 50%" and the battery will show "very little to no battery degradation." Don't miss the side note at the bottom.

Here is the outline via electrek.co

A Tesla battery researcher showed updated test results pointing to batteries lasting over 15,000 cycles or the equivalent of over 2 million miles (3.5 million km) in an electric car.

::

In a new presentation, Dahn discussed updated test results from this new battery, which he hopes becomes the new standard Li-ion battery against which new battery technologies benchmark themselves. 

:: 

Dahn now concludes that these batteries in a medium-range electric car would be able to last over 3.5 million km or over 2 million miles. 

He also showed results based on different depths of discharge, which means to what percentage of capacity they are discharging the batteries before recharging them, and it showed the Li-ion batteries performing extremely well after up to 15,000 cycles so far: 

Most impressively, the batteries show very little to no capacity degradation when they are discharged between 25% to 50% of their capacity, which is actually how most people use their cars. 

On average, American drivers use their vehicles for less than 30 miles per day.

For example, with this battery in a Tesla vehicle with over 300 miles of range, you could use it to commute 30 miles a day and by charging, on average, from 70 to 80% every day, it would result in very little to no battery degradation. 

::

As usual, Dahn is not disclosing whether or when Tesla is implementing these changes, but with the company now making its own cells, I wouldn't be surprised if the Tesla 4680 cells feature some crazy longevity.

Side Note

An interesting side note in the article is that new Tesla vehicles will giant rovering batteries. Here is the quote:

Interestingly, Drew Baglino, one of Tesla’s top engineering leaders, has recently mentioned that future Tesla vehicles will have bi-directional chargers enabling vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-everything technologies.

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Tesla battery researcher unveils new cell that could last 1 million miles in 'robot taxis'
https://electrek.co/2019/09/07/tesla-battery-cell-last-1-million-miles-robot-taxis/
Sep. 7, 2019

Tesla battery researcher shows new test results pointing to batteries lasting over 2 million miles
https://electrek.co/2020/10/18/tesla-battery-test-results-over-2-million-miles/
Oct. 18, 2020

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Bankruptcy Judges allows Settlement so Exide Technologies can abandon Vernon plant

There are multiple stories about the finalization of the bankruptcy of Exide Technologies, an American manufacturer of lead-acid batteries. We are blogging with two sources CNS News (via KNX1070) and Los Angeles Times. If you are inclined, here is a Bing link to search for more stories on: exide technologies vernon plant bankruptcy settlement 2020

As is normal for bankruptcy proceedings, the outcome is decided by the debtees - those to whom the debt is owed. That's right, how a bankruptcy ends is decided by those that have a financial interest in the company that claims to be running out of money. There are many parties interested, we won't cover that here. The reason I'm stating this is because you'll hear (or read) lots of nonsense.

For the impact locally to Vernon, just south of downtown Los Angeles, the article from LA Times is pretty good. We'll quote the first two paragraphs from the LA Times

A bankruptcy court ruled Friday that Exide Technologies may abandon its shuttered battery recycling plant in Vernon, leaving a massive cleanup of lead and other toxic pollutants at the site and in surrounding neighborhoods to California taxpayers.

The decision by Chief Judge Christopher Sontchi of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court District of Delaware, made over the objections of California officials and community members, marks the latest chapter in a decades-long history of government failures to protect the public from brain-damaging lead, cancer-causing arsenic and other pollutants from the facility.

CNS News added more detail, but like the LA Times article it reported on those condemming the finalization action

Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Sontchi in Delaware ruled that there was no "imminent" threat posed by Exide's abandonment of the plant, which resulted in extensive lead pollution in the air and soil in surrounding neighborhoods. State attorneys strongly objected to the settlement reached between Exide and the federal government and vowed to appeal. 

The ruling allows Exide to formally abandon the site by the end of the month, after which the state will need to take over environmental remediation efforts. Sontchi in court had harsh words for the state and Department of Toxic Substances Control, suggesting both had failed to timely action to clean up the plant, which was allowed to continue operating for more than 30 years on a temporary permit.

