How scientists accidentally turned trash into valuable graphene
[MUSIC]
We waste a lot of food.
You've probably heard the numbers.
According to the United Nations, about a third of all food worldwide goes to waste.
But what if you could turn something like this, into something like this?
This idea kinda reminds you of Mr. Fusion from Back to the Future.
But scientists at Rice University have developed the method for turning virtually any material Into valuable graphene, now, if you're not familiar with graphene, it's been dubbed a kind of wonder material.
It's essentially a thin layer of graphite, but it's one of the strongest materials in the universe.
In fact, it's 200 times stronger than steel.
Alright, so how do you make this wonder material from trash?
Professor James Turan his team start by placing the source material, which is really anything carbon based between two electrodes.
Then they hit it with a short electrical pulse that instantaneously heats the material to about 3000 degrees centigrade all the non carbon elements.
Come distilling or subliming out and the only thing that remains is carbon and then as it cools it reconstructs so that it forms the most thermodynamically stable form of carbon which is graphene sheets of graphene,
The whole process takes just about 10 milliseconds.
That's why tour calls it flash graphene.
Now this is one of those discovered by accident moments in science.
One of Tour's grad students Dewey Long stumbled on the technique while he was experimenting with carbon, and so the impacts here seem pretty massive.
So what was your reaction the first time that you saw tangible results?
When he brought it to me I knew immediately how big this was going to be.
It was one of those exciting moments you get.
You get a few of those in a career when you look at something and you go, wow, this can really influence humanity for the good.
The upside here is pretty staggering.
Right now graphene can cost up to $200,000 per ton, but the flash graphene process is cheap and simple.
It can be done with just about any source material, not just food waste.
And the great thing environmentally about this is most of the trash that we generate as humans is made out of carbon, so we eat Carbon and all our plastic bottles, and plastic is made out of carbon and we can take that plastic waste and turn it into graphene, very inexpensively for about $100 in electricity per tonne.>> Now back to that cinder block, the team says by adding less than 1% of flash graphene to concrete.
Could strengthen the concrete by 35%.
That means less concrete is needed during construction, cutting the carbon footprint.
According to rice cement production is to blame for as much as 8% of human made carbon dioxide and the environmental benefits don't stop there.
Flash graphene creates a cleaner use for coal rather than burning it.
And it creates a use for stuff that would otherwise just go sit in a landfill.
And you might be wondering about that excess gas that's leftover.
Well [UNKNOWN] even says that valuable elements like oxygen and nitrogen could be collected and used for other things.
And because the process is so quick It doesn't produce a ton of heat.
In fact you can touch that container with your finger just a few seconds after the flash.
And Tora isn't the only one to see the massive potential here.
He's got a grant from the Department of Energy to scale up the process along with a start up called Universal Matter.
Our hope is that we can build lots of systems and put them all around the world and deal with waste, human waste Food waste.
That's it for this week.
I'm Andy [UNKNOWN].
I'll see you in the future.
Up Next
Las Vegas Sphere: Everything You Need to Know
Up Next
Las Vegas Sphere: Everything You Need to Know
Future-Tech Trends to Watch in 2024
Future-Tech Trends to Watch in 2024
Creating the World's Most Efficient Solar Electric Car
Creating the World's Most Efficient Solar Electric Car
40 Miles an Hour in an Electric Speedboat: Test-Driving the Arc One
40 Miles an Hour in an Electric Speedboat: Test-Driving the Arc One
How Mark Rober's Rivalry with Mr. Beast Led to a Nerf Gun Made of DNA
How Mark Rober's Rivalry with Mr. Beast Led to a Nerf Gun Made of DNA
Brain-Computer Interface: No Open Brain Surgery Required
Brain-Computer Interface: No Open Brain Surgery Required
Electronic Nose 'Smells' Wildfires for Ultra-Early Detection
Electronic Nose 'Smells' Wildfires for Ultra-Early Detection
First Look at the Tech Inside the $2.3B MSG Sphere
First Look at the Tech Inside the $2.3B MSG Sphere
Turning Wave Power Into Electricity, Hydrogen Fuel and Fresh Water
Turning Wave Power Into Electricity, Hydrogen Fuel and Fresh Water
Ample's Next-Generation EV Battery-Swapping Station
Ample's Next-Generation EV Battery-Swapping Station
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
Latest How To All how to videos
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro