“The carbon–fluorine (C–F) bond is one of the strongest in organic chemistry, requiring huge amounts of energy to break down, at huge expense. But now two papers in Nature describe two low-energy ways to overcome the C–F bond.

Both methods combine a catalyst with some relatively simple chemistry driven by the energy of visible light. In each case, the catalyst absorbs light that then triggers a reaction.

Chemist Garret Miyake at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and his colleagues use this absorbed energy to reduce the C–F bond to carbon–hydrogen — albeit not in Teflon. Yan-Biao Kang, a chemist at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, and his colleagues uses this energy to break the bond and the overall molecule down to smaller constituent parts, in temperatures as low as 40 °C. Both papers, without doubt, mark a major step forward.

Important next steps include using these ideas in real-world settings, for example to develop catalysts that work in waste water or that can be used to clean up PFAS in contaminated soils. If a method can be adapted so that it is powered by sunlight, that would be of huge benefit.”

From Nature.

“Tucked away in the most extreme nooks and crannies of the Earth are biodiverse galaxies of microorganisms — some that might help scour the atmosphere of the carbon dioxide mankind has pumped into it.

One microorganism in particular has captured scientists’ attention. UTEX 3222, nicknamed ‘Chonkus’ for the way it guzzles carbon dioxide, is a previously unknown cyanobacterium found in volcanic ocean vents. A recent paper in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology found it boasts exceptional atmosphere-cleaning potential — even among its well-studied peers. If scientists can figure out how to genetically engineer it, this single-celled organism’s natural quirks could become supercharged into a low-waste carbon capture system.”

From Grist.

“Tucked beside a northern Virginia suburb, an experiment is underway to see if one of the oldest building materials on the planet can help Microsoft meet its ambitious climate goals.

Microsoft is building its first datacenters made with superstrong ultra-lightweight wood in a bid to slash the use of steel and concrete, which are among the most significant sources of carbon emissions.

A wood datacenter may sound strangely old-fashioned, if not improbable. But Microsoft engineers have developed a hybrid approach using cross-laminated timber, or CLT, a fire-resistant prefabricated wood material that will enable the company to reduce the use of steel and concrete. The hybrid mass timber, steel and concrete construction model is estimated to significantly reduce the embodied carbon footprint of two new datacenters by 35 percent compared to conventional steel construction, and 65 percent compared to typical precast concrete.”

From Microsoft.

“India’s capital territory of Delhi is keen to use artificial rain to fight air pollution this year, its Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday, as deteriorating air quality in the region led to an increase in respiratory illnesses.

Large swathes of north India battle pollution each winter as cold air traps dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from farm fires in the breadbasket states of Punjab and Haryana, shrouding the national capital and its suburbs in a toxic haze.

Cloud-seeding — the method of triggering rain by seeding clouds with salts — was considered to curb pollution in 2023 too but the plan did not materialise due to unfavourable weather conditions.”

From Dawn.