As Zero waste is becoming a more prevalent discussion and more companies are focusing on sustainability, there is more and more technology in development. The news coverage of the current climate crisis is also waking a lot more people up to the urgency of solutions. It is wonderful to see more people interested in learning about these innovations. The technology in this domain is leading to a huge shift in consumer thinking and expectations.

Here are 5 technologies that are making amazing strides towards a greener planet in 2021.

Bricks made of plastic waste

Nairobi-based construction company Gjenge Makers founded in 2018 is making incredible strides with sustainable building materials. They have created a product that is almost five times as strong as concrete that is instead made up of plastic waste.

Founder and materials engineer Nzambi Matee has a factory located in Nairobi that manufactures 1,500 bricks a day. They are created from a mixture of different plastic waste materials. She set the factory up after losing patience waiting for the government to find solutions for plastic pollution. She uses low density pluethylene or LDPE for the bricks which is dense yet flexible.

The business is able to get the waste from packaging factories for free, as well as paid plastic from recyclers. The factory is making fantastic use of existing materials and offsetting the cost of recycling for other businesses.

Thin-Film Solar Cells

Thin-film is approximately 350 times thinner than mono or polycrystalline solar panels. They are also more flexible, lightweight, and less expensive than other types making them perfect for smaller scale use on a variety of surfaces.

The material is created by several layers of light-absorbing material. They don't have to be as thick because they absorb energy from the sun very efficiently. They can be created from three different types of semiconductors, amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium deselenide (CIGS). While it is wonderful that there is diversity in the materials that can be used there is also drawbacks. The biggest problem with these cells is that Silicon (a necessary material), while abundant, is not the easiest to find on the market. There is a big demand of it for other uses - especially in manufacturing silicone.

The technology for these panels now have a lower power capacity than other panels, falling somewhere between 7%-18%. However, many people expect them to grow in efficiency as technology progresses.

The variety of uses of this futuristic technology is what intrigues me the most. Thanks to its flexibility and weight, it could easily be used curved surfaces such domed surfaces or around curved doorways - the possibilities are endless!

Solar Paint

Surprisingly enough, with a bit of research I learned that there is multiple different technologies being developed that create a solar paint product. They all are very unique to one another so I'll share a bit on the technology of each.

Hydrogen solar paint

Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have developed a paint that works by absorbing moisture from the air. The paint contains a newly developed substance made up of a synthetic inorganic compound that absorbs moisture similarly to silica gel.

It also contains titanium oxide which helps the paint break down moisture into hydrogen and oxygen particles using solar energy. It basically is capable of collecting and outputting hydrogen which is a clean source of fuel and energy.

Photovoltaic solar paint

Researchers from the University of Toronto here in Canada, and the Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea specifically are working to develop paint that could literally power buildings.

This could be a huge advancement in the accessibility of solar technology and amazing way to harness solar to fight climate change. Professor Sargent and his research team at the University of Toronto's paint contains dot-shaped semiconductors that capture solar. Their work has proven that the paint could be up to 11% more efficent than conventional solar panels.

Perovskite solar paint

Most of the information on this technology is only available from the researcher themselves which is pretty technical. It's expected to be more widely discussed soon as this incredible material quite possibly could be coming to market within the next few years.

The perovskite materials are derived from calcium titanium oxide mineral and can be used for spray-on application to harness the power of the sun.

ORCA Composting Systems

Kroll Enviro in Australia has developed an amazing piece of technology called ORCA that is capable of transforming the future of food waste. Through this technology, food waste is turned into an environmentally liquid that can flow right into a grease interceptor, where it can be easily disposed of into the sewage system in an incredibly small amount of time.

This technology is designed specifically for restaurant and industrial settings at this time. The smallest ORCA model processes an average of 11 kgs of food waste per hour. The device turns food waste into waste water that is made up of 75% clean water, 20% carbs, fats, and proteients, and 5% minerals in a matter of minutes.

How an ORCA works

Food waste is thrown inside a container made out of high quality stainless steel. The device has a door on top that employees can open for easy dumping. The ORCA then uses its proprietary natural Microorganism solution to break down the waste quickly with water and recycled plastic Biochips. With its anaerobic digestion technology, the device continuously stirs this waste material, converting food waste disposal into clean water.

Airbus ZEROe

ZEROe is a hydrogen aircraft in the concept stage of development by aerospace sector giant Airbus. The company has an ambitious goal of executing the first ever zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035 — how amazing is that!

The company is still exploring a variety of configurations and hydrogen technologies to shape the project’s development. On their site they outline three different concepts that all utilize the power of hydrogen propulsion: Turbofan, Turboprop, and Blended-Wing Body (BWB).

The hydrogen propulsion is made possible by creating combustion through modified gas turbine engines. Liquid hydrogen is used as fuel to combine with oxygen into a combustible reaction. The hydrogen also creates electrical power that combines with the combustion to create a “highly efficient hybrid-electric propulsion system”

This is a huge step in the right direction. Aircraft emissions as they stand now equate for 3% of the total emission contributions in Canada. For a better idea of what that equates to, a single trip on an airplane is equivalent to going car-free for a year.

Check out a video below for a look at each of the three concepts.