The sleek, fuel-saving airplanes coated with synthetic shark skin
Sep 5, 2024
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Akshat Rathi, a senior reporter at Bloomberg Green, dives into innovative climate solutions with founders Henry Bilinsky of MicroTau and Steven Vassiloudis of Novalith. They discuss MicroTau’s shark skin-inspired film that enhances airplane aerodynamics to save fuel and reduce emissions. Vassiloudis explains Novalith's cleaner lithium manufacturing process to tackle environmental challenges. Together, they highlight the optimism and hurdles of developing sustainable technologies amidst the race for net-zero carbon emissions.
MicroTau's shark skin-inspired plastic film aims to reduce airplane fuel consumption by 4%, demonstrating the potential for nature-inspired innovation in aviation.
Novolith intends to revolutionize lithium extraction by using carbonic acid, potentially creating a cleaner, more sustainable supply chain for electric vehicle batteries.
Deep dives
Innovative Shark Skin Technology
A startup has developed a textured plastic film that mimics the unique surface of shark skin to reduce drag on airplanes. This innovative product aims to improve fuel efficiency, potentially lowering fuel consumption by about 4% per flight. Although this may seem modest, scaling this technology across the global aviation industry could lead to substantial savings in fuel and emissions. This initiative reflects a growing trend toward integrating nature-inspired designs to enhance efficiency in various sectors.
Funding and Future Applications
The startup MicroTow secured significant funding, including a $3 million grant from the Australian government, to conduct trials with airlines like Jetstar. Its technology has the potential not only for aviation but also for marine applications, such as boats and submarines, that benefit from reduced drag. As they prepare for future testing, the company aims to expand the use of their product beyond planes into different modes of transport. This strategy showcases the versatility of their shark skin-inspired technology in contributing to broader environmental goals.
Addressing the Scale Gap in Climate Technology
The discussion highlights the challenges faced by climate technology startups, particularly the difficulty of scaling innovative solutions due to financial barriers and market acceptance. Identifying and closing the 'scale gap'—a $150 billion challenge—could foster significant advancements in various climate technology sectors. By addressing deployment constraints, the potential exists for impactful innovations to transform industries and facilitate the transition to a more sustainable economy. This highlights the importance of investment and support for startups engaged in groundbreaking environmental solutions.
Revolutionizing Lithium Extraction
Another startup, Novolith, aims to revolutionize lithium extraction processes by replacing harmful sulfuric acid with carbonic acid derived from CO2 and water. This method not only enhances the efficiency of lithium extraction but also has the potential to reduce carbon emissions, making it more environmentally friendly. If successful, this technology could pave the way for producing cleaner lithium essential for electric vehicle batteries. The vision to make lithium extraction carbon negative exemplifies the need for sustainable practices in meeting the growing demand for lithium in a rapidly electrifying world.
Achieving net-zero carbon emissions is a massive challenge for every industry, but some have it harder than others. This week, Bloomberg Green senior reporter Akshat Rathi spoke with two Australian startups that are tackling carbon emissions in sectors whose carbon footprints are particularly intractable. Inspired by shark skin, MicroTau is creating a plastic film that makes airplanes more aerodynamic, reducing their fuel consumption. Novalith, meanwhile, is redesigning lithium battery manufacturing to make it cleaner. Both have received funding from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation in Australia. Rathi sat down with MicroTau founder Henry Bilinsky and Novalith Chief Executive Officer Steven Vassiloudis to understand the challenges their startups face and where they find optimism.
Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producers are Mythili Rao, Oscar Boyd, Tiffany Tsoi, Sommer Saadi and Magnus Henriksson. Special thanks this week to Kira Bindrim, Will Mathis. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.