:: 

In 2016, then-Gov. Jerry Brown approved $176.6 million to test soil at properties near the plant and conduct cleanup operations at as many as 2,500 properties near the site. At the time, it was the largest cleanup operation ever undertaken by the state. A portion of the site is now enshrouded in a large white tent put in place by an Exide cleanup contractor to contain lead contamination inside.

Needless to say, this is not the first, nor will it be the last company to end operations in the shroud of the EPA and State authorites - and leave the public with the bill.

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Exide Technologies
https://infogalactic.com/info/Exide

Court allows Exide to abandon a toxic site in Vernon. Taxpayers will fund the cleanup
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-16/exide-bankrtuptcy-decision-vernon-cleanup
Oct 16, 2020

Judge approves bankruptcy settlement allowing Exide Technologies to abandon former battery-recycling plant leaving state to pay for cleanup
https://www.radio.com/knx1070/news/local/judge-allows-exide-to-abandon-former-battery-recycling-plant
October 16, 2020

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Ateios receives $1.25 million in Series Seed funding for customizable, thin-film battery technology

An article from wishtv.com:

Newberry-based startup Ateios has received $1.25 million in Series Seed funding, led by venture capital firm Good Growth Capital in South Carolina. The battery startup says it has developed the world's first customizable, thin-film battery. 

::

Ateios says its team has been working with Good Growth Capital virtually for the last six months to establish the relationship. Other investors include San Diego-based Keshif Ventures, Indianapolis-based Elevate Ventures, and HG Ventures, also in Indianapolis, among others. The company says its patent pending manufacturing technique for thin-film batteries makes its manufacturing process 10 times faster and one-fifth of the capital cost compared to current battery manufacturing.

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Battery startup receives seed funding boost
https://www.wishtv.com/news/inside-indiana-business/battery-startup-receives-seed-funding-boost/
Oct 16, 2020

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POTUS Candidate Biden Clarifies his Position on a Green Future: Banning fossil fuels in 10 years 'not possible', talks solar power and batteries

 In longer article with much detail from the Thurday debate, Joe Biden was noted as giving more details - including the use of solar power and emerging battery technology, we quote

Building out transmission infrastructure is something Biden rarely, if ever, mentions on the campaign trail. It was one of several lengthy answers where the former vice president sought to demonstrate policy depth, as he did on education, tax policy, and even battery storage.

"The battery technology's increasing significantly so you're going to be able to have, for example, solar on your home and a battery the size," making a large box shape with his hands, "in your basement so when the sun doesn't shine for five days, you still have enough energy," Biden said.

::

"The difference between me and the new green deal is they say, automatically, by 2030 we're going to be carbon free. Not possible," Biden said.

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Biden: Banning fossil fuels in 10 years 'not possible'
https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063716385
Adam Aton/16 Oct 2020

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Licensed Recovery Process for Lithium-ion Batteries Promises High Yield with "Zero Waste"

The word from the Licensee is that if the Lithium-ion Battery fits some manufacturing process, which they vaguely acknowledge as "depending on battery materials manufacturers' preferences and requirements," then they can recover 99.9% of the metals with "zero waste." It should go without saying ANY battery technology that hopes to surplant the Lead-acid technology need to be at least as economically viable. Materials recovery lends greatly to that, as currently Lead-acid batteries enjoy a "nearly 100 percent recycling rate."

These highlight from a press release from DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory states of the licensed recovery process

Momentum Technologies Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based materials science company that is focused on extracting critical metals from electronic waste, has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory process for recovering cobalt and other metals from spent lithium-ion batteries.

Less than 5% of spent lithium-ion batteries in the United States are recycled. Several critical elements are used in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, such as cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese. Using the Membrane Solvent Extraction process, or MSX, developed by ORNL scientists as part of the Department of Energy's Critical Materials Institute, or CMI, these elements can be recovered in a highly pure form that can be reformulated into battery composition for new devices.

:::

MSX processing uses a limited amount of energy, labor and chemical solvents and can be applied to a variety of critical material recovery efforts. 

"This technology recovers 99.9% pure lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese oxides or sulfates depending on battery materials manufacturers' preferences and requirements," (Preston Bryant, founder and CEO of Momentum) said. "MSX is a closed-loop process; it is cheap, modular, energy efficient and produces nearly zero waste."

