Breaking the stable carbon-fluorine bonds within per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is one of the most significant challenges in mitigating persistent PFAS pollution. The Hydrothermal Alkaline Technology (HALT), invented at the Colorado School of Mines and commercially licensed by Aquagga, Inc., can defluorinate PFAS using a precise combination of high temperature, pressure and alkalinity. MORE

Most existing carbon-dioxide removal (CDR) approaches have focused on air, but the volumetric concentration of dissolved inorganic CO2 in surface water is much higher (150X) than its concentration in the atmosphere. Removing CO2 from water could prove to be a more effective approach, because of the ocean-atmosphere equilibrium — decarbonized water can pull CO2 from the atmosphere. Among those pursuing the approach is CarbonBlue, which has installed the world’s first pilot plant for removing carbon dioxide from water at a desalination facility. MORE

Extremely high-salinity water streams present difficulties for many types of processing equipment, such as membranes and filters, and most commercial treatment methods involve thermal evaporators or crystallization, which are energy-intensive and require special anti-corrosion materials. A new membrane-less, non-evaporative process called Temperature Swing Solvent Extraction (TSSE) enables the extraction of freshwater from hypersaline brine without the production of any harmful byproducts. MORE

The Netherlands-based startup company Ore Energy recently announced that it has successfully connected its flagship iron-air battery system to the electric grid in the city of Delft, the Netherlands. It is the first iron-air battery system to be grid-connected and fully operational anywhere in the world, the company says. The system charges by using electricity to convert iron oxides (such as rust) back into metallic iron. During discharge, the metallic iron reacts with oxygen from the air to form iron oxides again, releasing electrical energy in the process. MORE

Pyrolysis has received much attention as a technology capable of breaking down waste plastics in recycling processes, but existing pyrolysis approaches often give rise to products with broad molar mass distributions and poor yields. Catalysts can improve yield and selectivity, but they are expensive and have limited lifetimes. Researchers at Yale University have developed a method that could improve both of those parameters. The team developed a highly selective, energy-efficient and catalyst-free pyrolysis method that can convert plastic into valuable chemicals. MORE

Two recent developments at Queens Carbon Inc., a spinoff company from Rutgers University, illustrate the potential for reducing the high carbon-dioxide emissions that result from cement and concrete production. Both are results of the company’s Q-System technology platform. The first product from the Q-System is a zero-CO2 engineered supplementary cementitious material (SCM) that the company calls Q-SCM. SCMs are finely ground solids added to concrete to enhance its properties and reduce the amount of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) needed as a concrete binder. MORE

A first-of-its-kind energy-recovery system harnesses the energy of water flow and pressure in pipelines to produce renewable energy. The patented HydroXS unit, developed by InPipe Energy, Inc. in collaboration with Grundfos Corp. is a modular micro-hydroelectric power system designed for installation in municipal and industrial water pipelines with diameters ranging from 4 to 110 in. MORE