The Sustainability of Our Planet fund focuses on discovering, developing, and adopting sustainable solutions aimed at mitigating the effects of natural resource extraction and use, climate change, land-use change, and other human activities that degrade the environment and pollute Earth. Made possible thanks to the extraordinary vision and generosity of John McDonnell, Class of 1960, the fund is co-organized by the Office of the Dean for Research, the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and the High Meadows Environmental Institute Innovation. The following projects were funded:

Accelerated discovery of ion-selective electrodes for industrial wastewater refining

Ryan Kingsbury, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

This project explores a new approach to reclaiming valuable metals such as copper, nickel, lead and zinc from industrial wastewater. The technology relies on a family of chemical structures known as Prussian Blue analogs (PBAs) that act as electrodes to attract and trap specific metals. The team will conduct computational screenings to identify and optimize PBA structures, and then produce the structures and test them for their ability to remove metals. The approach has the potential to minimize waste of industrial metals, enhance recycling, and reduce dependence on mining.

Agriculture to architecture: Straw building material

• Paul Lewis, Professor of Architecture
• Guy Nordenson, Professor of Architecture

This project will research and test straw-based construction systems with the goal of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide from building materials while fostering economic and social benefits. An agricultural byproduct, straw is inexpensive, lightweight, fast growing, and able to sequester significant amounts of carbon when used in building construction. The team will explore technical designs for straw as both insulation and structural components in ways that lead to new forms of architecture while supporting growing construction demands.

Design of zeotype-confined amines for carbon capture in humid environments

Marcella Lusardi, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Princeton Materials Institute

Materials that capture carbon dioxide from the air could play an important role in meeting climate change goals. One promising class of adsorbent materials for carbon capture is zeolites, which afford tunability in critical properties like confinement and composition, and have demonstrated success in many commercialized technologies at scale.  This project will investigate methods of tailoring the structure and polarity of zeolites to improve their ability to capture carbon in humid environments.