Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Highlights from this month’s edition of the On Our Planet newsletter: 🐌 Forecasting climate’s impact on a debilitating disease ☀️ Using AI to link heat waves to global warming 🔋 A new method for extracting lithium …and more Read and subscribe: https://bit.ly/OOPAug24 📸: Aly Singleton, Getty Images

How much has global warming influenced extreme weather events like the historic 2023 heat wave in Texas? With machine learning, researchers at Stanford and Colorado State University are studying the answer: https://lnkd.in/gRt4z--v Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

In an era of extreme weather, expanding cooperation between electricity providers could cut the risk of power outages by as much as 40%. Researchers from Stanford's Climate and Energy Policy Program modeled how the western grid operates under widespread stress conditions like the 2022 California heatwave that saw record-breaking energy demand. Their simulations demonstrated that expanding the area of cooperation could reduce the risk of power outages, reduce the amount of unserved energy – when electricity demand exceeds supply – by more than half, and increase reliability. “Extreme weather events disregard state and electric utilities’ boundaries," says study co-author Mareldi Ahumada-Paras, "and so will the solution needed to mitigate the impact.” Read more ➡ https://lnkd.in/gxFJ4s3Z Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Stanford Energy

New technology extracts lithium from brines inexpensively and sustainably Stanford University researchers have invented  new method for extracting lithium from salty water. This new way is a more efficient, cheaper, and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional lithium production. It also may help solve lithium supply chain issues. Global demand for lithium has surged in recent years, driven by the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The dominant source of lithium extraction today evaporates the brines in huge ponds under the sun for a year or more, leaving behind a lithium-rich solution. (see image) Then the heavy use of potentially toxic chemicals finishes the job. The new study reports on the results of a new method using an approach known as “redox-couple electrodialysis” or RCE along with cost estimates. “The benefits to efficiency and cost innate to our approach make it a promising alternative to current extraction techniques and a potential game changer for the lithium supply chain,” said Yi Cui, the study’s senior author and a professor of materials science and engineering. The researchers estimated the cost of their new approach to be around $3,500 to $4,400 per ton of high purity lithium hydroxide, which can be converted to battery-grade lithium inexpensively. Current lithium extraction from brine costs of about $9,100 per ton. The current market price for battery-grade lithium carbonate is almost $15,000 per ton, but a shortage in late 2022 drove the volatile lithium market price to $80,000. News article here: https://lnkd.in/gkvAtxeW Study here: https://lnkd.in/gatHFz9E

A committee tasked with reviewing the activities of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s industrial affiliates programs has released its report. Industrial affiliates programs provide a mechanism through which groups of faculty and students can interact with groups of member companies and their representatives. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gKxA8v_D

With industrial processes in the U.S. responsible for nearly a third of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions, decarbonizing this sector is crucial for addressing climate change. Researchers at Stanford Engineering have developed a new thermochemical reactor capable of generating the immense heat required for industrial processes using electricity instead of fossil fuels. “We have an electrified and scalable reactor infrastructure for thermochemical processes that features ideal heating and heat-transfer properties,” says Jonathan Fan. “Essentially, we’re pushing reactor performance to its physical limits, and we’re using green electricity to power it.”

Current and former members of Sr. Fellow Rodolfo Dirzo's lab gathered at #ESA2024 last week to share new knowledge with their fellow #ecologists. Dirzo's scientific plenary explored how throughout his career, the wondrous nature of our earth and the mentors and mentees he has met have created a synergy of hope for him in the #Anthropocene. "I have been transformed from a sapling - just interested in admiring and enjoying the forest - to a steward of the beauty of our natural ecosystems," said Dirzo, "thanks to the fact that I am both driven by the wondrous beauty of nature and fueled by the bonhomie of my networks." Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Ecological Society of America

The Sustainability Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability has named new targets for its efforts to rapidly translate Stanford research into applied policy and technology solutions. “We look forward to working with creative and committed teams from across the university to accelerate innovative solutions and have impact at scale,” said Accelerator executive director Charlotte Pera. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gm8zcCBv

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability has selected eight Solution Areas to focus its research efforts over the next decade. With topics such as climate, water, energy, and cities, this new research plan amplifies the school’s ability to translate Stanford research into large-scale solutions and inform key decision makers in policy and business.

Schistosomiasis, a debilitating parasitic disease, could become more difficult to predict as environmental changes like deforestation and changing rainfall patterns shift the locations where the parasite can thrive. Now, researchers from Brazil and Stanford have developed models helping to proactively forecast these impacts. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gJpAkfK3 📸:  Andrew Chamberlin, De Leo Lab