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SOURCES

Process to recover metals from batteries licensed by Momentum Technologies
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/drnl-ptr101420.php
14-Oct-2020

Study finds nearly 100 percent recycling rate for lead batteries
https://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/battery-council-international-lead-battery-recycling/
November 16, 2017

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Rewiring America: A handbook for winning the climate fight.

https://www.rewiringamerica.org/

A handbook for winning the climate fight.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the world the dire consequences of ignoring science and its predictions of global crises. But the pandemic was just a rehearsal for the climate disasters humanity will face – unless we act now. In his new book, Rewiring America, Saul Griffith, PhD argues that we can still address the threat of climate change, but only if we respond with a massive war-time mobilization effort to transform the fossil fuel economy into a fully electrified one, run on wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources. Based on the vast data about energy flows in the U.S. economy that his company, Otherlab, has mapped, Griffith details how to not only save us from climate disaster, but to help us enjoy a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous future. Griffith–physicist, inventor, engineer, and a father who wants to preserve the planet for his children–offers not only a plan for a cleaner, healthier future, but how to pay for it. It’s a plan that will work. Now.

Synopsis

In this book we approach the climate emergency from a new angle. We look for solutions, not barriers. We outline pathways to success.

We don't begin with the question of what is politically possible, but ask what is technically necessary to make a climate solution that is also the best economic pathway for the country. We need mobilization of technology, industry, labor, regulatory reform, and critically, finance.

This pathway is technology-agnostic; we have used the test “is it ready and does it work?'' to understand the ideal way forward. This pathway is best summarized as electrify everything.

We lean on data and an unprecedented analysis of the U.S. energy economy that allows us to look at the consequences of electrifying everything. Will our lives change? The surprising answer is not a lot. Those things that will change, though, are for the better: cleaner air, cleaner water, better health, cheaper energy, and a more robust grid. We can have pretty much all of the complexity and variety of the American dream, with the same-sized homes and vehicles – and we'll need less than half the energy we currently use. This is a success story that casts aside trying to “efficiency” or “deprive” our way to zero emissions.

How do we ensure the lowest cost of energy while electrifying everything? First, we have to rewrite the federal, state, and local rules and regulations that were created for the fossil-fueled world and are preventing the U.S. from having the cheapest electricity ever. Then, we have to finance our transition to a zero-carbon energy system with a low-interest ``climate loan.'' We have precedents and mechanisms for doing this; the U.S. pioneered public-private financing in the past that can help us get the job done today.

The consequence of getting the technology, financing, and regulations right is that we can save every family in the U.S. thousands of dollars a year.

We will need to triple the amount of electricity delivered in the U.S., and we'll discover that the moonshot engineering project we need is a new grid with new operating rules, more like the Internet. We must have “grid neutrality.”

The industrial mobilization required will mean an effort similar to WWII's Arsenal of Democracy in size, speed, and scope.

For a world looking to bounce back from a pandemic, there is no other project that would create this many jobs. An analysis shows that there are tens of millions of good paying jobs that will be created in every zip code, suburb, and rural town in the country.

It is by no means easy, but it is still possible. But not for long. Billionaires may dream of escaping to Mars, but the rest of us... we have to stay and fight.

Another Supercapacitors, this time "Eco-Friendly" (saltwater)

 An AZOMaterials article highlights a paper in Nature Communications. It is worth noting that the researchers label this storage a "hybrid supercapacitor." Here are a few paragraphs from that article

The hybrid supercapacitor can be charged and discharged as fast as a capacitor and can store nearly as much energy as standard batteries. In contrast to the latter, it can be charged and discharged a lot faster and for more number of times: while the service life of a lithium-ion battery is a few thousand cycles, a supercapacitor can handle about one million charging cycles.

 :::

A specifically sustainable, but hitherto largely uninvestigated variant of such a hybrid supercapacitor comprises carbon and aqueous sodium iodide (NaI) electrolyte, with a negative supercapacitor electrode and a positive battery electrode.

