Japan releases plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050

 

Source: RenewEconomy

Recently Japan released its plan for reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The government is to give tax incentives and other support for investment in green technologies and predicts that this will boost its economy. The plan is to include at least these developments:

 - To have all new cars to be electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell driven by 2035 with a ban on the sale of fossil fuel driven cars. 

- To research into reducing the cost of batteries.

- To increase offshore wind power to 45 gigawatts by 2040.

- To bring renewable power to 60% by 2050.

- To be less reliant on nuclear power and have it more stable.

- To have thermal power plants with carbon capture technology related to carbon cycling and not storage underground. That is by using captured CO2 to produce synthetic fibres or to fortify concrete.

- To have nuclear and thermal power at a reduced 30-40% of the nation's electricity demand.

- To have all new buildings and houses built with zero emissions technology by 2030.

- To use green hydrogen and ammonia as fuels for gas turbine power generators and for fuel cells to power heavy vehicles and all sea-going vessels by 2050. (Japan has already launched its first hydrogen-carrying ship which is importing hydrogen from Australia.)

References: 

- Japan sees electric cars, offshore wind as keys to net zero economy. CleanTechnica, December 26, 2020. 

- Japan's plan to go carbon-neutral by 2050. The Globe and Mail, December ~28, 2020. 

- Japan unveils green growth plan for 2050 carbon neutral goal. YahooNews!, December 25, 2020.  

- Mitsubishi Group project on CO2 injection into concrete approved for grant by NEDO. GlobalCement, August 5, 2020. 

- Japan adopts green growth plan to go carbon free by 2050. SeattlePI, December 25, 2020.

Recaptured carbon dioxide may help us recycle batteries

Source: New Scientist

In a way that can assist with the recycling of metals from batteries, scientists from the University of Lyon, France, have come up with the chemistry to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air to extract the metals.

The process uses a mixture of polyamines which adsorb carbon dioxide readily. The scientists used carbon dioxide from the exhaust of an internal combustion engine to be fixated into a polyamine solution. As result, they gradually created a library of CO₂ loadings and solvents to assist with the precipitation of different metals.

They demonstrated that these metals could be extracted: lanthanum (La), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co). This shows that the three metal constituents of the La₂Ni₉Co alloys used to manufacture the batteries of electric vehicles can be separated and recovered by successive CO₂-induced selective precipitations.

This research shows that CO₂ can be captured sustainably as opposed to the capture and storage of CO₂ underground.

References:
- Captured carbon dioxide could be used to help recycle batteries. New Scientist, January 13, 2020.
-“Simultaneous CO₂ capture and metal purification from waste streams using triple-level dynamic combinatorial chemistry.” By J Septavaux, et.al. Nature Chemistry, 2020: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0388-5

Could food ‘made from air’ let us ditch farms?

Source: New Scientist

A Finnish company called Solar Foods makes food ‘from air’. First, they used the electricity from solar panels to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting hydrogen provides energy to bacteria which can extract carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen from the air to make protein-rich organic matter. They do this more efficiently than plants grown via photosynthesis and the food is grown in vats in factories that take up much less land area than contemporary farms.

Food production is inefficient as less than 0.5% of the light energy falling on a field gets turned into food. By contrast, solar panels convert around 17% of the light energy falling on them into electricity. Solar Foods says it can turn electricity into food, via hydrogen, with an efficiency of 20%. (New Scientist)

Farming and land clearance produce a third of all greenhouse gases. Also, the clearing of land for farming reduces habitat for our wildlife. This process could help reduce the need for extra farmland and even allow some farms to return native habitat for the rewilding of endangered animals. This could be a more sustainable way to feed our growing population.

Read more: Can we really save the planet by making food ‘from air’ without farms? New Scientist, January 10, 2020.