Climate change is real, and this is our chance to make a change. People all over the world have come up with new and improved ways that will help make a difference to this global phenomena. Here are some incredible technological innovations that can pave the road to sustainability.
1) PLANTALAMPARAS
The plantalamparas are lamps that run on the power produced by plants. This innovation is being used in the tiny village of Nuevo Saposoa, Peru. This device was inspired by Peru’s need to reach electricity to all of its rural communities like Nuevo Saposoa. The lamp uses batteries that are powered by plant wastes in the soil that are captured as electrons. This is done during photosynthesis and can power LED bulbs for about two hours.
2) A NANOSHEET FOR BIG SPILLS
Researchers from universities like the Deakin University in Australia, Drexel University in Philadelphia and Missouri University have collaborated to develop a sheet that is capable of absorbing large oil spills. The sheet is filled with tiny pores that can be filled up by oil and other organic material. It can expand to the size of about five tennis courts.
3) ENERGY PROBE
In 2015, a 15-year-old, Hannah Herbst from Florida created an energy probe that uses a 3D Printed propeller. The propeller can tap the unused energy produced by waves and ocean currents that works with a pulley system. This innovation can help a lot of countries get a means to have a stable source of power.
4) ECO BRICKS
Bricks are construction materials that are used everywhere. The production of these bricks, however, requires a lot of energy and results in pollution. The production of bricks in India alone mount up to 200 billion bricks per year. The students of MIT have developed an alternative kind of brick that they call the Eco BLAC Brick. It is a much more sustainable option because it uses boiler ash and low energy alkali activation, which much better for the environment.
5) PLASTIC RECYCLING
Yes, people have been using this method for years, and it is still the best way to promote sustainable development in a country. Plastic recycling is compelling not because newer technology failed to take its place, but because plastic is still generated in about 260 million tons per year. They get produced so quickly, but it is tough to eliminate. Pyrolysis is a new process that can help with plastic recycling. Only 16 percent of the plastic that is generated is recycled. This process, however, can convert plastic into liquid feedstock, which is as profitable as it is sustainable.