Green fields are opening up worldwide as researchers make inroads into improving the efficiency of new and emerging, more sustainable vehicles and of a new biofuel and energy production from the sea.
For example, scientists at Flinders University recently published results of three separate studies — aimed at potential methods and future technologies to effectively capture energy from ocean waves, produce microalgae biofuel, and improve catalytic conversion in engines.
In the first study, Flinders University nanotechnology experts, including Professor Youhong Tang and Dr. Steven Wang, together with Chinese colleagues, developed a new self-powered wave-detection device that harvests energy from the sea waves.
The latest results, published in the journal Device, constitute the prototype of a self-powered hybrid wave sensor (HSP-WS), composed of an electromagnetic generator and a triboelectric nanogenerator.
“Test results show that the HSP-WS has sufficient sensitivity to detect even 0.5 cm amplitude changes in ocean waves,” says PhD candidate Yunzhong (Steven) Wang, from Professor Tang’s research group, based at Flinders University’s future Tonsley Energy Centre in Adelaide.
Fill the current gap in the wave spectrum
Professor Tang states that “the data obtained with the HSP-WS can be used to fill the current gap in the wave spectrum, which can improve the efficiency of harvesting ocean wave energy.”
The amplitude of ocean waves is a fundamental parameter in the wave spectrum. The current wave spectrum does not support detailed data on wave amplitudes below 0.5 m. Common radar-based ocean data sensors have difficulty monitoring low-amplitude waves because the measured wave amplitude is often obscured by environmental noise.
Furthermore, researchers state that low-amplitude wave-energy harvesting devices lack proper guidance for optimal placement, which significantly affects their energy-harvesting efficiency.
Meanwhile, the nano-scale materials scientist Flinders University Professor Tang joined forces with aquaculture specialist Professor Jianguang Qin and other Flinders University researchers to test a new way to boost the production of sustainable, fast-growing microalgae for biofuel or other feedstocks.
“Mass production of microalgae is a research focus due to its promising aspects for sustainable nutrition, biofunctional compounds, nutraceuticals and feedstock for biofuels,” says Professor Tang.
“For the first time, this study was able to increase algal growth and lipid accumulation simultaneously, producing biomolecules essential for the third and fourth generations of biofuel feedstocks,” adds him.
The new approach creates an effective spectral light shift to boost photosynthesis in the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, using an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer.
The aquaculture Professor Jian Qin states that industrial-scale culture of microalgae for lipid and biomass production remains a challenge.
“However, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) derived from microalgae remain a promising alternative to fossil fuels with limited stocks, considering recent price increases and future demand, as well as minimizing carbon emissions with an efficiency 10 to 50 times higher than terrestrial plants. PUFAs also have health-promoting roles for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications,” he says.
Another research group from the Flinders University Faculty of Science and Engineering published a paper on a new and promising nanototechnological technique for more efficient fuels usage.
“The need for sustainable energy solutions is guiding research toward green fuels,” says Flinders University Associate Professor of Chemistry Melanie MacGregor. “A promising approach involves the electrocatalytic conversion of gases, which requires efficient catalytic surfaces.”
“In this study, we developed and tested a plasma-deposited octadiene (OD) hydrophobic coating to increase the yield of electrocatalytic reactions,” the researchers reveal.
“Our results indicate that these nanofilms, combined with micro-textures, can improve the availability of reactant gases on the catalyst surface while simultaneously limiting access to water,” they add.
“This approach is promising for informing the future development of catalytic materials for the electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen and carbon dioxide into green fuels.”
