Pub Date : 2024-06-12DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01369-9
Xiaochen Liu, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Hans J. M. van Grinsven, Junjie Wang, Wim Joost van Hoek, Xiangbin Ran, José M. Mogollón, Alexander F. Bouwman
The loss of agricultural nitrogen (N) is a leading cause of global eutrophication and freshwater and coastal hypoxia. Despite regulatory efforts, such as the European Union’s Nitrogen Directive, high concentrations of N persist in freshwaters. Excessive N leaching and accumulation in groundwater has created a substantial N reservoir as groundwater travel times are orders-of-magnitude slower than those of surface waters. In this study we reconstructed past and projected future N dynamics in groundwater for four major river basins, the Rhine, Mississippi, Yangtze and Pearl, showcasing different N trajectories. The Rhine and Mississippi river basins have accumulated N since the 1950s and although strategies to reduce excess agricultural N have worked well in the Rhine, groundwater legacy N persists in the Mississippi. The Yangtze and Pearl river basins entered the N accumulation phase in the 1970s and the accumulation is expected to continue until 2050. Policies to reduce N pollution from fertilizers have not halted N accumulation, highlighting the importance of accounting for the N legacy in groundwater. Restoring groundwater N storage to 1970 levels by diminishing N leaching will therefore take longer in the Yangtze and Pearl (>35 years) than in the Rhine (9 years) and Mississippi (15 years). Sustainable watershed management requires long-term strategies that address the impacts of legacy N and promote sustainable agricultural practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals to balance agricultural productivity with water conservation. National and international policies have aimed to protect the quality of freshwater by mitigating agricultural nitrogen emissions. However, the nitrogen legacy in groundwater must be accounted for when mitigating the impacts of nitrogen in watersheds.
{"title":"Impact of groundwater nitrogen legacy on water quality","authors":"Xiaochen Liu, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Hans J. M. van Grinsven, Junjie Wang, Wim Joost van Hoek, Xiangbin Ran, José M. Mogollón, Alexander F. Bouwman","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01369-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01369-9","url":null,"abstract":"The loss of agricultural nitrogen (N) is a leading cause of global eutrophication and freshwater and coastal hypoxia. Despite regulatory efforts, such as the European Union’s Nitrogen Directive, high concentrations of N persist in freshwaters. Excessive N leaching and accumulation in groundwater has created a substantial N reservoir as groundwater travel times are orders-of-magnitude slower than those of surface waters. In this study we reconstructed past and projected future N dynamics in groundwater for four major river basins, the Rhine, Mississippi, Yangtze and Pearl, showcasing different N trajectories. The Rhine and Mississippi river basins have accumulated N since the 1950s and although strategies to reduce excess agricultural N have worked well in the Rhine, groundwater legacy N persists in the Mississippi. The Yangtze and Pearl river basins entered the N accumulation phase in the 1970s and the accumulation is expected to continue until 2050. Policies to reduce N pollution from fertilizers have not halted N accumulation, highlighting the importance of accounting for the N legacy in groundwater. Restoring groundwater N storage to 1970 levels by diminishing N leaching will therefore take longer in the Yangtze and Pearl (>35 years) than in the Rhine (9 years) and Mississippi (15 years). Sustainable watershed management requires long-term strategies that address the impacts of legacy N and promote sustainable agricultural practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals to balance agricultural productivity with water conservation. National and international policies have aimed to protect the quality of freshwater by mitigating agricultural nitrogen emissions. However, the nitrogen legacy in groundwater must be accounted for when mitigating the impacts of nitrogen in watersheds.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 7","pages":"891-900"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01369-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141351290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-12DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01365-z
Amanda D. Rodewald, Anna Lello-Smith, Nicholas R. Magliocca, Kendra McSweeney, Matt Strimas-Mackey, Steven E. Sesnie, Erik A. Nielsen
Complex social challenges such as narco trafficking can have unexpected consequences for biodiversity conservation. Here we show how international counter-drug strategies may increase the risk of narco trafficking, which is associated with deforestation, in two-thirds of the important landscapes for forest birds in Central America. Soberingly, over half of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory species had more than one quarter, and 20% of species had over half, of their global population in areas threatened by narco trafficking, suggesting the need for more holistic strategies to better protect native biodiversity. Narco trafficking and subsequent counter-drug interdiction strategies can lead to loss of biodiverse forests, which are important habitats for resident and migratory bird species. This study evaluates how such activities can threaten the bird habitat in Central American forests.
