Welcome to the February issue of Materials World
Professor Krzysztof Koziol at Cranfield University, UK, makes the case for ‘Beyond Net Zero’.
He says 'To reach the UK’s 2050 net-zero target, it won’t be enough for transport systems and technologies to be net-zero themselves. They must actively reduce carbon emissions or the target will always stay out of reach. We need ‘better than net-zero’ in the technology used across sectors.'
He suggests that balloons, which might appear to be a technology from the past, could accelerate carbon reduction with material enhancements. From hydrogen-fuel delivery to remote communities, to improving the performance of weather balloons, and propelling satellites and payloads to space, Koziol floats the potential of a multitude of applications for the University’s prototypes of graphene-enhanced balloons.
Making technologies work harder to bring multiple benefits is also a theme, as we learn about Altilium’s technology for recycling lithium-ion batteries.
Author Dominic Schreiber notes, “Batteries typically account for up to 60% of the embedded greenhouse gases in EV production. On average, mining and refining battery raw materials accounts for about a quarter of these emissions. Recovering these materials from end-of-life batteries and gigafactory scrap can therefore play a critical role in the decarbonisation of EV production, making them even greener.'
We hope you enjoy this issue.