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Researchers Demonstrate Viability of Eco-Friendly Supercapacitors
https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=54747
8 Oct 2020

Prehal, C., et al. (2020) Persistent and reversible solid iodine electrodeposition in nanoporous carbons. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18610-6.

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Four (4) startups working on EV batteries in India

Business World India outline some EV startups that the Indian government is throwing money into.

Aqueouss: Aqueouss came into existence in the year 2016. They have the reputation of being one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of a high-quality range of Li-ion batteries and LifeP04 batteries. ..

Grinntech: Founded in 2018, Grinntech works on Lithium-ion cells to pack technology and supplies Li-ion battery packs for multiple EV applications. ..

ION Energy: Founded in 2016 by a team of Ph.D. Engineers from Stanford, Penn State and IIT with decades of experience in advanced electronics and battery systems. ..

Lohum Cleantech Private Limited: Established in the year 2018, “Lohum Cleantech Private Limited” is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of Lithium-ion batteries, power banks, Lithium-Ion cells and Lithium-Ion battery charger. ..

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Start-Ups Working On Battery Technology For EV Sector
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/article/Start-Ups-Working-On-Battery-Technology-For-EV-Sector/09-10-2020-329646/
9 Oct 2020

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Graphene SuperBattery and Electric Vehicles

From an  azom.com article

 

What is the SuperBattery? 

With charging cycles numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the SuperBattery is a promising prospect for addressing the three foremost issues related to electric vehicle use: long charging times, battery deterioration and concerns about vehicle range.

According to reports, the SuperBattery is a hybrid system that merges standard lithium-ion cells and Skeleton Technology's proprietary ultracapacitor cells. The main factor that differentiates the SuperBattery from similar systems is the Curved Graphene material that is used to make the ultracapacitors. As with other ultracapacitors, the SuperBattery does not have enough energy density to be a total replacement for lithium-ion batteries.

More details in the article

The Groundbreaking Graphene SuperBattery and the Future of Electric Vehicles
https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=19711

https://www.skeletontech.com/skelcap-ultracapacitor-cells

 All SkelCap ultracapacitors are 2.85V and the Farads range from 1200F to 3400F.

Elon Musk confirms Tesla's new structural battery and cells will start in Europe

 From an article from electrek.com

Elon Musk has confirmed Tesla's new structural battery design, and 4680 cells are first going to Model Y, which will be produced at Gigafactory Berlin next year.

We already had a good idea it was happening since Musk teased that Tesla will introduce a "core structural design change" with Model Y produced in Germany, but it’s not confirmed.

The CEO confirmed on Twitter that the new structural battery pack technology will be first implemented in Berlin:

Berlin will use 4680 cell with structural battery pack & front & rear single piece castings. Also, a new paint system.

Lot of new technology will happen in Berlin, which means significant production risk. Fremont & Shanghai will transition in ~2 years when new tech is proven.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1313854912212750346

Oct 7, 2020

Tesla plans to first start Model Y production at Gigafactory Berlin during the second half of 2021.

 

Elon Musk confirms Tesla's new structural battery and cells are first going to Model Y at Giga Berlin
https://electrek.co/2020/10/07/elon-musk-tesla-structural-battery-cells-model-y-giga-berlin/
7 Oct 2020

 

A Demonstration Battery Energy Storage System in Poland is Now Operational

The focus of the system is dubbed a hybrid battery energy storage system (BESS). The system, which combines high-output lithium-ion batteries with high-capacity lead-acid storage batteries, is charged with a wind farm. The Combined capacity is 6 MW.

Highlights and a link to the press release are below.

TOKYO, Oct 2, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and its project partners Hitachi, Ltd. (Hitachi), Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (Showa Denko Materials) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) announced today that the Smart Grid Demonstration Project in Poland, aimed at the expansion of renewable energy with a hybrid battery energy storage system (BESS) located at the Bystra Wind Farm in northern Poland reached monitoring phase in June and full-scale demonstrative operation phase on Sept. 25.

...