{"title":"Intersection of narco trafficking, enforcement and bird conservation in the Americas","authors":"Amanda D. Rodewald, Anna Lello-Smith, Nicholas R. Magliocca, Kendra McSweeney, Matt Strimas-Mackey, Steven E. Sesnie, Erik A. Nielsen","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01365-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01365-z","url":null,"abstract":"Complex social challenges such as narco trafficking can have unexpected consequences for biodiversity conservation. Here we show how international counter-drug strategies may increase the risk of narco trafficking, which is associated with deforestation, in two-thirds of the important landscapes for forest birds in Central America. Soberingly, over half of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory species had more than one quarter, and 20% of species had over half, of their global population in areas threatened by narco trafficking, suggesting the need for more holistic strategies to better protect native biodiversity. Narco trafficking and subsequent counter-drug interdiction strategies can lead to loss of biodiverse forests, which are important habitats for resident and migratory bird species. This study evaluates how such activities can threaten the bird habitat in Central American forests.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 7","pages":"855-859"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01365-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141354073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-12DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01368-w
Joern Fischer, Steffen Farny, David J. Abson, Vânia Zuin Zeidler, Maria von Salisch, Stefan Schaltegger, Berta Martín-López, Vicky M. Temperton, Klaus Kümmerer
Notions of regeneration have entered discourses in several fields that are relevant for sustainability, including, among others, ecology, agriculture, economics, management, sociology, psychology and chemistry. A review of existing work shows that there are interesting parallels between these fields. By carefully defining key concepts, such as regenerative dynamics, regenerative practices and regenerative momentum, this Review Article offers a generalized framework for understanding regenerative systems. This framework, in turn, promises to spark new insights for sustainability science and practice because it can link hitherto disconnected academic fields and foster new, integrative developments across multiple areas of sustainability practice. Contemporary discussions about sustainability and adaptation rely on concepts of regeneration. Linking regenerative dynamics and practices from disparate disciplines provides a framework for employing regenerative systems to advance cross-domain sustainability science.
{"title":"Mainstreaming regenerative dynamics for sustainability","authors":"Joern Fischer, Steffen Farny, David J. Abson, Vânia Zuin Zeidler, Maria von Salisch, Stefan Schaltegger, Berta Martín-López, Vicky M. Temperton, Klaus Kümmerer","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01368-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01368-w","url":null,"abstract":"Notions of regeneration have entered discourses in several fields that are relevant for sustainability, including, among others, ecology, agriculture, economics, management, sociology, psychology and chemistry. A review of existing work shows that there are interesting parallels between these fields. By carefully defining key concepts, such as regenerative dynamics, regenerative practices and regenerative momentum, this Review Article offers a generalized framework for understanding regenerative systems. This framework, in turn, promises to spark new insights for sustainability science and practice because it can link hitherto disconnected academic fields and foster new, integrative developments across multiple areas of sustainability practice. Contemporary discussions about sustainability and adaptation rely on concepts of regeneration. Linking regenerative dynamics and practices from disparate disciplines provides a framework for employing regenerative systems to advance cross-domain sustainability science.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 8","pages":"964-972"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141352294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01352-4
Moussa El Jarroudi, Louis Kouadio, Philippe Delfosse, Clive H. Bock, Anne-Katrin Mahlein, Xavier Fettweis, Benoit Mercatoris, Frank Adams, Jillian M. Lenné, Said Hamdioui
Effectively feeding a burgeoning world population is one of the main goals of sustainable agricultural practices. Digital technology, such as edge artificial intelligence (AI), has the potential to introduce substantial benefits to agriculture by enhancing farming practices that can improve agricultural production efficiency, yield, quality and safety. However, the adoption of edge AI faces several challenges, including the need for innovative and efficient edge AI solutions and greater investment in infrastructure and training, all compounded by various environmental, social and economic constraints. Here we provide a roadmap for leveraging edge AI at the intersection of food production and sustainability. Digital technology is increasingly being used to address food security issues against the backdrop of anthropogenic stressors such as climate change and resource scarcity. This Perspective discusses ways to effectively deploy edge AI in food production systems to improve agricultural sustainability.
