Sariel007

Sariel007 OP t1_j2wtcf3 wrote

Reply to The promise of batteries that come from trees by Sariel007

>As demand for electric vehicles soars, scientists are searching for materials to make sustainable batteries. Lignin, the stuff that makes trees woody, is shaping up to be a strong contender.

>"Lignin is the glue in the trees that kind of glues the cellulose fibres together and also makes the trees very stiff," explains Lauri Lehtonen, head of Stora Enso's lignin-based battery solution, Lignode.

>Lignin, a polymer, contains carbon. And carbon makes a great material for a vital component in batteries called the anode. The lithium ion battery in your phone almost certainly has a graphite anode – graphite is a form of carbon with a layered structure.

>Stora Enso's engineers decided that they could extract lignin from the waste pulp already being produced at some of their facilities and process that lignin to make a carbon material for battery anodes. The firm is partnering with Swedish company Northvolt and plans to manufacture batteries as early as 2025.

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Sariel007 OP t1_j2ibden wrote

Reply to Water pipe robots could stop billions of litres leaking by Sariel007

Around three billion litres of water are lost through leaks across hundreds of thousands of miles of water pipe in England and Wales daily, says water industry economic regulator Ofwat.

Engineers have now developed miniature robots to patrol the pipe network, check for faults and prevent leaks.

They say maintaining the network will be "impossible" without robotics.

Water industry body Water UK told BBC News that companies were already "investing billions" in leakage.

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Sariel007 OP t1_j13rhu0 wrote

Reply to A supercomputer is predicting brain bleeds in intensive care patients before they happen by Sariel007

>Researchers hope a "world first" algorithm that predicts serious brain bleeds before they happen could save lives across Australia.

>Royal Perth Hospital head of data science, Shiv Meka, said more than 40,000 hours of patient data had been collected from 200 patients from Royal Perth Hospital, Alfred Hospital, and Royal Melbourne Hospital to develop the algorithm.

>After working on 20 different data models, Mr Meka and his team created one that could predict if a brain bleed was imminent — giving medical staff up to 20 minutes before the bleed to intervene.

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