CBS Information
Cambridge, England — Scientists have lengthy mentioned chopping methane emissions is vital to addressing local weather change, however many huge industries aren’t readily in a position to curb their manufacturing of the dangerous greenhouse gasoline. A British firm says it has a solution: Flip methane into one thing else.
Methane is a menace. Local weather scientists say the invisible gasoline warms the Earth’s ambiance 84 occasions quicker than carbon dioxide. It is launched into the ambiance by natural materials, akin to meals waste, rotting at landfill websites, sewage therapy services and by the digestive programs of cows.
Levidian — a local weather tech enterprise in Cambridge, England — got down to sort out this local weather change problem, by giving methane a makeover.
“The magic occurs in right here,” the corporate’s CEO John Hartley informed CBS Information as he led our workforce on a guided tour of Levidian’s patented LOOP system — a machine with an enormous steel hopper formed like a balloon.
The know-how makes use of microwave power and a particular nozzle system to separate methane molecules into the gasoline’ part components — hydrogen and carbon — and captures them.
Hydrogen is more and more wanted, as it may be used to energy factories, vehicles, ships and different equipment. Levidian mentioned it is a clear gas, as a result of, when burned, it yields warmth and power, however the one emission is water vapor, no carbon dioxide.
The carbon from the broken-down methane, in the meantime, falls into the hopper as a stable known as graphene, which has been identified to science for under about 20 years and which is commonly touted because the strongest materials on this planet.
Dr. Ellie Galanis, head of business improvement at Levidian, was eager to point out off a harvest of graphene from the LOOP hopper on the firm’s lab.
“It is such an thrilling time to be concerned in graphene,” mentioned the self-described “graphene geek,” shaking a dice stuffed with black, powder-like materials. “It is superior.”
CBS Information
Galanis and her workforce have been busy engaged on methods to make use of the graphene Levidian produces to spice up the sturdiness of on a regular basis merchandise.
“If you put graphene into the tire tread, you may make it stronger. You can also make it last more and you may make it extra gas environment friendly,” she mentioned of 1 software.
They’ve additionally tried including it to concrete.
“With out graphene, it tends to crumble quite a bit simpler, however with graphene it is a lot stronger,” she mentioned.
The super-strong however versatile materials may even be included within the manufacture of medical gloves.
“When surgeons do the ‘snap take a look at,’ they’re making an attempt to test if it’s going to break, and that does not occur whenever you add graphene in — it makes them a lot stronger and extra puncture resistant,” she informed CBS Information.
Scientists say graphene additionally helps enhance battery life in electrical automobiles, and it may be combined into plastic to assist manufactures use much less petroleum-derived supplies of their bottles.
Researchers solely found graphene 20 years in the past, on the College of Manchester, and Levidian sees years of progress forward for the product.
“If you get in your automotive, you should have graphene enhanced tires that last more. The battery in that automotive, if it is electrical, will take you additional as a result of it’s going to have extra capability to cost quicker, and the concrete you utilize within the constructing you go into will likely be extra sturdy and have a smaller carbon footprint,” she predicted, including that even “the garments that you just put on might need graphene in them so that they’re extra sustainable.”
Levidian says its LOOP system has now reached the U.S., with Georgia-based cable maker Southwire utilizing it to cut back its carbon footprint.
