Researchers led by WPI’s Yan Wang develop solvent-free process to make better, cheaper lithium-ion battery electrodes

New manufacturing method addresses a challenge facing electric vehicle industry

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE RESEARCHER YAN WANG view more 

CREDIT: MATT BURGOS

A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Yan Wang has developed a solvent-free process to manufacture lithium-ion battery electrodes that are greener, cheaper, and charge faster than electrodes currently on the market, an advance that could improve the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles.

In the journal Joule, the group reported on a dry-print manufacturing process that avoids the toxic solvents and the long drying times needed when manufacturing electrodes with slurries and conventional production methods. Wang, who is the WPI William B. Smith Dean's Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, said the new process could be scaled up and reduce electrode manufacturing costs by up to 15 percent, while also producing electrodes that can charge faster than conventionally produced electrodes.

“Current lithium-ion batteries charge too slowly, and manufacturers typically use flammable, toxic, and expensive solvents that increase the time and cost of production,” Wang said. “Our solvent-free manufacturing process addresses those disadvantages by producing electrodes that charge to 78 percent of capacity in 20 minutes, all without the need for solvents, slurries, and long production times.” 

Commercial lithium-ion battery electrodes are typically made by mixing active materials, conductive additives, polymers, and organic solvents to create a slurry that is pasted onto a metal substrate, dried in an oven, and cut into pieces for use in batteries. The solvents are recovered through distillation.

The researchers’ process, in contrast, involved mixing together dry powders that were electrically charged so they would adhere when sprayed onto a metal substrate. The dry-coated electrodes were then heated and compressed with rollers. Skipping the conventional drying and solvent-recovery process cut battery manufacturing energy use by an estimated 47 percent, the researchers reported.

Wang has long been focused on improving lithium-ion batteries and reducing the waste they create. He co-founded Ascend Elements, a company that is developing battery recycling technologies. Wang’s electrode manufacturing work has been funded by the Department of Energy with the United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Collaborators on the project included Yangtao Liu ’22 (PhD), graduate student Jinzhao Fu, Assistant Research Professor Xiaotu Ma, Panawan Vanaphuti ’22 (PhD), and Rui Wang ’23 (PhD), all of WPI;  and researchers at Texas A&M University, Rice University, Microvast Inc., Argonne National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

WPI has filed a patent application on the manufacturing technology developed by Wang’s team. In addition, Wang and one of his collaborators, Heng Pan of Texas A&M University, co-founded AM Batteries Inc., a venture-backed company that is working with Amperex Technology Limited (ATL) and other companies to scale up solvent-free electrode manufacturing.

---

JOURNAL

Joule

DOI

10.1016/j.joule.2023.04.006 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Roll-to-roll solvent-free manufactured electrodes for fast-charging batteries

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-May-2023

COI STATEMENT

Y.W. and H.P. are co-founders of AM Batteries Inc., which is developing solvent-free electrode manufacturing. A patent is filed based on the work in the paper.

Driving on sunshine: clean, usable liquid fuels made from solar power

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

 

IMAGE: A STANDALONE ARTIFICIAL LEAF ATTACHED TO A METAL ROD SUPPORT. THE PHOTOANODE SIDE (GREEN SQUARE) IS VISIBLE IN THE PHOTOGRAPH. view more 

CREDIT: MOTIAR RAHAMAN

Researchers have developed a solar-powered technology that converts carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels that can be added directly to a car’s engine as drop-in fuel.  

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert CO2, water and sunlight into multicarbon fuels – ethanol and propanol – in a single step. These fuels have a high energy density and can be easily stored or transported.

Unlike fossil fuels, these solar fuels produce net zero carbon emissions and completely renewable, and unlike most bioethanol, they do not divert any agricultural land away from food production.

While the technology is still at laboratory scale, the researchers say their ‘artificial leaves’ are an important step in the transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy. The results are reported in the journal Nature Energy.

Bioethanol is touted as a cleaner alternative to petrol, since it is made from plants instead of fossil fuels. Most cars and trucks on the road today run on petrol containing up to 10% ethanol (E10 fuel). The United States is the world’s largest bioethanol producer: according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost 45% of all corn grown in the US is used for ethanol production.