This hybrid BESS is Poland's largest-scale battery energy storage system, which combines high-output lithium-ion batteries with high-capacity lead-acid storage batteries, a combination to obtain high performance at low cost. The test operation will validate and prove the effectiveness of the functionality for alleviating short-term fluctuations in wind power generation and for providing necessary reserve power for adjusting demand-supply balance (load balancing).

...

The hybrid BESS introduced in this demonstration project consists of high-output lithium-ion batteries (1 MW-0.47 MWh) and high-capacity lead-acid storage batteries (5 MW-26.9 MWh) manufactured by Showa Denko Materials, the BESS-DCS (Distribution Control System) manufactured by Hitachi, which allows hybrid control of these two types of storage batteries, and the PCS (Power Conversion System), a 6 MW power converter manufactured by Hitachi ABB Power Grids Ltd. The system is the largest-scale storage battery system in Poland, offering a high level of performance at low cost.

 

Poland's Largest Hybrid Battery Energy Storage System Commence Full-scale Technology Demonstration
https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/20/10/a17776951/polands-largest-hybrid-battery-energy-storage-system-commence-full-scale-technology-demonstration
Oct 4, 2020
 

More media information on Airbus' Exit on Battery-powered Airplanes as it Moves to Hydrogen

CNN recently published Airbus' vision on future aircraft. Visually it is appealing.

This report adds to the previous reports. It is long and will let you read it and only quote this one paragraph, and several from another story from two weeks ago.

From the CNN story

The three ZEROe concepts program include a 120-200 passenger turbofan with a range of 2,000+ nautical miles, capable of operating transcontinentally and powered by a modified gas-turbine engine running on hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen will be stored and distributed via tanks located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.

Previously from flightglobal.com

Airbus is backing away from battery power in favour of pursuing hydrogen as a primary propulsion source for future aircraft development, over concerns that battery technology will not advance quickly enough to adapt to large airliners.

The airframer has unveiled three conceptual designs – two based on conventional turboprop and twinjet airframes, plus a third featuring a blended-wing fuselage design – as it commits to exploring a hydrogen-based zero-emission aircraft for potential service entry in 2035.

Speaking during a 21 September briefing, Airbus head of zero-emission aircraft Glen Llewellyn said that the airframer has seen a "decoupling" between the speed of battery technology progression and this 15-year timeframe.

 

 

 

Rocky Mountain Institute Study Shows Renewables Are Kicking Natural Gas To The Curb

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/10/03/rocky-mountain-institute-study-shows-renewables-are-kicking-natural-gas-to-the-curb/ 

DOE funds six Argonne National Laboratory battery manufacturing projects

In a widely reported press release by the DOE Argonne National Laboratory, the six projects are as such

Advanced brine processing to enable U.S. lithium independence

This research will create a more cost-effective process to produce lithium hydroxide ..

Industry partner: Albemarle/Ameridia (North Carolina).
Lead researcher: Jeff Spangenberger.
 

Hydrothermal production of single crystal Ni-rich cathodes with extreme rate capability

The hydrothermal process is a rapid potentially high-volume, tunable manufacturing method ..

Industry partner: Hunt Energy Enterprises (Texas).
Lead researcher: YoungHo Shin.
 

Continuous flow reactor synthesis of advanced electrolyte components for lithium-ion batteries

Argonne has developed a safer, more economical procedure for synthesizing trifluoropropylene carbonate (TFPC),  ..

Industry partner: Koura Global (Massachusetts).
Lead researcher: Kris Pupek.
 

Continuous high yield production of defect-free, ultrathin sulfide glass electrolytes for next generation solid-state lithium metal batteries

The goal of this project is to identify the source of defects in sulfide glasses and ..

Industry partner: PolyPlus (California).
Lead researcher: Tim Fister.

Scale-up production of graphene monoxide for next-generation lithium-ion battery anodes.

Graphene monoxide (GmO), a performance-enhancing component for lithium-ion battery anodes with the potential to improve safety, low-temperature operation and ..

Industry partner: SafeLi LLC (Wisconsin).
Lead researcher: Trevor Dzwiniel.

Scaling halide-type solid electrolytes for solid-state batteries

This project aims to develop, integrate and validate innovative processing technologies for a new class of lithium-ion conductors with ..