{"title":"Leveraging edge artificial intelligence for sustainable agriculture","authors":"Moussa El Jarroudi, Louis Kouadio, Philippe Delfosse, Clive H. Bock, Anne-Katrin Mahlein, Xavier Fettweis, Benoit Mercatoris, Frank Adams, Jillian M. Lenné, Said Hamdioui","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01352-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01352-4","url":null,"abstract":"Effectively feeding a burgeoning world population is one of the main goals of sustainable agricultural practices. Digital technology, such as edge artificial intelligence (AI), has the potential to introduce substantial benefits to agriculture by enhancing farming practices that can improve agricultural production efficiency, yield, quality and safety. However, the adoption of edge AI faces several challenges, including the need for innovative and efficient edge AI solutions and greater investment in infrastructure and training, all compounded by various environmental, social and economic constraints. Here we provide a roadmap for leveraging edge AI at the intersection of food production and sustainability. Digital technology is increasingly being used to address food security issues against the backdrop of anthropogenic stressors such as climate change and resource scarcity. This Perspective discusses ways to effectively deploy edge AI in food production systems to improve agricultural sustainability.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 7","pages":"846-854"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141360540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-06DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01377-9
Using PlanetScope and RapidEye nanosatellite imagery, we tracked 0.6 billion farmland trees across India over the past decade. We find that approximately 10% of the large farmland trees have disappeared over this period, primarily owing to changing cultivation practices.
{"title":"Tracking millions of farmland trees in India reveals a considerable decline of large trees","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01377-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01377-9","url":null,"abstract":"Using PlanetScope and RapidEye nanosatellite imagery, we tracked 0.6 billion farmland trees across India over the past decade. We find that approximately 10% of the large farmland trees have disappeared over this period, primarily owing to changing cultivation practices.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 7","pages":"844-845"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141376393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-05DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01374-y
Tomas Brodin, Michael G. Bertram, Kathryn E. Arnold, Alistair B. A. Boxall, Bryan W. Brooks, Daniel Cerveny, Manuela Jörg, Karen A. Kidd, Unax Lertxundi, Jake M. Martin, Lauren T. May, Erin S. McCallum, Marcus Michelangeli, Charles R. Tyler, Bob B. M. Wong, Klaus Kümmerer, Gorka Orive
The pervasive contamination of ecosystems with active pharmaceutical ingredients poses a serious threat to biodiversity, ecosystem services and public health. Urgent action is needed to design greener drugs that maintain efficacy but also minimize environmental impact.
{"title":"The urgent need for designing greener drugs","authors":"Tomas Brodin, Michael G. Bertram, Kathryn E. Arnold, Alistair B. A. Boxall, Bryan W. Brooks, Daniel Cerveny, Manuela Jörg, Karen A. Kidd, Unax Lertxundi, Jake M. Martin, Lauren T. May, Erin S. McCallum, Marcus Michelangeli, Charles R. Tyler, Bob B. M. Wong, Klaus Kümmerer, Gorka Orive","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01374-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01374-y","url":null,"abstract":"The pervasive contamination of ecosystems with active pharmaceutical ingredients poses a serious threat to biodiversity, ecosystem services and public health. Urgent action is needed to design greener drugs that maintain efficacy but also minimize environmental impact.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 8","pages":"949-951"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141384174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-04DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01359-x
Mohammed Basheer
Hydropower dams offer a pathway for low-carbon energy supply in Africa, yet unchecked dam expansion can harm the environment. A study shows how the integration of different dam environmental concerns into energy system planning can lead to sustainable hydropower development.