“Biofuels like ethanol are a controversial technology, not least because they take up agricultural land that could be used to grow food instead,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research.

For several years, Reisner’s research group, based in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, has been developing sustainable, zero-carbon fuels inspired by photosynthesis – the process by which plants convert sunlight into food – using artificial leaves.

To date, these artificial leaves have only been able to make simple chemicals, such as syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide that is used to produce fuels, pharmaceuticals, plastics and fertilisers. But to make the technology more practical, it would need to be able to produce more complex chemicals directly in a single solar-powered step.

Now, the artificial leaf can directly produce clean ethanol and propanol without the need for the intermediary step of producing syngas.

The researchers developed a copper and palladium-based catalyst. The catalyst was optimised in a way that allowed the artificial leaf to produce more complex chemicals, specifically the multicarbon alcohols ethanol and n-propanol. Both alcohols are high energy density fuels that can be easily transported and stored.

Other scientists have been able to produce similar chemicals using electrical power, but this is the first time that such complex chemicals have been produced with an artificial leaf using only the energy from the Sun.

“Shining sunlight on the artificial leaves and getting liquid fuel from carbon dioxide and water is an amazing bit of chemistry,” said Dr Motiar Rahaman, the paper’s first author. “Normally, when you try to convert CO2 into another chemical product using an artificial leaf device, you almost always get carbon monoxide or syngas, but here, we’ve been able to produce a practical liquid fuel just using the power of the Sun. It’s an exciting advance that opens up whole new avenues in our work.”

At present, the device is a proof of concept and shows only modest efficiency. The researchers are working to optimise the light absorbers so that they can better absorb sunlight and optimising the catalyst so it can convert more sunlight into fuel. Further work will also be required to make the device scalable so that it can produce large volumes of fuel.

“Even though there’s still work to be done, we’ve shown what these artificial leaves are capable of doing,” said Reisner. “It’s important to show that we can go beyond the simplest molecules and make things that are directly useful as we transition away from fossil fuels.”

The research was supported in part by the European Commission Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, the Cambridge Trust, and the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability. Erwin Reisner is a Fellow and Motiar Rahaman is a Research Associate of St John’s College, Cambridge.

A photoreactor with an artificial leaf working under solar irradiation.

CREDIT

Motiar Rahaman

---

JOURNAL

Nature Energy

DOI

10.1038/s41560-023-01262-3 

ARTICLE TITLE

Solar-driven liquid multi-carbon fuel production using a standalone perovskite-BiVO4 artificial leaf

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-May-2023

Study reveals key molecular interaction that sets the timing of our biological clocks

New findings point toward a promising target for the development of therapies for sleep disorders, jet lag, and other effects of clock disruption

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SANTA CRUZ

 

IMAGE: MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS DRIVE THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCKS IN OUR CELLS, SYNCHRONIZING OUR BODIES WITH THE 24-HOUR CYCLE OF NIGHT AND DAY. CERTAIN MUTATIONS CAN SHORTEN CLOCK TIMING, MAKING SOME PEOPLE EXTREME “MORNING LARKS” BECAUSE THEIR INTERNAL CLOCKS OPERATE ON A 20-HOUR CYCLE. view more 

CREDIT: IMAGE CREATED BY JONATHAN PHILPOTT WITH BING IMAGE CREATOR

Molecular clocks in our cells synchronize our bodies with the cycle of night and day, cue us for sleep and waking, and drive daily cycles in virtually every aspect of our physiology. Scientists studying the molecular mechanisms of our biological clocks have now identified a key event that controls the timing of the clock.

The new findings, published May 18 in Molecular Cell, reveal important details of the molecular interactions that are disrupted in people with an inherited sleep disorder called Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (FASP). The syndrome is caused by a genetic mutation that shortens the timing of the clock, making people extreme “morning larks” because their internal clocks operate on a 20-hour cycle instead of being synchronized with the 24-hour cycle of our planet.

