AIMday Climate and Environment

Researchers have developed a novel desalination method for water purification, offering increased production efficiency and only needing low-grade heat as a power source. This can be readily achievable from renewable sources, or notably by harnessing the waste heat from other localised industrial processes. The approach is ideal for off-grid deployment where solar energy or industrial waste heat is available. Implementing this technology enables accelerated and economic production of clean water where it is most needed.

Scientists have developed an innovative process for the highly selective precipitation of gold and other metals in electronic waste and traditional mining ores using recyclable amide compounds. The method is simple and with a lower environmental impact, offering an alternative to the use of cyanide-based processes and energy-intensive smelters for the recovery of precious metals from e-waste, and their extraction from conventional ores and concentrates in the mining sector.

Professor Louise Horsfall's research focuses on engineering microbes to extract and recycle key metals, which are often in limited supply or raise geopolitical issues, from old batteries, industrial catalysts and electronic wastes. Forging a more environmentally friendly future for metal production would benefit areas such as the sustainable energy sector, which relies on rare metals for technologies including electric vehicle batteries and magnets in wind turbine generators. Professor Horsfall was among a select group of UK researchers involved in producing a recent Government engineering biology report that showcased Edinburgh expertise.

University of Edinburgh researchers have developed DAINTech, an innovative gel-phase formulation chassis technology. DAINTech offers long-term stability, unique and beneficial flow characteristics, and is ecologically responsible due to the absence of synthetic polymers. The technology provides a route to stable formulations with appealing sensory aspects using established and cost-effective industrial materials, and without the use of polymer or microplastic elements. It also offers an alternative potential solution to formulate otherwise challenging ingredients.

PSA-SPUR increases the recovery of CO₂ at exceptionally high purity and recovery rates while maintaining low energy consumption. It is a prime solution for capturing CO₂ from diverse gas streams to reduce industrial processes' overall carbon footprint significantly. The technology extends beyond carbon dioxide capture, as it excels in selectively recovering heavy gas components within gas mixtures, showcasing its versatility for a range of applications in gas separation.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have devised a novel way of tackling the mounting issue of plastic pollution… by using bacteria to transform plastic waste into vanilla flavouring.