Browse Topic: Sustainable development
Researchers from the Disruptive and Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) interdisciplinary research group of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and MIT, have developed a groundbreaking near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanosensor capable of simultaneously detecting and differentiating between iron forms — Fe(II) and Fe(III) — in living plants.
The race is on for leadership in cislunar space, considered a gateway to the future of space exploration. Yet operating in this domain introduces unique challenges for propulsion systems. In contrast to low-Earth orbit (LEO), the cislunar environment requires higher precision propulsion solutions; these are necessary to enable rapid and accurate maneuvering of spacecraft and long-term sustainability. Propellants like hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide offer the high energy density required for cislunar missions, but they must be handled very differently from the inert, non-reactive gases at play in LEO systems.
Recent advances are reducing the cost of space launch, high specific power solar cells, and the production of satellite systems. Modular architectures with no moving parts and distributed power systems would minimize assembly and maintenance costs. Together, this may enable space-based solar power to provide decarbonized dispatchable power at a lower cost than equivalent technologies such as nuclear power stations. Space-based Solar Power for Instantaneously Dispatchable Renewable Power on Earth discusses the advances in emerging technologies, like thin film solar cells, reusable launch vehicles, and mass-produced modular satellite systems that would make economic space power feasible. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.
Technological advances have led to the widespread use of electric devices and vehicles. These innovations are not only convenient but also environmentally friendly, offering an alternative to polluting fuel-driven machines. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in electrical appliances and vehicles. Commercial LIBs comprise an organic electrolyte solution, which is considered indispensable to make them energy efficient. However, ensuring safety becomes a concern and may be difficult to achieve with the rising market demand.
Recently, global interest in hydrogen as a powerful, promising and clean source of energy has increased. Green hydrogen production (GHP) is considered one of the most important modern projects worldwide, as it is the way to achieve a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. GHP plays a major role to improve public health. There are several methods for producing or harvesting green hydrogen, the most famous of which are: 1) The electrolysis of water using a proton exchange membrane and metal foam at low temperatures and 2) Flash Joule Heating (FJH) method for heating plastic waste at high temperatures using low-carbon emissions technology. However, both methods still suffer from some difficulties. This calls for the need to search for scientific solutions to make hydrogen available at reasonable prices. While the first method is considered better for producing high-purity hydrogen compared to the second method, it faces challenges in collecting hydrogen on the surface of the negative
As automotive technology advances, the need for comprehensive environmental awareness becomes increasingly critical for vehicle safety and efficiency. This study introduces a novel integrated wind, weather, and motion sensor designed for moving objects, with a focus on automotive applications. The sensor’s potential to enhance vehicle performance by providing real-time data on local atmospheric conditions is investigated. The research employs a combination of sensor design, vehicle integration, and field-testing methodologies. Findings prove the sensor’s capability to accurately capture dynamic environmental parameters, including wind speed and direction, temperature, and humidity. The integration of this sensor system shows promise in improving vehicle stability, optimizing fuel efficiency through adaptive aerodynamics, and enhancing the performance of autonomous driving systems. Furthermore, the study explores the potential of this technology in contributing to connected vehicle
In Automobile manufacturing, maintaining the Quality of parts supplied by vendor is crucial & challenging. This paper introduces a digital tool designed to monitor trends for critical parameters of these parts in real-time. Utilizing Statistical Process Control (SPC) graphs, the tool continuously tracks Quality trend for critical parts and process parameters, predicting potential issues for proactive improvements even before parts are supplied. The tool integrates data from all Supplier partners across value chain into a single ecosystem, providing a comprehensive view of their performance and the parts they supply. Suppliers input data into a digital application, which is then analyzed in the cloud using SPC techniques to generate potential alerts for improvement. These alerts are automatically sent to both Suppliers and relevant personnel at the OEM, enabling proactive measures to address any Quality deviations. 100% data is visualized in an integrated dashboard which acts as a
Letter from the Guest Editors
The Earth’s biosphere is the most sophisticated complex adaptive system known to exist in the entire universe and has persisted for over 4 billion years. A complex adaptive system is a network of interacting adaptive systems whose nonlinear dynamics and emergent behaviors are difficult to predict and control; therefore, for such systems, past performance is no guarantee of future results, which is particularly the case for the Earths biosphere during a period of exponential technological growth.
A lighter, colorable and fully recyclable thermoplastic body seal from Cooper Standard won the annual Innovations in Lightweighting Award given by the Society for Automotive Analysts. At the society's December meeting, Jay Murdock, senior product development engineer for Cooper Standard, accepted the award and said its FlexiCore product was designed with an eye on strong trends in what OEMs want from suppliers: sustainability, carbon neutrality, lightweighting and recyclability.
Additive Manufacturing (AM), particularly Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), has emerged as a revolutionary method for fabricating complex geometries using a variety of materials. Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) is a thermoplastic material that is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, making it a preferred choice in additive manufacturing (AM) due to its affordability and ease of use. This study aims to optimize the FDM settings for PETG material and investigate the impact of key process parameters on printing performance. An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the influence of crucial factors in FDM, including layer thickness, infill density, printing speed, and nozzle temperature, on significant outcomes such as dimensional accuracy, surface quality, and mechanical properties. The use of the Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) approach enabled a systematic assessment of multi-performance characteristics, facilitating the optimization of the FDM process. The findings
This research explores the use of salt gradient solar ponds (SGSPs) as an environmentally friendly and efficient method for thermal energy storage. The study focuses on the design, construction, and performance evaluation of SGSP systems integrated with reflectors, comparing their effectiveness against conventional SGSP setups without reflectors. Both experimental and numerical methods are employed to thoroughly assess the thermal behavior and energy efficiency of these systems. The findings reveal that the SGSP with reflectors (SGSP-R) achieves significantly higher temperatures across all three zones—Upper Convective Zone (UCZ), Non-Convective Zone (NCZ), and Lower Convective Zone (LCZ)—with recorded temperatures of 40.56°C, 54.2°C, and 63.1°C, respectively. These values represent an increase of 6.33%, 11.12%, and 14.26% over the temperatures observed in the conventional SGSP (SGSP-C). Furthermore, the energy efficiency improvements in the UCZ, NCZ, and LCZ for the SGSP-R are
Worldwide, glass manufacturing produces at least 86 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO 2) every year. A new type of glass aims to cut this carbon footprint in half. The invention — LionGlass, engineered at Penn State — requires significantly less energy to produce and is much more damage resistant than standard soda lime silicate glass.
As part of the Nano4 EARTH initiative, a national challenge launched by the White House and the National Nanotechnology Initiative, researchers are exploring how innovations at the nanoscale can lead to groundbreaking solutions for a more sustainable future.
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