“It’s like having permanent jet lag, because their internal clock never gets caught up with the daylength,” said corresponding author Carrie Partch, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz. “The FASP mutation was discovered 20 years ago, and we knew it had a huge effect, but we didn’t know how or why.”

The FASP mutation affects one of the core clock proteins, called Period, changing a single amino acid in the protein’s structure. The new study shows how this one change disrupts the Period protein’s interactions with a kinase enzyme (casein kinase 1), decreasing the stability of the Period protein and shortening an important step in the clock cycle.

First author Jonathan Philpott, a postdoctoral researcher in Partch’s lab at UCSC, explained that the kinase enzyme regulates Period by attaching phosphate groups (a process called phosphorylation), and there are two different parts of the protein where it can do this. Phosphorylation of the “degron” region tags the Period protein for degradation, whereas phosphorylation of the FASP region stabilizes it. The balance between degradation and stabilization determines the length of the clock cycle, and the FASP mutation tilts the balance toward degradation of Period and shortening of the cycle.

“There’s about a four-hour shortening of the clock when you have this FASP mutation,” Philpott said.

An important finding of the new study is that the phosphorylated FASP region inhibits the activity of the kinase. This feedback inhibition mechanism enables Period to effectively regulate its own regulator, slowing the phosphorylation of the degron region and lengthening the cycle. “We need this pause button to slow down what would otherwise be very fast biochemistry,” Partch said.

The researchers showed that the inhibition results from binding of the phosphorylated FASP region to a particular site on the kinase, which could potentially be targeted by a drug.

“We can start thinking about this as a tunable system,” Philpott said. “We’ve identified regions on the kinase that are potentially targetable to tune its activity for therapeutic applications.”

Partch noted that most drugs that target kinases work by blocking the active site of the enzyme. “That’s basically a hammer that turns off the kinase activity,” she said. “But with the discovery of new pockets unique to this kinase, we can target those to modulate its activity in a more controlled way.”

This could help not only people with Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome, but also people whose sleep cycles are disrupted by shift work, jet lag, and other challenges of the modern world.

Another striking finding in the new study is that the feedback inhibition of the kinase enzyme by the Period protein also occurs in fruit flies, even though the phosphorylation sites are different.

“It turns out the short-cycle mutant in Drosophila, discovered in 1970, does the same thing as the short-cycle FASP mutation in humans,” Partch said. “This mechanism has likely been in place throughout the evolution of multicellular animals. The fact that it’s been rooted in place for such a long time suggest it’s fundamental to making biological clocks on Earth have a 24-hour cycle.”

Partch and Philpott said their collaborations with multiple labs at other institutions enabled them to go beyond their experimental observations to study the clock mechanisms from a variety of angles. The study included the use of NMR spectroscopy, simulations of molecular dynamics, and genetically engineered human cell lines, as well as characterization of the same molecular mechanisms in humans and Drosophila fruit flies.

“It was a terrific collaborative team,” Partch said.

In addition to Philpott and Partch, the coauthors include Alfred Freeberg, Sabrina Hunt, David Segal, Rafael Robles, and Sarvind Tripathi at UC Santa Cruz; Jiyoung Park, Kwangjun Lee, and Choogon Lee at Florida State University; Clarisse Ricci and Andrew McCammon at UC San Diego; Rajesh Narasimamurthy and David Virshup at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore; and Yao Cai and Joanna Chiu at UC Davis. This work was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Singapore Ministry of Health.

---

JOURNAL

Molecular Cell

DOI

10.1016/j.molcel.2023.04.019 

ARTICLE TITLE

PERIOD phosphorylation leads to feedback inhibition of CK1 activity to control circadian period

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-May-2023

U$A

Cost-related medication nonadherence and desire for medication cost information

JAMA Network Open

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JAMA NETWORK

About The Study: In a national panel survey of 2,000 respondents in 2022, approximately 1 in 5 older adults reported cost-related medication nonadherence. Real-time benefit tools may support medication cost conversations and cost-conscious prescribing, and patients are enthusiastic about their use. However, if disclosed prices are inaccurate, there is potential for harm through loss of confidence in the physician and nonadherence to prescribed medications. 

