THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES

This Week’s Top 5 News Articles

🪰 Genetically Modified Black Soldier Flies Boost Waste Consumption and Cut Methane

💨 Breakthrough Catalyst Converts CO2 Even with Sulfur Contamination

🧂 Innovative Use of Salt for Storing Renewable Energy

🍌 Turning Banana Waste into Green Textiles and Renewable Energy

🍚 AI Transforms Rice Husk Ash into Eco-Friendly Concrete

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TOP 5 NEWS ARTICLES

Genetically Modified Black Soldier Flies Boost Waste Consumption and Cut Methane LINK 

• Australian scientists are genetically engineering black soldier flies to consume more organic waste, reducing methane emissions from landfills and producing valuable byproducts like biofuels and high-grade animal feed.

• The engineered flies can process a wider range of waste, converting it into fatty compounds and enzymes, supporting the creation of circular economies.

• To mitigate environmental risks, the genetically modified flies can be designed with weaknesses, such as an inability to fly, making them unviable outside controlled waste processing facilities.

Breakthrough Catalyst Converts CO2 Even with Sulfur Contamination LINK 

• University of Toronto researchers have developed a new catalyst that converts captured CO2 into valuable products, even in the presence of sulfur dioxide, a common contaminant in industrial emissions.

• The catalyst incorporates layers of Teflon and Nafion to prevent sulfur dioxide poisoning, maintaining high efficiency and resilience over extended periods.

• This breakthrough offers a more cost-effective and practical solution for carbon capture and utilization in industries such as steel and cement manufacturing, potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainability.

Innovative Use of Salt for Storing Renewable Energy LINK

• Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a method to store and release heat using a combination of magnesium chloride and strontium chloride salts, offering a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based heating.

• The process involves dehydrating the salts to store heat and rehydrating them to release it, providing an efficient way to regulate building temperatures.

• This salt-based thermal energy storage is cost-effective and widely available, potentially reducing carbon emissions and contributing to climate change mitigation.

Turning Banana Waste into Green Textiles and Renewable Energy LINK

• UK and Pakistani researchers are developing a project to convert banana waste into textile fibers and renewable energy, funded by £300,000 from Innovate UK's Energy Catalyst.

• The two-part system will use new technology to transform banana waste into textiles and utilize the byproduct to produce clean electricity, benefiting rural, off-grid areas in Pakistan.

• This innovative approach aims to reduce the environmental impact of Pakistan's textile industry and promote sustainable energy solutions, potentially applicable to various forms of agricultural waste globally.

AI Transforms Rice Husk Ash into Eco-Friendly Concrete LINK

• Researchers have developed a sustainable concrete using rice husk ash (RHA) as a partial substitute for cement, leveraging AI to predict the compressive strength of the RHA concrete efficiently.

• The study found that incorporating RHA enhances concrete properties such as later-age compressive strength, abrasion resistance, moisture barrier characteristics, and reduces drying shrinkage.

• This innovation promises to reduce the environmental impact of concrete production by decreasing CO2 emissions and supporting sustainable construction practices.

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THAT’S A WRAP!