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Abstract We present a proof of concept demonstration of solar thermochemical energy storage on a multiple year time scale. The storage is fungible and can take the form of process heat or hydrogen. We designed and fabricated a 4-kW solar rotary drum reactor to carry out the solar-driven charging step of solar thermochemical storage via metal oxide reduction–oxidation cycles. During the summer of 2019, the solar reactor was operated in the Valparaiso University solar furnace to effect the reduction of submillimeter cobalt oxide particles in air at approximately 1000∘C. A particle collection system cooled the reduced particles rapidly enough to maintain conversions of 84–94% for feed rates of 2.9−60.8gmin−1. The solar-to-chemical storage efficiency, defined as the enthalpy of the reduction reaction at 1000∘C divided by the solar energy input, reached 20%. Samples of the reduced cobalt oxide particles were stored in vials in air at room temperature for more than 3 years. The stored solar energy was released by reoxidizing samples in air in a benchtop reactor and by electrochemically reoxidizing samples to produce H2. Measurements of the oxygen uptake by the reduced metal oxide confirm its promise as a medium to store and dispatch solar energy over long durations. Linear sweep voltammetry and bulk electrolysis demonstrate the promise of H2 production at 0.55 V relative to the normal hydrogen electrode, 0.68 V below the 1.23 V potential required for conventional electrolysis. 

A portable toilet manufacturer in northwest Indiana (USA) released polyethylene microplastic (MP) pollution into a protected wetland for at least three years. To assess the loads, movement, and fate of the MPs in the wetland from this point source, water and sediment samples were collected in the fall and spring of 2021–2023. Additional samples, including sediment cores and atmospheric particulates, were collected during the summer of 2023 from select areas of the wetland. The MPs were isolated from the field samples using density separation, filtration, and chemical oxidation. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy analyses identified the MPs as polyethylene, which were quantified visually using a stereomicroscope. The numbers of MPs in 100 mL of the marsh water closest to the source ranged from several hundred to over 400,000, while the open water samples contained few microplastics. Marsh surface sediments were highly contaminated with MPs, up to 18,800 per 30.0 g dry mass (dm), compared to core samples in the lower depths (>15 cm) that contained only smaller MPs (<200 µm), numbering 0–480 per 30.0 g (dm). The wide variations in loads of MP contaminants indicate the influence of numerous factors, such as proximity to the point source pollution, weather conditions, natural matter, and pollution sinks, namely sediment deposition. As proof of concept, we demonstrated a novel remediation method using these real-world samples to effectively agglomerate and remove MPs from contaminated waters.