Tag Archives: Energy

Scientists have created a device that produces plastic from CO2 and sunlight energy from artificial photosynthesis.

Posted on November 26, 2017 by | 1 comment

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have created a device that imitates natural photosynthesis and uses a greenhouse gas to make ethylene gas (a primary ingredient in polyethylene, the most common plastic in the world). This method requires only sunlight, water and CO2,making for a non-destructive and eco-friendly alternative to current ethylene production methods.

Polyethylene demand and production challenges

Polyethylene is in extremely high demand for its use in everyday objects. Humans produce 10`s of millions of tonnes of polyethylene each year, and demand is increasing in correlation with the exponentially growing population. According to a study done from the Freedonia Group, demand for polyethylene will surpass 220 million tonnes by 2020.

Current methods of ethylene production require the burning of fossil fuels, which pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. Producing one pound of ethylene returns two pounds of carbon dioxide [3]. Additionally, fossil fuels are a limited resource, straining its availability. These challenges have driven Professor Jason Yeo Boon Siang and his team in finding a renewable and environmentally-friendly way of producing ethylene

Artificial photosynthesis and ethylene production

Two photosynthetic by-products are crucial to our existence: Sugars and oxygen. These products make photosynthesis important to humans. Photosynthesis is defined as  the chemical process in which plants use the energy of the sun to make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. This is nature`s convenient method of handling carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

In 2015, the scientific team created a copper catalyst that could produce ethylene in the presence of water and carbon dioxide when stimulated with electricity. They then combined this copper catalyst with an artificial photosynthesis system to create a device that could create ethylene by using solar energy in place of electricity. This prototype, if up-scaled on an industrial level, could revolutionize the current eco-harming methods of polyethylene production, and could potentially decrease CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere for future years to come. Not only does this new device produce ethylene with a clean and renewable energy source, it also cleans the air we breath!

Doctor Yeo said: “Carbon capture is a key step in fighting human-driven climate change. There has been a steady increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, because the rate of carbon dioxide emissions exceeds that of carbon capture. This has been attributed as a major cause of global warming which leads to undesirable environmental changes. Our device not only employs a completely renewable energy source, but also converts carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas into something useful. This could potentially close the carbon cycle.”

The future of sustainable plastic production:

 

Source:

  1. National University of Singapore. “Scientists develop artificial photosynthesis device fo greener ethylene production.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 November 2017      <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171124084755.htm>.
  2. Peng, Y.; Wu, T.; Sun, L.; Nsanzimana, J. M. V.; Fisher, A. C.; Wang, X. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2017, 9 (38), 32782–32789.
  3. Posen, I. D., Jaramillo, P., Landis, A. E., & Griffin, W. M. (2017). Greenhouse gas mitigation for U.S. plastics production: energy first, feedstocks later. Environmental Research Letters, 12(3), 034024. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa60a7

-Sina Alavi

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Posted in Economy, Manufacturing, News, Synthesis

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WAKE UP. Take a coffee nap.

It’s late afternoon now. You had your perfect cup of coffee in the morning, but the day has taken its toll on you. Shall you go for another cup? Or perhaps a nap to wake you up?

I recommend to you not either or, but both! Yes, the best of both worlds: the coffee nap.

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Coffee Nap: a cup of coffee then a nap (see, I google “coffee nap” and I get sleeping animals). 

Left: Wikimedia Commons – Julius Schorzman.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG

Right: Pixabay – Scheeze. https://pixabay.com/en/cat-sleeping-nap-bed-portrait-pet-2092451/

Why aren’t coffee naps a trend? Scientists discovered two decades ago that drinking a cup of coffee, then napping for 20 minutes will boost your energy way more than a regular nap or coffee. Sleepy people who took a 15-minute coffee nap before being tested in a driving simulator scored higher. Research also says that coffee naps wake you up more than face washing, bright light, taking breaks, and coffee or napping separately.

So how do coffee naps work? First let’s learn how caffeine wakes you up.

Caffeine, a chemical in coffee, enters your bloodstream about twenty minutes after you drink it. It makes it way to your brain where it fills receptors which are normally filled by adenosine, another chemical. This happens because caffeine is similarly shaped to adenosine.

The chemical structures of caffeine and adenosine. Note how similar they are: they both have N (Nitrogen), O (Oxygen), and ring structures in their chemistry.

Wikimedia Commons: Edgar181. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caffeine_and_adenosine.png

What does adenosine do? Adenosine builds up in your brain with each moment you are awake, and when it fills receptors it makes you sleepy. But when caffeine blocks adenosine, you don’t become sleepy.

A nap works in a similar way. Sleep doesn’t block, but removes adenosine from the brain. But if you sleep for more than twenty minutes, you fall into a deep sleep and become less alert when you wake up. So short, power naps are actually effective!

Now let’s put caffeine and napping together. First your nap removes adenosine from your brain so the receptors are less filled. Then, at twenty minutes, caffeine comes in and blocks more receptors than it could have without the help of adenosine. The result? Your afternoon rescue.

So take that coffee nap! Even half-sleeping for twenty minutes will be helpful, and you can also drink other caffeine beverages.

