BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a breakthrough for sustainable energy, MIT engineers developed a way to produce hydrogen fuel from ordinary elements such as aluminum from old soda cans, saltwater, and coffee grounds. This novel technology could transform sustainable energy production by providing a quick and environmentally benign way to manufacture hydrogen—a fuel that powers motors and fuel cells without producing carbon. The science behind the innovation The MIT research team discovered that pure aluminum undergoes a chemical reaction that spontaneously releases hydrogen gas when mixed with seawater. Hydrogen, with its clean-burning features, can be employed in a variety of energy applications, reducing dependency on fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. However, this reaction is generally slow. In a recent study published in Cell Reports Physical Science, the team revealed that adding caffeine, a common stimulant present in coffee grounds, can greatly expedite this process. By pretreating aluminum with a rare-metal alloy and exposing it to saltwater, the team was able to create a process that produces hydrogen gas considerably faster when caffeine is added. Key findings and how they did it The study discovered that prepared aluminum pellets emit hydrogen gas when immersed in filtered seawater. The pretreatment process involves the use of a rare-metal alloy to clean the aluminum and make it extremely reactive with seawater. The salt ions in seawater then recover the alloy, allowing it to be reused in a sustainable cycle. “Seawater is an ionic solution that is very cheap and available,” said lead author Aly Kombargi, a PhD student in MIT’s Mechanical Engineering department. “I literally went to Revere Beach with a friend and we grabbed our bottles and filled them. After filtering out algae and sand, we added aluminum, and it worked with the same consistent results.” The researchers observed that, while aluminum produces hydrogen when reacting with salt water, the process is slow. On a whim, they added coffee grounds to the mixture and discovered a substantial boost in reaction speed. Further studies indicated that imidazole, an active component in caffeine, speeds up the activity. “We had everything we wanted: recovering the gallium indium, plus the fast and efficient reaction,” Kombargi said. Applications and future progress MIT engineers are now working on a tiny reactor for use on marine vessels or undersea vehicles. This reactor would have aluminum pellets, a small amount of gallium-indium alloy, and caffeine. By funneling in seawater, the reactor may manufacture hydrogen on demand to power an onboard engine or generate energy. “This is very interesting for maritime applications like boats or underwater vehicles because you wouldn’t have to carry around seawater—it’s readily available,” Kombargi noted. “We also don’t have to carry a tank of hydrogen. Instead, we would transport aluminum as the ‘fuel,’ and just add water to produce the hydrogen that we need.” The study’s co-authors include Enoch Ellis, an undergraduate in chemical engineering; Peter Godart, PhD, who developed a company that recycles aluminum as a source of hydrogen fuel; and Douglas Hart, an MIT mechanical engineering professor. Their coordinated efforts aim to manufacture hydrogen fuel in an efficient and sustainable manner. Dealing with difficulties One major problem in using hydrogen as a fuel is the risk of transporting the gas, which is very combustible. Hart’s team tackled this problem by focusing on aluminum, a stable and abundant material that combines with water to make hydrogen. However, when exposed to air, aluminum forms an oxide layer, which prevents further reactions. The scientists overcome this by pretreating the aluminum with a gallium-indium alloy, which removes the oxide layer and allows for continuous hydrogen production. They discovered that the alloy could be recovered and reused, making the method both cost-effective and sustainable. The team’s early trials employed fresh water, which is scarce in maritime regions. Switching to seawater necessitated handling the extra ions, which slowed the reaction. The breakthrough occurred with the inclusion of coffee grounds, notably the imidazole in caffeine, which maintained the rapid reaction rate. Scaling up The MIT team’s next steps include testing the hydrogen reactor in marine and undersea conditions. They estimate that a reactor containing around 40 pounds of aluminum pellets might power a small underwater glider for about 30 days by continuously producing hydrogen from the surrounding saltwater. “We’re showing a new way to produce hydrogen fuel, without carrying hydrogen but carrying aluminum as the ‘fuel,'” Kombargi wrote. The team is also looking into applications for trucks, trains, and potentially airplanes. Future developments may involve absorbing water from ambient humidity to generate hydrogen, increasing the system’s usefulness. This pioneering technology not only provides a long-term solution for hydrogen production, but it also paves the path for novel clean energy applications. Engineers at MIT are helping to create a more environmentally friendly future by utilizing common materials and natural processes. Source study: Cell Reports Physical Science—Enhanced recovery of activation metals for accelerated hydrogen generation from aluminum and seawater  The post MIT engineers convert soda cans and seawater into zero-emission fuel first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