Industry partner: Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics (Pennsylvania).
Lead researcher: Zonghai Chen.

Commercially viable process for surface conditioning of high-nickel low-cobalt cathodes (led by Brookhaven National Laboratory)

This project will take innovations in battery materials processing and characterization developed and implemented by Argonne and Brookhaven and apply them to battery electrode manufacturing processes ..

Industry partner: C4V & Primet (New York).
Lead researcher: Zonghai Chen.

THORIUM DEBUNK

Connecticut debuts first electric buses (#cnn)

Story via KVIA

Gov. Ned Lamont and state officials in Bridgeport Monday unveiled Connecticut’s first two battery-electric buses.

They entered service under the state Department of Transportation’s (DOT) electric bus initiative and feature zero tailpipe emissions and will use 125 kilowatt-hour (kWh) electric bus chargers installed ...

The two buses displayed at Monday’s unveiling are the first of up to five, 40-foot battery electric buses and associated charging infrastructure that will be deployed at GBT. All of the buses will include quiet operation, carbon-fiber reinforced composite bodies ...

AI technology can predict vanadium flow battery performance and cost, China Claims

Per an article in techxplore.com 

Recently, a research team led by Prof. Li Xianfeng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a machine learning-based strategy to predict and optimize the performance and cost of VFBs.

(..)

This work was published in Energy & Environmental Science on Sept. 22.

(..)

This machine learning model can predict the voltage efficiency, energy efficiency, and electrolyte utilization ratio of the VFB stack, as well as the power and energy cost of the VFB system with high accuracy.

 

More Evidence that China Cannot Sustain Their Technology Lurch

The article in evidence is from an opinion from India, which is most likely a paid propaganda piece. But the raw numbers alone in this article show that China cannot sustain what they are doing -- especially if they are cut off from the US. It is likely that officials in California have seen these programs and do not realized this is a disaster.

I've quote two sections from the piece on PHOTOVOLTAIC & ELECTRIC VEHICLES. Emphasis in quotes added.

PHOTOVOLTAIC

 ++ including refunds for interest on loans

China also offered many forms of support to photovoltaic manufacturers. For example, producers could access cash grants of between ¥200,000 and ¥300,000 ($30,900 to $46,300) available to high-tech startups that are less than three years old with no more than 3,000 employees. Large “demonstration projects” by manufacturers get grants of up to ¥1 million. The China Development Bank, offered low-interest loans of several billion dollars for major production plants. The bank reportedly provided $30 billion in low-cost loans to photovoltaic manufacturers in 2010. A number of Chinese provinces offered further incentives, including refunds for interest on loans and electricity costs, 10-year tax holidays, loan guarantees, and refunds of value-added taxes. To open its production plant in China, Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar was reported to have received $21 million in cash grants, a $15 million property tax break, a subsidized lease worth $2.7 million, and $13 million worth of infrastructure such as roads.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

++ aimed to have 100 million EV by 2020

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology hasalready invested around ¥100 billion ($15.2 billion) by 2020 in subsidies and incentives over the past 10 years to support new-energy vehicle production. The government had set a target of selling 1 million electric vehicles a year by 2015 and aimed to have 100 million by 2020. The government also offered a $9,036 subsidy to buyers of electric cars and subsidized fleet operations in 25 cities. By 2018, China was manufacturing 1.2 million electric vehicles.

NOTE: It is unlikely they have met their 100 million EV goal.

The National Development and Reform Commission also identified lithium-ion cells and batteries as strategic industries, and several government programs subsidize China’s industry through investment and tax credits, loans, and research grants. To give its domestic industry an extra edge, the government essentially requires foreign battery companies to manufacture in China if they wish to sell there. Another major “Atmanirbhar” policy of China.

  

The Story Of China’s Rise To Technological And Economic Leadership
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/opinion-the-story-of-chinas-rise-to-technological-and-economic-leadership/361065
28 September 2020
 

 

Vertical turbine hydro generator system. Low rpm permanent magnet genera...

I could show him how to make a much simpler winding and get more power and cleaner DC from it.