{"title":"Greening hydropower in Africa","authors":"Mohammed Basheer","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01359-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01359-x","url":null,"abstract":"Hydropower dams offer a pathway for low-carbon energy supply in Africa, yet unchecked dam expansion can harm the environment. A study shows how the integration of different dam environmental concerns into energy system planning can lead to sustainable hydropower development.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 7","pages":"842-843"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141266648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-04DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01367-x
Angelo Carlino, Rafael Schmitt, Anna Clark, Andrea Castelletti
Around 100 GW of new hydropower projects have been proposed in continental Africa to contribute to meeting future energy demand. Yet, the future expansion of hydropower on the continent faces obstacles due to the impacts of dams on rivers, greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs and increasingly competitive alternative renewable electricity technologies. Here we propose an integrated approach to include these considerations in energy planning. Compared with planning for least-cost energy systems, capacity expansion strategies balancing environmental and techno-economic objectives increase electricity prices and total discounted costs by at most 1.4% and 0.2%, respectively, while reducing impacts on annual hydropower emissions and river fragmentation by at least 50%. Our results demonstrate that refining techno-economic analysis in light of global and local environmental objectives can help policymakers reduce the river fragmentation and greenhouse gas emissions associated with hydropower development at marginal increases in energy costs. Meeting future energy demands in Africa will require expanded hydropower capacity, but the dams’ impacts on rivers, their emissions and alternative energy options call for careful planning. This study performs multi-objective energy system modelling for more sustainable dam expansion from the present to 2050.
{"title":"Rethinking energy planning to mitigate the impacts of African hydropower","authors":"Angelo Carlino, Rafael Schmitt, Anna Clark, Andrea Castelletti","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01367-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01367-x","url":null,"abstract":"Around 100 GW of new hydropower projects have been proposed in continental Africa to contribute to meeting future energy demand. Yet, the future expansion of hydropower on the continent faces obstacles due to the impacts of dams on rivers, greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs and increasingly competitive alternative renewable electricity technologies. Here we propose an integrated approach to include these considerations in energy planning. Compared with planning for least-cost energy systems, capacity expansion strategies balancing environmental and techno-economic objectives increase electricity prices and total discounted costs by at most 1.4% and 0.2%, respectively, while reducing impacts on annual hydropower emissions and river fragmentation by at least 50%. Our results demonstrate that refining techno-economic analysis in light of global and local environmental objectives can help policymakers reduce the river fragmentation and greenhouse gas emissions associated with hydropower development at marginal increases in energy costs. Meeting future energy demands in Africa will require expanded hydropower capacity, but the dams’ impacts on rivers, their emissions and alternative energy options call for careful planning. This study performs multi-objective energy system modelling for more sustainable dam expansion from the present to 2050.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 7","pages":"879-890"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141267914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-03DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01357-z
Lucy Andrews, Theodore E. Grantham
Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compounded by gauge deactivations, limit our ability to track river flows and address global water challenges. Here we introduce an approach for identifying gauging sites to efficiently fill gaps in monitoring coverage within river networks while also addressing water management priorities, including reservoir operations, biodiversity conservation and hydroclimatic monitoring. Applying this approach to gauges in California, United States, we found substantial gaps in the stream monitoring network. Hypothetically reconfiguring gauges to locations that maximize coverage and representation of management objectives highlights the current network’s biases. Through the strategic reactivation and placement of additional gauges, we demonstrate how stream gauging networks can be designed to support sustainable water management. Effective water management requires reliable data on streamflow, but that hinges on the coverage provided by stream gauges. This study shows how current gauge networks fail to provide adequate coverage and explores how modified networks could support dam operation, biodiversity conservation and climate monitoring.