Authors: Stacie B. Dusetzina, Ph.D., of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, is the corresponding author. 

 Visit our For The Media website at this link 

https://media.jamanetwork.com/doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.14211

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

#  #  #

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article 

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.14211?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=051823

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

---

JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

Potential clinical and economic outcomes of over-the-counter hearing aids

JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JAMA NETWORK

About The Study: In this cost-effectiveness analysis, provision of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids was associated with greater uptake of hearing intervention and was cost-effective over a range of prices so long as OTC hearing aids were greater than 55% as beneficial to patient quality of life as traditional hearing aids. Over-the-counter hearing aids may expand access to beneficial treatment for hearing loss and represent an efficient use of resources. 

Authors: Gillian D. Sanders Schmidler, Ph.D., of the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, is the corresponding author. 

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link

 https://media.jamanetwork.com/doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2023.0949

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

#  #  #

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/10.1001/jamaoto.2023.0949?guestAccessKey=1fb6f0b4-4c34-4f90-9ff0-fd98e440f949&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=051823

---

JOURNAL

JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

Individuals who feel safe where they live lose more weight, Dutch study finds

Reports and Proceedings

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF OBESITY

Feeling safe where you live may be key to weight loss, the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) will hear.

Preliminary Dutch research has shown that the feeling of safety in one's neighbourhood is linked to greater weight loss when taking part in lifestyle interventions.

The term “neighbourhood safety” covered four dimensions: not feeling afraid of crime or harassment while walking through the neighbourhood, feeling safe while walking or cycling due to heavy traffic, adequate street lighting during the evening and at night and the absence of youths loitering in the area.

In contrast, no significant association was found between access to grocery stores or sports facilities and weight loss.

Lower social economic status, often measured using neighbourhood characteristics or postcodes, is a known risk factor for obesity. Lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise programmes, can play an important role in addressing obesity. However, little is known about the effect of neighbourhood characteristics on the success of such interventions.

To find out more, Boëlle Brouwer, of the University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, studied the relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and changes in waist circumference and weight in people taking part in 1.5-year multidisciplinary combined lifestyle intervention.

The study involved 122 individuals living with obesity (74.6 percent women, average BMI = 39 kg/m2) who participated in the intervention, which included dietary advice combined with exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy, between October 2011 and April 2022.

Before the start of the programme, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing neighbourhood characteristics focusing on five factors: neighbourhood safety (four items – see above), neighbourhood attractiveness (four items – the presence of trees along the road, the existence of a nearby park, a clean and tidy appearance of the neighbourhood and the general appeal of the area as a desirable place to live), social cohesion (three items – feeling lonely when in the neighbourhood, people in the neighbourhood having positive social interactions with each other and people in the neighbourhood being willing to help each other), access to grocery stores (one item – the ability to do daily grocery shopping in the neighbourhood) and access to sports facilities (one item  – having sports facilities nearby).

Height, weight and waist circumference were measured before the start of the programme, after 10 weeks and after 1.5 years.

The study found that individuals who scored higher on a scale of neighbourhood safety, (with a possible total score ranging from 1 to 5, 5 indicating the highest feeling of safety), experienced greater decreases in both weight and waist circumference.

Higher scores on neighbourhood safety were associated with more weight loss after 10 weeks. Specifically, a one-point increase in the neighbourhood safety score was associated with a 1.3% greater initial weight loss.

Similarly, greater feelings of safety in one’s neighbourhood were linked with greater weight loss and greater decrease in waist circumference at the end of the programme (after 1.5 years). A one-point increase in the neighbourhood safety score over the long term was associated with an average decrease of 3.2% in weight and an average decrease of 2.6% in waist circumference (the latter indicates a favourable change in body composition towards less abdominal fat accumulation).

Ms Brouwer says: “Remarkably, these findings were independent of sex, age and educational level.

“There are several possible reasons why neighbourhood safety is important. People may be less willing to go outside if they feel unsafe, resulting in them having less physical activity. Another explanation could be that feelings of insecurity increase levels of stress which can contribute to unhealthy eating behaviour and weight gain. We also cannot rule out that neighbourhood safety is associated with other factors, e.g. poverty, which may be important for the association we found.”