Also the magnets should be a Halbach array, that would also increase the field and more power as well.

Convert carbon dioxide into ethylene

 https://phys.org/news/2020-09-effective-pathway-carbon-dioxide-ethylene.html

A research team from Caltech and the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has demonstrated a promising way to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into ethylene—an important chemical used to produce plastics, solvents, cosmetics and other important products globally.

The scientists developed nanoscale copper wires with specially shaped surfaces to catalyze a chemical reaction that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while generating ethylene—a valuable chemical simultaneously. Computational studies of the reaction show the shaped catalyst favors the production of ethylene over hydrogen or methane. A study detailing the advance was published in Nature Catalysis.

"We are at the brink of fossil fuel exhaustion, coupled with global climate change challenges," said Yu Huang, the study's co-corresponding author, and professor of materials science and engineering at UCLA. "Developing materials that can efficiently turn greenhouse gases into value-added fuels and chemical feedstocks is a critical step to mitigate global warming while turning away from extracting increasingly limited fossil fuels. This integrated experiment and theoretical analysis presents a sustainable path towards carbon dioxide upcycling and utilization."

Currently, ethylene has a global annual production of 158 million tons. Much of that is turned into polyethylene, which is used in plastic packaging. Ethylene is processed from hydrocarbons, such as natural gas.

"The idea of using copper to catalyze this reaction has been around for a long time, but the key is to accelerate the rate so it is fast enough for industrial production," said William A. Goddard III, the study's co-corresponding author and Caltech's Charles and Mary Ferkel Professor of Chemistry, Materials Science, and Applied Physics. "This study shows a solid path towards that mark, with the potential to transform ethylene production into a greener industry using CO2 that would otherwise end up in the atmosphere."

Using copper to kick start the carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction into ethylene reaction (C2H4) has suffered two strikes against it. First, the initial chemical reaction also produced hydrogen and methane—both undesirable in industrial production. Second, previous attempts that resulted in ethylene production did not last long, with conversion efficiency tailing off as the system continued to run.

To overcome these two hurdles, the researchers focused on the design of the copper nanowires with highly active "steps"—similar to a set of stairs arranged at atomic scale. One intriguing finding of this collaborative study is that this step pattern across the nanowires' surfaces remained stable under the reaction conditions, contrary to general belief that these high energy features would smooth out. This is the key to both the system's durability and selectivity in producing ethylene, instead of other end products.

The team demonstrated a carbon dioxide-to-ethylene conversion rate of greater than 70%, much more efficient than previous designs, which yielded at least 10% less under the same conditions. The new system ran for 200 hours, with little change in conversion efficiency, a major advance for copper-based catalysts. In addition, the comprehensive understanding of the structure-function relation illustrated a new perspective to design highly active and durable CO2 reduction catalyst in action.

Huang and Goddard have been frequent collaborators for many years, with Goddard's research group focusing on the theoretical reasons that underpin chemical reactions, while Huang's group has created new materials and conducted experiments. The lead author on the paper is Chungseok Choi, a graduate student in materials science and engineering at UCLA Samueli and a member of Huang's laboratory.

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to ethanol

Solid State Wind Energy Generator. A Revolutionary Device

In this video, we are going to look at Solid State Wind Energy Generators. These devices create electricity and have no moving parts. Given that most of the maintenance costs in traditional wind turbines are because of moving parts, from gearbox to blades, this can be a breakthrough development.

https://newatlas.com/ewicon-bladeless-wind-turbine/26907/

Where most wind turbines generate electricity through mechanical energy, the EWICON (short for Electrostatic WInd energy CONvertor) creates potential energy with charged particles – in this case, water droplets. The current design consists of a steel frame holding a series of insulated tubes arranged horizontally. Each tube contains several electrodes and nozzles, which continually release positively-charged water particles into the air. As the particles are blown away, the voltage of the device changes and creates an electric field, which can be transferred to the grid for everyday use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaneless_ion_wind_generator

