On 29th September the Science Council held its first ever policy conference entitled The Science Council Climate Conference – The UK Pathway to Net-Zero. The event brought together Science Council members and other organisations from across the science and engineering community to discuss how the UK can meet its targets for reducing emissions and reaching net-zero in the coming years.
The conference drew on the diverse expertise of member organisations, exploring in depth topics such as the challenges and opportunities in the food system, achieving net-zero in the steel industry and the role of hydrogen in balancing future supply and demand.
Speaking at the conference, Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and National Technology Adviser, said: “Every year, we’re losing Arctic Sea ice and CO2 levels have dramatically increased since the industrial revolution. There are clearly unarguable changes that are occurring. Science and technology are undoubtedly central to what we need to do. We need to be focused on technologies that we can already see, technologies that we have already invented, and ask how do we work out which of those we can implement and scale.”
Videos of the livestreamed sessions can be found at:
Plenary Panel 1 – The UK’s Net-Zero Challenge, https://youtu.be/cCLGOmlQS-I
Keynote Address by Sir Patrick Vallance, https://youtu.be/CZx9jnQcmQ8
Plenary Panel 2 – The role of the UK science and engineering community,
and the full conference programme of the conference is available at,
https://sciencecouncil.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Climate-Conference-September-2022.pdf
To find out more about future events held by the Science Council and its professional body Members see their website: https://sciencecouncil.org/category/event/
Corrosion Science and Engineering in Action in Climate Change Technology Carbon capture and storage is a technology that could be crucial in our attempts to slow the effects of climate change. The methodology is relatively simple: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is captured from...
World Environment Day, organised by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), is the biggest worldwide environmental event, having been established by the UN General Assembly in 1973. Every year, millions of individuals from governmental bodies, corporations, civil society organisations, and academic institutions take part in environmental awareness campaigns and action plans with the goal of safeguarding the planet’s future.
The theme for 2024, “Our Land, Our Future. We are #Generation Restoration,” emphasises the importance of restoring land, combating desertification, and enhancing resilience to drought. Due to desertification, up to 40% of the world’s land is currently damaged, affecting about 3.2 billion people worldwide. Furthermore, estimates indicate that drought will affect more than three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050.
Corrosion and CO2 Emissions: Corrosion of metals, particularly steel, leads to significant CO2 emissions due to the need for replacement and maintenance of corroded structures. Maintenance due to corrosion accounts for an estimated 3.2% of global CO2 emissions (C. Hoffmann, 2020).
Synergy Between Land Restoration and Corrosion Technology
Reducing Environmental Footprint: Use of advanced sustainable ecofriendly corrosion protection solutions helps reduce the environmental impact of industrial activities by:
Lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Decreasing the need for raw material extraction and processing.
Reducing toxic waste and contamination from traditional corrosion prevention methods.
Supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): By minimising the environmental impact of industrial maintenance and extending the lifecycle of infrastructure, corrosion technology contributes to:
SDG 9: Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation.
SDG 11: Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and more sustainable.
SDG 12 : Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
SDG 13 : Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Promoting Circular Economy: Utilising recycled materials in production of corrosion protective products (coating/corrosion inhibitors) aligning with circular economy principles, enhancing resource efficiency and reducing waste.
Enhancing Land Restoration Efforts: Reducing industrial emissions and waste, supports broader environmental restoration initiatives by:
Improving soil and water quality.
Mitigating climate change impacts.
Reducing air pollution.
Call to Action
Adoption of Sustainable Technologies: Industries should integrate advanced, sustainable corrosion technologies to reduce their environmental footprint and support global restoration efforts.
Alignment: By aligning the goals of World Environment Day with advancements in corrosion technology, we can make significant strides towards a sustainable and resilient future. This integrated approach not only addresses immediate environmental challenges but also sets a foundation for lasting positive impacts on our planet.
Invest in Research and Development: Continued investment in R&D for innovative corrosion prevention solutions is crucial for achieving long-term environmental and economic benefits.
Promote Awareness and Collaboration: On World Environment Day and beyond, stakeholders should raise awareness about the importance of corrosion technology in environmental sustainability and collaborate to implement best practices.
Sources
https://impact.nace.org/economic-impact.aspx NACE International. (2016, March 1st). Economic Impact.
https://sdgs.un.org.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/metals-and-mining/our-insights/decarbonization-challenge-for-steel C. Hoffmann, M. V. (2020, June 3rd). Decarbonisation challenge for steel. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company.
https://www.nature.com/articles/ . The carbon footprint of steel corrosion.
Sustainability in Action in the Built Environment The landscape for the construction industry is evolving rapidly, and sustainable innovation is now taking centre stage in many discussions. As we face the pressing challenges of climate change and environmental...
Algeria and Germany have recently signed, a joint declaration of intent establishing a bilateral task force on hydrogen recently, with a view to strengthening and supporting investments in all the economic sectors (private and public), concerned by the development of hydrogen in the two countries.
The declaration signed by the two ministries plans to strengthen joint cooperation in the field of feasibility studies, production, processing, employment, transportation, storage and marketing of hydrogen, as well as its derivatives produced from renewable energies, beneficial to both countries, especially since the two parties plan to create an Algerian-German Task Force on hydrogen within the framework of the energy partnership, with a view to contributing to the creation of economic opportunities, while promoting the achievement of the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement (year 2015).
Energy sustainability and climate change are major issues in present era, and hydrogen, a clean and adaptable energy source, has drawn a lot of interest as a potential solution for specific situations, e.g. Transportation. The effectiveness of hydrogen production systems depends critically on materials, which also affect system durability, catalyst performance, and reaction kinetics. It will take sustained progress in materials science and engineering to realise large-scale, sustainable hydrogen production systems.
Hydrogen has potential as a medium for storing energy. The effective and secure storage and release of hydrogen for a range of applications is made possible by advancements in materials for hydrogen storage, such as metal hydrides, chemical hydrides, and porous materials. Ensuring the materials’ long-term stability and endurance under harsh operating conditions is one of the major issues in the field of hydrogen production. High temperatures, corrosive surroundings, and cycling between reducing and oxidising atmospheres are all part of many hydrogen production processes, which over time can deteriorate materials. Investigating novel materials and coatings with enhanced mechanical strength, thermal stability, and corrosion resistance have been the main focus of research to date. Furthermore, enhanced characterization approaches and expedited testing protocols have been utilised to assess and forecast material deterioration mechanisms, permitting the development of stronger materials for hydrogen generation.
Source: https://embmoscow.mfa.gov.dz/
Hydrogen Renewable Energy Production – Hydrogen Gas for Clean Electricity Solar and Wind Turbine Facility.
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