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J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 9 www.resourceworld.com 67 to 3,000 hours. It's got very few moving parts and it doesn't consume fossil fuel." In a statement, Ganzarski said, "With magniX's new propulsion systems, coupled with emerging battery capabilities, we see tremendous potential for electric aviation to transform this heavily-trafficked 'mid - dle mile' range." He said his company's partnership with Harbour Air "will set the standard for the future of commercial avia- tion operators." Direct air capture removes atmospheric carbon dioxide BHP [BHP-ASX, LSE], headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, the world's larg- est mining company has announced a $6 million equity investment in Carbon Engineering (CE), a Canadian start-up, which is developing a direct air capture (DAC) technology. DAC technology cap - tures CO 2 from atmospheric air, and provides it in a purified form for use or storage. Carbon Engineering's DAC tech- nology does this in a closed loop where the only major inputs are water and energy, and the output is a stream of pure, com- pressed CO 2 . This captured, compressed CO 2 then offers a range of opportunities to create products and environmental ben- efits, including clean-burning liquid fuel production. The investment will see BHP obtain a share of the company. BHP's Vice President, Sustainability and Climate Change, Fiona Wild said: "As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in late 2018, if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change, technologies that capture and remove CO 2 will be required. DAC offers flexibility and potential and could play a vital role in reducing future global emis- sions. We hope that this investment can accelerate the development and adoption of this technology." Dr. Wild said the investment in CE com- plements BHP's efforts to accelerate carbon capture development, use and storage (CCUS) at point sources of CO 2 emissions, such as in steel making and power genera- tion. "We have achieved progress in CCUS through partnerships, including with the International CCS Knowledge Centre in Canada and with Peking University. We also support REDD+, the UN program for reducing atmospheric emissions from deforestation and forest degradation." "Government support for technologies that capture carbon has been important. However, mobilizing private capital and supporting market mechanisms to finance technologies that address global emissions will be critical if we are to build a net-zero emissions economy. This investment is a good example of the role that the private sector," she said. Thermal fluid stores solar energy Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden have demonstrated efficient solar energy storage in a chemical liquid. As reported on the university web site, the stored energy can be transported and then released as heat whenever needed. Many consider the sun the energy source of the future. However, one challenge is that with solar energy it is difficult to deliver the energy on demand. "A solar thermal fuel is like a recharge - able battery, but instead of electricity, you put sunlight in and get heat out, triggered on demand," Jeffrey Grossman, an engi- neer who works with these materials at MIT explained to NBC News. The fluid is actually a molecule in liquid form that sci- entists have been working on improving for over a year. This molecule is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, and when hit by sunlight, it does something unusual: the bonds between its atoms are rearranged and it turns into an energized new version, called an isomer. Energy from the sun is captured between the isomer's strong chemical bonds, and it stays there even when the molecule cools down to room tempera - ture. At nighttime, or during winter, or other times that require energy, the fluid is drawn through a catalyst that returns the molecule to its original form, releasing energy in the form of heat. "The energy in this isomer can be stored for up to 18 years," said nanomaterials scientist, Kasper Moth-Poulsen from Chalmers University. "And when we come to extract the energy and use it, we get a warmth increase that is greater than we dared hope for." The renewable, emissions-free energy device comprises a concave reflector with a pipe in the centre which tracks the sun like a satellite dish. The system works in a circular manner. Pumping through transparent tubes, the fluid is heated up by the sunlight, turning the molecule nor - bornadiene into its heat-trapping isomer, quadricyclane. The fluid is then stored at room temperature with minimal energy loss. When the energy is needed, the fluid is filtered through a special catalyst that converts the molecules back to their original form, warming the liquid by 63 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). The hope is that this warmth can be used for domestic heating systems, powering a building's water heater, dishwasher, clothes dryer and much more, before head - ing back to the roof once again. The researchers have put the fluid through this cycle more than 125 times, picking up heat and dropping it off without significant damage to the mol- ecule. "We have made many crucial advances recently, and today we have an emissions-free energy system which works all year around," says Kasper Moth-Poulsen, who is a professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. With the right manipulation, the researchers think they can get even more heat out of this system, at least 110 degrees Celsius (230 degrees Fahrenheit) more. If all goes as planned, Moth-Poulsen thinks the technology could be available for com - mercial use within 10 years. The research is funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. n