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On Monday’s Good Morning America, ABC co-host George Stephanopoulos hosted Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for a puffball-filled interview about her new book The Art of Power: My Story as Americas First Woman Speaker of the House. Speaking from one liberal to another, Stephanopoulos described the title as “striking” and agreed with Pelosi as she continuously praised Biden. Stephanopoulos began by describing the title of her book as “striking” and asked how power is an art. Pelosi responded with a diversion by praising President Biden and bragging on the Olympic athletes:     Well, first let me just say it's wonderful to be with you on this morning where we celebrate and congratulate the President for the great return of the prisoners. It was a virtuoso, diplomatic performance that once again on his part, following up on his success with NATO and — and the rest. So I'm very happy. And congratulations to our American athletes at the Olympics. In regards to Stephanopoulos’s question, she finally responded “Yeah The Art of Power, you know, it is -- I could have made The Science of Power but it really is more of an art in my view and it is about the ephemeral the -- what people are thinking, respect for them.” Pelosi continued that her book is about “acknowledging consensus building.” She stated that it was not about “power coming down” but rather about power “bubbling up.” In the most laughable moment, Stephanopoulos described her book as a “plea for political civility and decency.” On a more serious note, He went on to recall “the attack” on Pelosi’s’ husband and the “harrowing events of January 6th.” Pelosi added that “politics is a place where you have nonviolent differences of opinion and this has gotten to a place that we have to back off of.” Pelosi then tried to seem patriotic: “We have to make a decision to be the country that we are. Honoring the vision of our founders for this great country. The sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, who protect our freedom -- our freedom and again the aspirations of our children to be safe.” In regards to her “husband’s situation” Pelosi noted it was “sad” because “he’s not very political” (except for the stock trading). She went on to say “They were after me and I feel guilty about his paying the price but in addition to that, we don't want families to feel at risk because someone in their family is engaged in public service.” Stephanopoulos then asked Pelosi gently about what role she had in Biden dropping out of the presidential race. Unsurprisingly, she professed that she has “the greatest respect for the president” and views him as “one of the most consequential presidents in our country.” Pelosi added that they “work[ed] together for a great legacy for our country.” Stephanopoulos asked her how that conversation with Biden went since she stepped down as democratic leader of the house a few years ago and called for a “new generation” to step in. Pelosi responded: I wasn’t asking him to step down. I was asking for a campaign that would win. And I wasn't seeing that on the horizon and that's really more my -- if we're going to win, winning an election is a decision. You make a decision to win and make every decision in favor of winning, in terms of how you mobilize at the grass roots level and own the ground to get out the vote. How you have a message that is bold and progressive, but not menacing to the public. Stephanopoulos concluded by joking “You just gave us another lesson in The Art of Power in the way you answered that question. Thank you for coming in.” Click "Expand" to view the transcript: ABC’s Good Morning America 8/5/2024 7:40:28 AM 6 minutes 5 seconds GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Back now with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker emerita who is out with a new book The Art of Power: My Story as Americas First Woman Speaker of the House. Thank you for coming in today. NANCY PELOSI: My pleasure. STEPHANOPOULOS: Striking — PELOSI: Good morning. STEPHANOPOULOS: — striking title The Art of Power. PELOSI: Yeah. STEPHANOPOULOS: How is power an art? PELOSI: Well, first let me just say it's wonderful to be with you on this morning where we celebrate and congratulate the President for the great return of the prisoners. It was a virtuoso, diplomatic performance that once again on his part, following up on his success with NATO and — and the rest. So I'm very happy. And congratulations to our American athletes at the Olympics. Aren’t they — don’t they make us so proud and happy? STEPHANOPOULOS: They’re doing great. PELOSI: Yeah. The Art of Power, you