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41545-018-0027-5

• Article
• Open Access
• Published: 01 February 2019

Virus and bacteria inactivation by CO2 bubbles in solution

• Adrian Garrido Sanchis, 
• Richard Pashley & 
• Barry Ninham 

npj Clean Water volume 2, Article number: 5 (2019) Cite this article

• 5161 Accesses
• 2 Citations
• 12 Altmetric
• Metricsdetails

Abstract

The availability of clean water is a major problem facing the world. In particular, the cost and destruction caused by viruses in water remains an unresolved challenge and poses a major limitation on the use of recycled water. Here, we develop an environmentally friendly technology for sterilising water. The technology bubbles heated un-pressurised carbon dioxide or exhaust gases through wastewater in a bubble column, effectively destroying both bacteria and viruses. The process is extremely cost effective, with no concerning by-products, and has already been successfully scaled-up industrially.

Introduction

Wastewater usually contains human enteric viruses like hepatitis and rotavirus and bacteria like Escherichia coli. If this water is to be reused it has to be disinfected. Collivignarelli et al.1 found that ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and chemical treatments using chlorine, chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid or ozone were the most used technologies for wastewater disinfection. However, all these water disinfection technologies have limitations. For example, chlorine and chlorine dioxide react with organic compounds and form reactive chlorinated organic compounds that are hazardous to humans. In addition, chlorine needs at least 30 min contact time and is not able to eliminate Cryptosporidium. Chlorine dioxide has high management costs and is very unstable. Other disinfection methods such as ozone and UV irradiation are complex to operate and maintain. Rotavirus can be resistant to UV treatments and its efficiency is affected by the dissolved organic and inorganics in the wastewater, as well as its colour and turbidity.2 Paracetic acid increases chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) due to the formation of acetic acid.1 Therefore, a major challenge exists to develop new, energy-efficient technologies to address these problems.

Here we report on one such candidate technology for sterilisation that seems to do the job. It uses atmospheric pressure bubbles of CO2 in a new device (ABCD). If this process successfully inactivates MS2 virus (ATCC15597-B1) and E. coli C-3000 (ATCC15597), that are surrogates for enteric pathogens, then this technology will be able to inactivate real waterborne viruses and bacteria for water reuse without the need for (high energy) boiling.

In preceding work3,4 we conducted different experiments where the bubble diameter of 1–3 mm was measured using high speed cameras. An earlier variant we called the hot bubble column evaporator (HBCE) process.5,6,7 It used hot air bubbles of 1–3 mm diameter and was operated in the temperature range of 150–250 °C. The bubbles transferred heat to surrounding water and thermally inactivated dispersed viruses and bacterial cells. At the same time, low, steady-state solution temperatures in the range of 42–55 °C were maintained.8 An instantaneous transient hot surface layer must also form around the rising, initially hot, air bubbles. The inactivation process clearly involves collisions of bacteria or viruses with the hot air bubbles5,6 and the surrounding heated layers.7 Other gases (air, N2, O2 and Argon) achieved similar inactivation results, at 200 °C inlet gas temperatures for viruses and at 150 °C for bacteria.9 However, CO2 gas, at the same inlet gas temperature, is far superior with much higher inactivation rates at lower temperatures than with other gases.9 Hence, we here embark on a more thorough study of the effects of CO2 bubbling on viral and bacterial inactivation in pure sodium chloride solutions, using the HBCE device at atmospheric pressure with the acronym ABCD.

Many waste disposal industries like landfills, bio-gas plants and coal power plants emit large amounts of CO2. Hence, the potential use of CO2 bubbles in water treatment processes to sterilise water at atmospheric pressure offers an attractive new technology at the very least. Earlier we showed9 too that the heat generated in exhaust combustion gases that contain CO2 can also be used to increase the performance of this new sterilisation treatment. That we will also take further.

The process is very different to others that involve CO2. Thus, many authors10 have shown that pressurised CO2 in a range of 5 to 1000 atm can achieve viral and bacterial inactivation.

High-pressure carbon dioxide has been proposed as a cold pasteurisation alternative for more than 25 years.11 The new ABCD reactor, described here, achieves equivalent or better results but without the need for pressurisation, i.e., at just 1 atm. The process has been patented by the University of New South Wales as Australian Patent Application No. 2017904797.