As for me, even though I still don’t drink coffee, and can’t nap either, I will give it a shot. Let me know how it goes for you!

Cheers,

Ivy Wu

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Posted on November 2, 2017 by in Admin

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First Time Ocean Floor Mining in Human History, Now What?

Posted on October 23, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Despite our growing need for natural resources, should we still retrieve the resources while we might pay a huge price? In August 2017, the first large-scale seabed mining activity in human history has been approved with a 2-2 vote by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA): the company Trans-Tasman Resources can now mine Iron sand in South Taranaki in New Zealand. Although it will bring more iron ores and job positions, it will certainly bring harmful effects on marine ecosystem and humans, and the severity of the adverse impact on seafloor ecosystem is still unclear.

Map of Seabed Mining Site: Credits: Frances Cook, NewYork Time

Location and Technology

The mining site is over 25 km offshore along the Taranaki coastal-line. Trans-Tasman Resources will remove 5 million tons of iron sand annually for up to 35 years from the around 19 to 42m depth underneath the ocean surface. The total mining area will be 65.76km2, starting from 5km2 in the first year.

They will use an integrated mining/processing vessel attached to a suction crawl. The suction crawl would remove anything on the seedbed including the sea-organisms on the seabed and form a pit hole, then separate the iron ores by depositing other materials including sands and dead organisms into the sea. Then the minerals will be exported onshore directly from the storage ship. The short video below explains the mining technology clearly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=nbOvX8eoOSw

Impacts

Trans-Tasman Resources is consent to have adverse effects on the marine lives or marine environment. During their mining procedure, the entire seabed will be removed, along with the sessile organisms, such as seaweeds. The motile creatures such as fishes and mammals would be affected by habitat loss, as well as the noise and/or electromagnetic radiations. Some mammals might experience negative behavior changes including extreme avoidance of their habitats; some could become less capable fleeing from their predators due to the noise effects, and some will lose their food resources. This would lead to species loss, and eventually biodiversity loss.

Humans health might also be affected by this project eventually. As New Zealand also has a long history of commercial fisheries, people might be harmed from the possible bioaccumulation of heavy metals in their seafood. The toxicity generated from the mining procedure can be eaten and stored by the fishes, and eventually consumed by people. This could possibly damage humans’ organs and/or nervous systems. Since it is still unclear about how far exactly can the pollutions in the mining area span, it would be even more difficult to prevent the health issues in humans.

Now what?

Although we now understand the risks and impacts of the mining project a little bit, unfortunately, it would be almost impossible for us to stop the mining project now, according to the approval agreement. However, as a part of the public, we can still put pressure on the government to allow the scientists monitor this project closely, and develop new regulations for this type of mining activities in future. With more measurements, scientists can then reduce the uncertainty, and manage the environmental impact more adaptively in future.

-Lilo Wang

 

 

 

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Protect Yourself From Nonsense

Posted on October 23, 2017 by | 1 comment

Since the dawn of civilization, humans have considered protection to be a vital aspect of their lives. From hunter-gatherers trading berries for spears, to serfs selling their goods to a lord for his knights, protection from harm has always been something of value to us. In modern society, scientific advances lead to new threats to our safety and way of living, such as the atomic bomb or climate change. From this progress will always rise those who try to take advantage of others due to their lack of understanding, such as the extortion of taxes from illiterate farmers. An example of this is the wonderful Vybe Energy Pendant, which claims to “Protect you from what the eye cannot see”.

This pendant claims the following benefits (taken from the Protect Your Vybes website):

  1. We are surrounded by things like cell phones, laptops, television, electrical appliances, and so on. These devices emit Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF) which is a known human carcinogen and negatively effects our thoughts, memory, focus, and bodily functions.
  2. Energy Pendants eliminate EMF effects, giving you a protected mind, body, and soul.
  3. This is a 100% natural and Earth-made product.
  4. The benefits of the Energy Pendant have been known for hundreds of years and kept secret due to it’s complexity.
  5. There are multiple studies and tests that have been performed throughout the years that show that the Energy Pendants do much more than just protect you from EMF.

For those who are interested, I would recommend checking out the website and the associated video, both of which are a good laugh if you find this kind of stuff funny. I for one, do not. This company uses blatant pseudoscience to sell their product to a target audience clearly defined as those who are ignorant to rudimentary science. My main issue with this product isn’t that it exists, but rather that it claims to be “Backed by Scientific Evidence that proves the benefits of this product”. First off, experimental evidence can never prove something; it can only lend weight to the validity of a hypothesis. Second, the “scientific evidence” they cite is never explained.

“This photo shows shows the enhanced blood flow after wearing the pendant through thermal tests and photos.” Photo Credit

The images provided on the website just show useless values without any information to back why it is important or valid. For the target audience however, simply having these “scientific images” likely provides proof of the pendant’s function.

To be frank, there is so much wrong with this advertising that it would take an essay to point out all of it. The main point of this blog is to simply identify that much of this pseudoscience exists and is being used to exploit those who are not scientifically literate. This will unfortunately continue though, because “People fear what they cannot understand and what they cannot control.” -Andrew Smith. But hey, if you want to buy one they’re $35.

Jake Medeiros

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