Power from Nano’s Shirt?
Nanotechnology researchers are developing the perfect complement to the power tie: a “power shirt” able to generate electricity to power small electronic devices for soldiers in the field, hikers and others whose physical motion could be harnessed and converted to electrical energy.
A recent issue of the journal Nature detailed how pairs of textile fibres covered with zinc oxide nanowires can generate electrical current using the piezoelectric effect. Combining current flow from many fibre pairs woven into a shirt or jacket could allow the wearer’s body movement to power a range of portable electronic devices.
Schematic shows how pairs of fibres coated with zinc oxide nanowires and alternately with gold would rub together to produce a small electrical current. Many pairs of these fibres could be woven into a garment to produce a "power shirt." Image from Zhong Lin Wang and Xudong Wang
The fibres could also be woven into curtains, tents or other structures to capture energy from wind motion, sound vibration or other mechanical energy. The February 14 issue of the journal Nature details how pairs of textile fibres covered with zinc oxide nanowires can generate electrical current using the piezoelectric effect.
“The fibre-based nanogenerator would be a simple and economical way to harvest energy from physical movement,” said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Photo: Regents Professor Zhong Lin Wang explaining how the nanogenerator works
“If we can combine many of these fibers in double or triple layers in clothing, we could provide a flexible, foldable and wearable power source that, for example, would allow people to generate their own electrical current while walking.”
Sourced from WME Magazine (March 2008). For more information and video: http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/power-shirt.htm It’s Nano again – for clean water!
Prof Peter Majewski and PhD student Chiu Ping Chan from University of SA’s School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering have developed a new technique which can remove bacteria, chemicals, viruses and other contaminants from water much more effectively than conventional water purification methods.
“Its major benefits include an easy-to-use chemical and physical treatment process that cleans water without requiring additional energy, and uses recyclable non-toxic base materials like the waste product silica and water, which bring costs down,” Prof Majewski said.
“These features make it a very attractive alternative to desalination, which incurs high energy costs."
Prof Majewski says current water purification techniques are often complicated and use sophisticated equipment, which is expensive to operate and maintain, and includes a final, costly disinfection stage.
“Our technology is simple. We coat tiny silica particles with a nanometre-thin layer of an active material based on a hydrocarbon with a silicon-containing anchor. The coating is made by a chemical self-assembly process, which involves simply mixing the ingredients to make what is called active ‘surface engineered particles’,” Prof Majewski said.
"We put the prepared particles in the contaminated water and stir it, or flush the contaminated water through a filter containing the active particles, which is much easier to handle. As the water runs through the filter, the toxins attach themselves to the coated particles through an electrostatic attraction between the contaminants and the particles and remain in the filter, leaving good quality water of drinking standard."
Testing of the active particles demonstrates that they can remove pathogens such as the Polio virus, bacteria such as Escherichia coli, and the waterborne parasite Cryptosporidium parvum.
Prof Majewski says that all water can be treated and his researchers are looking into processed water treated for re-use in industry, which requires fewer regulations than drinking water. Sourced from www.sustainabilitymatters.net.au What does Carbon Neutral really mean?
The UK Green Building Council (GBC) has defined what it means for a building to be carbon neutral. It comes after the proposal for all new buildings constructed after 2020 to be carbon neutral was flagged as one of the top ideas at the Federal Government’s 2020 summit.
Head of sustainability at Lend Lease Maria Atkinson said after last month’s summit the next stage of this proposal would require agreed definition on what makes a building carbon neutral. The Green Building Council of Australia also said it received numerous queries on the topic of carbon neutral buildings after the summit. “The challenge has now been set for the property industry to take a closer look at how buildings can be carbon neutral, including embodied energy by 2020,” it said in a statement.
In the UK, the debate is further ahead after the government announced new housing regulations last year requiring all new homes built after 2016 to have zero emissions for heating, hot water, cooling, ventilation and lighting. A recent UK report Definition of Zero Carbon found the government’s current of zero carbon – which excludes the use of off-site renewables – is unachievable for 80% of new homes.
If the government wants to maintain its carbon neutral target for new homes, the definition of zero carbon must change, the UK GBC said. The organisation said developers should be allowed to use offsite renewable energy, but only where every effort has been made to first install onsite renewables such as solar power, wind power or burning biomass produced locally.
Paul King, UK-GBC CEO, said the organisation supports the government’s zero emission building target and the proposed amendment to the definition is not about dumbing down or abandoning the concept of zero carbon.
“This is about ensuring the same high level of carbon savings, but allowing developers more flexibility in how to get there to deliver mainstream, zero carbon homes in the numbers required,” King said.
“The solutions we are pointing to are designed to ensure energy demand reduction always comes first and on- or near-site renewables should be the focus for meeting energy needs.
“Our proposed definition recognises off-site renewables could play a part, and also gives a big boost to community-scale technologies. This would have the added benefit of enabling much-needed carbon reductions in the existing stock, by enabling the distribution of low or zero carbon heat through district networks.” Sourced from: www.EnvironmentalManagementNews.net Your Ideas, Innovations or Events?
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