The study also indicated that a one-point increase in social cohesion score (ranged from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating the highest feeling of social cohesion), tended to give an average decrease of 1.3 percent in waist circumference during the initial 10 weeks. Again, this was independent of sex, age and educational level.

Ms Brouwer says: “In general, it is known that social cohesion can provide social support and motivation to participants. Feeling connected to and supported by people in your surroundings can increase adherence to healthy behaviours and improve overall outcomes of lifestyle interventions.”

No other significant associations were found between social cohesion and weight and waist circumference.

No significant associations were found between access to grocery stores or sports facilities and changes in weight or waist circumference.

However, there were indications of a potential link between neighbourhood attractiveness and long-term weight loss and waist circumference changes, when adjusting for sex, age, and education level.

Ms Brouwer says: “Our results indicate that if you feel unsafe where you live, it may reduce your chances of successful weight loss in response to combined lifestyle interventions.

“We need more research to determine how neighbourhood safety may affect weight and waist circumference and if feelings of safety are linked to other factors such as housing, stress or poverty.”

Study co-author, Professor Elisabeth van Rossum, also of the University Medical Center Rotterdam, adds: “We often focus on individuals in the context of a lifestyle intervention for persons with obesity. In this study we found indications that the social and physical environment they live in may play a role in the success of the intervention, although we need more research to see whether this is causally related.

“If it turns out that these environmental and social factors indeed are drivers of the success of a guided lifestyle intervention, then we need to study to what extent this also applies to individuals who try to lose weight by themselves.”

Ms Boëlle Brouwer, Obesity Center CGG, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. E) b.brouwer@erasmusmc.nl

Ms Brouwer can also be contacted via the Erasmus Medical Center press office T) +31 10 703 32 89 

Alternative contact: Tony Kirby in the ECO Media Centre. T) +44 7834 385827 E) tony@tonykirby.com

Notes to editors:

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

This press release is based on oral presentation AD11.03 at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO). The material has been peer reviewed by the congress selection committee.  There is no full paper at this stage and, as it is an oral presentation, there is not a poster.

---

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-May-2023

How good is the data for tracking countries' agricultural greenhouse gas emissions?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE ALLIANCE OF BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL AND THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

 

IMAGE: LANDSCAPE IN YANGAMBI, DRC view more 

CREDIT: AXEL FASSIO/CIFOR-ICRAF

Burlington, VT, USA, 19 May 2023 – Limited accuracy and transparency of national greenhouse gas emission inventories are curbing climate action, especially in the agriculture and land use sector.

Inconsistent and inadequate reporting by low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), uncertainties in reported data, and a lack of robust activity data and locally specific emission factors have been found to curb effective policy action. GHG inventories are the foundation for accounting and tracking progress toward mitigation goals and decision-makers must have access to reliable, legible, and consistent data to make informed decisions.

A review of UNFCCC country-reported agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) data and three independent global databases provides an in-depth analysis and inventory of reporting issues that affect national GHG inventories. Inventories were characterized by quality and consistency aiming to enable better use of data and tracking progress toward climate change mitigation goals. 

Results show a gap in LMIC reporting in the UNFCCC data, highlighting a need for more uniform reporting methodologies, especially to manage food security and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Policy and decision-makers should therefore use independent, non-UNFCCC emissions databases to triangulate UNFCCC data for emissions-related decisions. 

Lead author Kyle Dittmer explained that “other analyses show a general lack of quality in UNFCCC reporting. UNFCCC-reported data should be the most official, but it’s often the most incomplete and is sometimes illegible. We identified specific areas to improve consistency.” Some examples of what affected the quality of countries’ reports included mistakes and a lack of reporting numbers, inconsistent global warming potentials, and legibility. 

The authors give recommendations for how inventories can be enhanced to drive progress toward goals instead of limiting action. Dittmer also said that “developed nations must intensify their technical and financial support to LMICs to create and maintain institutional capacity, tools, and training for preparing accurate and transparent national GHG inventories.”

