Innovation for Environmental Sustainability

The list of innovation and new technologies applied to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect the environment continues to grow at a healthy pace and the following new ideas add to that list.

Fly ash waste from coal burning electricity generating power plants has now found a use as an absorbent of oil in the marine environment. According to the University of Central Florida which is carrying out the research, involves the modification of the fly ash into a cleaning agent with the power to absorb oil. The oil containing ash is retrieved from the water using a low cost mesh packaging material and can also be used to clump the oil already onshore. The oil containing ash is the used in coal- burning power plant and the fly ash recovered for reuse.

On a similar note a non-toxic recyclable agent that can solidify crude oil on salt water has been developed. The gelling agent is said to be environmentally benign and utilises a sugar based molecule. Only a small amount of the agent needs to be used – five per cent of the volume of the oil being recovered.

A recent National Assembly Government for Wales sustainability committee report, “Inquiry into the Supply and Demand for woody biomass” highlights the fact that the market for biomass is growing and that demand could soon outstrip supply if wood fuel energy projects are not implemented on a larger scale. The report considers that waste wood should be used to encourage the development of biomass facilities and be banned from landfill.

Biomass could produce high value chemicals say research scientists at Iowa State University in Utah. Whilst studying cellulose and other biomass products in alcohols at high temperatures and pressures researchers found that the process produced ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. The biomass conversion process is based on the chemistry of supercritical fluids that are heated until their liquid and gas phases merge. This method replaces the use of expensive reagents such as acids, enzymes, catalysts or hydrogen gas.

Reductions of carbon dioxide emissions as by product of cement production for concrete used by the construction industries can be achieved by innovative replacement of cement in the concrete manufacturing processes. Cement manufacture is a high user of heat energy from coal, gas and liquid hydrocarbon combustion.

Reducing the amounts of cement in concrete manufacture can eliminate the use of expensive fuels producing high quantities of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Cement is replaced by the use of ceramic waste powders ground from brick manufacturing waste as well as ground stoneware and sanitary ware.

Similarly a new generation of cements substitutes limestone as the raw material by solid waste from thermal power stations. A reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by100% is achieved by the elimination of the limestone burning process.

Robin Burn