know, it is — I could have made The Science of Power, but it really is more of an art, in my view, and it is about the ephemeral the — what people are thinking, respect for them. It's about — it's about, again, acknowledging consensus building and the rest of that. It's not about power coming down. It's about bubbling up. STEPHANOPOULOS: Your — your book is also in many ways a plea for political civility and decency. You open, of course, with the attack on your husband from a couple of years ago, the harrowing events of January 6th. It does seem like we've gone off the rails in many ways. PELOSI: Well, it has no place in our society. I mean, we are a democracy. We have differences of opinion and politics is — is a place where you have nonviolent differences of opinion and this has gotten to a place that we have to back off of. And it is, I think what the public would want, as — as Kamala has said, “we're better than this. We deserve better than this.” And we just have to make a decision — we have to make a decision to be the country that we are, honoring the vision of our founders for this great country, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, to protect our freedom, our freedom and again the aspirations of our children to be safe. And — and we have all of that — and I believe in the goodness of the American people. I believe that's what they do want, so we just have to back off what is out there and what was sad about my husband's situation is he's not very political. They were after me. And I feel guilty about his paying the price but in addition to that — in addition to that, all families, we don't want families to feel at risk because their — someone in their family is engaged in public service. STEPHANOPOULOS: It has been a dizzying summer in — in politics. PELOSI: Yeah. STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, we saw the withdrawal of President Biden, historic decision by him. A lot has been written, said about your role in all of this. PELOSI: Yeah. STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you've denied making any phone calls about this, but how would you describe your role in that whole episode? PELOSI: Well I have the greatest respect for the president. I think he will be one of the most consequential — Joe Biden will be viewed as one the most consequential presidents in our country. I want him, his legacy, to be recognized, preserved. It's our legacy, too, in the Congress. We work together for a great legacy for our country — for a great agenda for working families, for kitchen table issues for America's working families. So, I wanted that to be recognized and he was the one who could recognize it the most. So, we just wanted him to make the decision on how we best preserve that legacy and also win. STEPHANOPOULOS: And the only way to do that was for him to step down? PELOSI: But that would be up to him to decide. It was always about him. Why I said I'd make calls because people said I was burning up the airwaves. No I wasn't. The only person that I spoke to about this was the President. Other people called me about what their views were about it, and — but I rarely even returned a call, much less initiated one. STEPHANOPOULOS: Was it easier or harder for you to talk to him about that given your own decision a couple of years ago to step down as Democratic leader of the House? Saying it's time for a new generation. PELOSI: Well it was easier because — it was easier, but I wasn’t asking him to step down. I was asking for a campaign that would win and — and I wasn't seeing that on the horizon and that's really more my — if we're going to win, winning an election is a decision. You make a decision to win and make every decision in favor of winning, in terms of how you mobilize at the grass roots level and own the ground to get out the vote, how you have a message that is bold and progressive, but not menacing to the public, and how you have the money to do that, to attract that largely from small donors, and then, the most important decision is the candidate — STEPHANOPOULOS: If it's all about winning — PELOSI: — is the candidate. STEPHANOPOULOS: What is the most important — what's the best decision for Kamala Harris to make right now for her running mate? PELOSI: Well I'm excited about her candidacy and I think that all of the candidates for vice president are excellent and any one of them would be great. It's a difficult decision because they’re all so great. It is the most important decision for her to make. Not just about who can help win, but who can help serve and lead and whose confidence she trusts — she has confidence in and trusts and so, we're all eager to hear who that may be. But it is, again, necessary for us to have again the candidates, the message, the enthusiasm, own the ground to get out that vote to win the election. STEPHANOPOULOS: You just gave us another lesson in The Art of Power in the way you answered that question. Thank you for coming in. PELOSI: Nice to be with you. STEPHANOPOULOS: The Art of Power is available tomorrow. Robin? ROBIN ROBERTS: Well said. Thank you both so much.