Developed nations cannot continue to fall short of their climate-finance pledges. Ambitious financial and technical support for LMICs is needed to fulfill the commitment wealthy nations made to the Paris Agreement so that decision-makers can accurately track progress, set mitigation priorities, and manage emissions.

---

Dittmer K.M., Wollenberg E., Cohen M., Egler C. 2023. How good is the data for tracking countries' agricultural greenhouse gas emissions? Making use of multiple national greenhouse gas inventories. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems - Climate-Smart Food Systems, 7.  doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1156822

---

JOURNAL

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

DOI

10.3389/fsufs.2023.1156822 

ARTICLE TITLE

How good is the data for tracking countries' agricultural greenhouse gas emissions? Making use of multiple national greenhouse gas inventories.

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-May-2023

Only 13% of global methane emissions are covered by policy, and those policies are often ineffective

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CELL PRESS

 

IMAGE: MOST METHANE EMISSIONS COME FROM THE AGRICULTURE, ENERGY, AND WASTE SECTORS, AND ONLY ABOUT 13% OF CUMULATIVE METHANE EMISSIONS ARE COVERED BY POLICY. view more 

CREDIT: ONE EARTH/OLCZAK ET AL.

Methane, a greenhouse gas known to do about 80 times more damage to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, is often overlooked by policymakers and governments. In a review publishing in the journal One Earth on May 19, researchers analyzed the coverage, stringency, and real-world impact of current global methane emissions policies for the first time. They found that only 13% of emissions are currently covered by direct mitigation policies.

In order to limit climate warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in accordance with the Paris Agreement, global methane emissions need to be cut by at least 40%–45%, according to the 2021 Global Methane Assessment—a feat that the authors assert can be accomplished if governments adopt stricter methane policies and measure emissions more accurately.

“The need for comprehensive and targeted methane mitigation strategies is highlighted by a growing body of literature. But methane emissions are increasing faster than at any time since the 1980s,” write environmental policy experts Maria Olczak, Andris Piebalgs, and Paul Balcombe of the Queen Mary University of London/Environmental Defense Fund Europe, the European University Institute’s Florence School of Regulation, and the Queen Mary University of London, respectively.

To determine how effective current methane emissions restrictions are, the team reviewed 281 policies across the highest methane-producing sectors, including energy, waste, and agriculture. They found that the number of methane policies varies dramatically between regions and that the policies currently in place are not stringent enough, largely because they were created based on inaccurate data. Often, the methane emissions estimates used by policymakers come from underreported greenhouse gas estimates, datasets that are not open to the public, or figures that vary substantially depending on the method used to measure the amount of methane.

“A consistent approach for accurate identification, quantification, and verification of methane emissions sources alongside greater policy coverage and stringency must be put into place to realize the significant methane emissions reduction opportunities,” write the researchers.

Mitigating man-made methane emissions is one of the cheapest ways to slow down climate change and improve air quality, according to the Global Methane Assessment. However, the authors argue, progress will depend on a global, unified effort to limit methane emissions, and quick action needs to be taken on both a national and a regional level in order to meet climate goals.

“Effective methane mitigation requires stronger social support and political consensus. Yet, methane reduction is still perceived as a choice rather than a necessity complementing the ongoing decarbonization efforts focused largely on CO2,” the researchers write. “The upcoming climate conference COP28 in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), when collective progress towards the Paris Agreement objectives will be assessed for the first time, offers an enormous opportunity for change.”

###

One Earth, Olczak et al. “A global review of methane policies reveals only 13% of emissions are covered with unclear effectiveness” https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(23)00195-1

One Earth (@OneEarth_CP), published by Cell Press, is a monthly journal that features papers from the fields of natural, social, and applied sciences. One Earth is the home for high-quality research that seeks to understand and address today’s environmental Grand Challenges, publishing across the spectrum of environmental change and sustainability science. A sister journal to Cell, Chem, and Joule, One Earth aspires to break down barriers between disciplines and stimulate the cross-pollination of ideas with a platform that unites communities, fosters dialogue, and encourages transformative research. Visit http://www.cell.com/one-earth. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.