{"title":"Strategic stream gauging network design for sustainable water management","authors":"Lucy Andrews, Theodore E. Grantham","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01357-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01357-z","url":null,"abstract":"Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compounded by gauge deactivations, limit our ability to track river flows and address global water challenges. Here we introduce an approach for identifying gauging sites to efficiently fill gaps in monitoring coverage within river networks while also addressing water management priorities, including reservoir operations, biodiversity conservation and hydroclimatic monitoring. Applying this approach to gauges in California, United States, we found substantial gaps in the stream monitoring network. Hypothetically reconfiguring gauges to locations that maximize coverage and representation of management objectives highlights the current network’s biases. Through the strategic reactivation and placement of additional gauges, we demonstrate how stream gauging networks can be designed to support sustainable water management. Effective water management requires reliable data on streamflow, but that hinges on the coverage provided by stream gauges. This study shows how current gauge networks fail to provide adequate coverage and explores how modified networks could support dam operation, biodiversity conservation and climate monitoring.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 6","pages":"714-723"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141271231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The production and use of silicon (Si) solar panels is soaring during the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system. To mitigate their environmental footprints, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient recycling method to handle end-of-life Si solar panels. Here we report a simple salt-etching approach to recycle Ag and Si from end-of-life Si solar panels without using toxic mineral acids and generating secondary pollution. The etching process is enabled by the high corrosivity of molten hydroxide that spontaneously reacts with SiNx, SiO2, Al2O3 and Al at the surface of Si wafers through the top-down direction, thereby directly separating Ag from Si wafers. The etching process takes only 180 s to recover >99.0% of Ag and >98.0% of Si from end-of-life Si solar panels. In addition, Cu, Pb, Sn and Al in Si solar panels are also recovered through a combined oxidation, alkaline leaching and electrodeposition approach. Overall, this study presents a viable approach for sustainable management of end-of-life Si solar panels, paving the way to a circular economy. The booming production of silicon solar panels, a core technology in the energy transition, calls for proper end-of-life management. Here the authors propose a salt-etching approach that enables efficient recycling of critical materials from end-of-life silicon solar panels, without the use of toxic reagents.
在向碳中和能源系统过渡的过程中，硅（Si）太阳能电池板的生产和使用量急剧增加。为了减少对环境的影响，迫切需要开发一种高效的回收方法来处理报废的硅太阳能电池板。在此，我们报告了一种简单的盐蚀刻方法，可在不使用有毒矿物酸和不产生二次污染的情况下回收报废硅太阳能电池板中的银和硅。这种蚀刻工艺得益于熔融氢氧化物的高腐蚀性，它通过自上而下的方向与硅晶片表面的 SiNx、SiO2、Al2O3 和 Al 自发发生反应，从而直接将 Ag 从硅晶片中分离出来。蚀刻过程仅需 180 秒，即可从报废硅太阳能电池板中回收 99.0% 的银和 98.0% 的硅。此外，硅太阳能电池板中的铜、铅、锡和铝也通过氧化、碱性浸出和电沉积相结合的方法得到了回收。总之，这项研究提出了一种可持续管理报废硅太阳能电池板的可行方法，为循环经济铺平了道路。硅太阳能电池板是能源转型的核心技术，其生产的蓬勃发展要求对其进行适当的报废管理。在此，作者提出了一种盐蚀方法，能够在不使用有毒试剂的情况下，高效回收报废硅太阳能电池板中的关键材料。
{"title":"Recycling of silicon solar panels through a salt-etching approach","authors":"Shuaibo Gao, Xiang Chen, Jiakang Qu, Yanyang Guo, Hao Shi, Fangzhao Pang, Lei Guo, Xin Qu, Dihua Wang, Huayi Yin","doi":"10.1038/s41893-024-01360-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-024-01360-4","url":null,"abstract":"The production and use of silicon (Si) solar panels is soaring during the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system. To mitigate their environmental footprints, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient recycling method to handle end-of-life Si solar panels. Here we report a simple salt-etching approach to recycle Ag and Si from end-of-life Si solar panels without using toxic mineral acids and generating secondary pollution. The etching process is enabled by the high corrosivity of molten hydroxide that spontaneously reacts with SiNx, SiO2, Al2O3 and Al at the surface of Si wafers through the top-down direction, thereby directly separating Ag from Si wafers. The etching process takes only 180 s to recover >99.0% of Ag and >98.0% of Si from end-of-life Si solar panels. In addition, Cu, Pb, Sn and Al in Si solar panels are also recovered through a combined oxidation, alkaline leaching and electrodeposition approach. Overall, this study presents a viable approach for sustainable management of end-of-life Si solar panels, paving the way to a circular economy. The booming production of silicon solar panels, a core technology in the energy transition, calls for proper end-of-life management. Here the authors propose a salt-etching approach that enables efficient recycling of critical materials from end-of-life silicon solar panels, without the use of toxic reagents.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"7 7","pages":"920-930"},"PeriodicalIF":25.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141271652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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