I feel like naming something Q is about as tone deaf, or as much of a dog whistle, as making something have the acronym ISIS

Exactly, it’s just being dumped right now as a pollutant.

Can reject/waste from desalination plants be used for sodium batteries?

It only looks like insider trading if you forget the definition of insider trading and only read a headline curated to ignore the important details that show small, consistent sales across time regardless of company activities.