---

JOURNAL

One Earth

DOI

10.1016/j.oneear.2023.04.009 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

ARTICLE TITLE

A global review of methane policies reveals only 13% of emissions are covered with unclear effectiveness

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-May-2023

Scientists urge crackdown on methane emissions with only 13% regulated

Peer-Reviewed Publication

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

New research from Queen Mary University of London shows that only around 13% of global methane emissions are regulated, despite methane emissions causing at least 25% of current global warming.

The global review, published on 19 May in One Earth, also found that little is known about the effectiveness of the policies that exist, with potentially unrepresentative methane emission estimations used rather than actual measurements. Inaccurate estimations can also mean the issue is taken less seriously by decision-makers by masking its severity.

The researchers argue that the lack of regulation and clarity into their impact must urgently be addressed if we are to meet our global climate targets. The review suggests a consistent approach worldwide with robust quantification and reporting could unlock new opportunities to drastically reduce global warming levels.

To meet the Paris Agreement 1.5°C objective, man-made methane emissions should be reduced by at least 40-45% by 2030, compared to the 2020 levels. Methane mitigation is not only a cost-effective strategy to reduce global warming but could also improve the air quality. Today methane emissions are increasing faster than at any time since the 1980s.

This global review of methane policies is the first to systematically look at all major man-made emission sources, agriculture, energy and waste. Researchers focused on 281 policies worldwide, 255 of them currently in force, that aim to monitor and reduce methane emissions examining the geographical coverage, strength and effectiveness of the policies.

90% of identified national policies have been adopted in three regions: North America (39%), Europe (30%) and Asia Pacific (21%). Globally, the research shows there has been a gradual increase in methane policies since 1974. But fossil methane policies, e.g., targeting emissions from coal, oil and gas sectors tend to be less stringent than those targeting biogenic methane sources, especially in the waste sector.

In jurisdictions with fossil methane policies in place, further mitigation opportunities include emissions further along the supply chain e.g. emissions from Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier ships, which were investigated by a team of QMUL researchers led by Dr Balcombe.

One of the main challenges to measuring methane emissions is accurately identifying and quantifying sources. Developing and using technologies such as satellites to monitor methane emissions can help policymakers with measurement, verification, compliance and detection of super-emitters. Introducing policies with greater policy coverage, mitigation solutions including for major sources, and measurable objectives could lead to a significant methane emissions reduction.

Maria Olczak, lead researcher on this project from Queen Mary University of London, said: “Methane reduction is still perceived as a choice rather than a necessary step alongside CO2 reduction to combat global warming. And with so many different sources, there needs to be stronger social support and the political will to act.

“Our review highlights the value of setting policies that are predictable and clear for the industry. They will aid effective investment decisions aligned with the long-term climate mitigation goals, including the decrease in emission intensity and in production across developed and developing economies.”

Dr Paul Balcombe, study author and Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Queen Mary, said: “It’s shocking to see that most methane emissions aren’t regulated when they contribute heavily to global warming today, although accurately monitoring emissions is not easy. Our chances of reaching global climate targets are slim if this goes unchecked.

“The good news is that there’s an enormous opportunity to limit warming in the short term if we act fast to get on top of methane emissions. We urgently need tighter regulation on better monitoring of methane and concrete actions towards reduction measures.”

Andris Piebalgs, study author, part-time Professor at the Florence School of Regulation and a former EU Commissioner for Energy, said: “Over the last few years, we have seen growing attention to methane thanks to multilateral initiatives such as the International Methane Emissions Observatory and the Global Methane Pledge. The European Union and the US EPA are now working to finalise ambitious regulations targeting methane emissions in the energy sector. I hope that the upcoming COP28 and the first Global Stocktake will make the policymakers across the world realise that methane mitigation is an effective way to enhance their climate commitments.”

---

JOURNAL

One Earth

DOI

10.1016/j.oneear.2023.04.009 

ARTICLE TITLE

A global review of methane policies reveals only 13% of emissions are covered with unclear effectiveness

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-May-2023