Besides poop, humans contribute much more to our sewage systems. Vegetable oils and animal fats from food scraps and washed dishes are some things that are also contributed.
Chemistry professor Lawrence Pratt wants to use pyrolysis to transform grease into fuel. Pyrolysis breaks down compounds into smaller molecules by heating them without oxygen to avoid burning. Pyrolysis would melt the grease and distill its vapors making it very similar to gasoline and thus, compatible with internal-combustion engines or a home-heating unit. All that's needed to collect the grease is a midsize wastewater plant that would averagely collect 15,000 tons of grease per year. This could produce 2.5 million gallons of fuel, enough to fuel 7,000 homes. Source: http://www.popsci.com/one-day-sewage-might-help-us-power-our-homes
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New research done by a team from Switzerland and the United States suggests that the simple contact between saltwater and freshwater at the end of a river can be a massive source of energy because of osmosis.
The researchers built an osmotic power generator that in one side contains a higher concentration of seawater ions that the other side. The membrane contains a single opening that allows the passing of positive ions. As the ions make their way through the membrane their electrons move to the electrode providing a current. If this same design was used for other generators of greater size large amounts of energy could be generated. It's estimated that even just one square meter in size could produce 1 megawatt of energy. That's enough to power about 750 homes. Source: http://www.popsci.com/this-power-generator-runs-on-saltwater America's first offshore wind farm is finally here! This experiment is highly influenced by offshore wind farms in both Asia and Europe that have proven to be effective. This a great source of potential energy but it does have some questionable factors.
For instance, it is just still an experiment. Researches first want to know the dangers they face having this offshore wind farm and it not being supervised the 24 hours of the day. Although they are training workers to supervise the wind farms it isn't an all day thing. Also, trained workers face danger supervising these wind farms. They never know when an earthquake or a hurricane could hit the area and being on the wind farms at that time isn't the greatest idea. Even though the workers are being trained to evacuate in case of an emergency, they still face grave danger because the safest way to get out of the area is to go up the helipad, attach yourself to the system, and jump off. Something else to take into consideration is the cost of having offshore wind farms. The cost alone to build 5 wind turbines was $300 million and if this experiment does end up being accepted, the cost would be immense to distribute these wind turbines across the northeast. The cost for a cable from Block Island to the main island was an additional $107 million dollars. Overall, this is a very great step to going green and would be incredible if it passed the experiment phase. Programmed to start sending power to the mainland as soon as January, this Block Island project is being highly considered by states in the Northeastern usually, especially Massachusetts and New York. Source: www.popsci.com/future-energy-is-blowing-in-wind#page-5 The U.S department of energy and the University of Illinois partnered up to try and figure out if there was a way to convert carbon dioxide into a source of energy or something of the equivalent.
They were successful in the process and figured out that in order to make carbon dioxide react more readily, they had to find a catalyst in order to do so. This process is very similar so photosynthesis because just like plants use a catalyst to produce sugar, carbon dioxide will use a catalyst to produce energy. Scientists were able to use this catalyst to cause carbon dioxide to produce carbon monoxide. Although carbon monoxide is still a greenhouse gas, scientists know how to convert carbon monoxide into methanol. Methanol can then be used as a source of fuel. To make matters even better, the process that carbon dioxide went through was proven to lose a minimal amount of energy making it a very efficient reaction. Source: http://breakingenergy.com/2016/08/24/a-new-leaf-scientists-turn-carbon-dioxide-back-into-fuel/ The ZERO-System Sustainable Land Association and Portuguese Renewable Energy Association have determined that between 6:45 am on May 7 and and 5:45 pm on May 11, Portugal's total energy use was all covered by renewable energy sources.The World Economic Forum reports that Portugal has been building up its renewable energy sources for the past few years. In 2013, the country reportedly generated 7.5 percent of its electricity with wind power, increasing to 22 percent last year. In addition, WEF says, Portugal got about half of its energy from renewable sources (including solar and hydro power) in 2015.
While four days doesn't seem like much, it's an encouraging prospect that an entire country can meet its energy demands through renewables. Perhaps it will inspire those who are particularly driven by friendly competition. Source: http://www.popsci.com/entire-country-portugal-runs-on-renewable-energy-for-4-days Businesses are driving a lot of the growth in clean energy. That’s because emerging technologies offer a bigger upside to companies that can pay high up-front costs, purchase in bulk and reap the long-term benefits. Corporations can save big by buying solar or wind energy at a low fixed cost through large-scale power purchase agreements. This allows companies to guard against volatility in the fossil fuel market, to say nothing of the reputational perks.
Apple, Google, Microsoft, IKEA and even News Corp, parent company of Fox News, have made enormous investments in renewables. New generating capacity added by corporations has more than doubled every year since 2012, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute. As part of the new campaign, today Facebook pledged to getting 50 percent of its energy from clean sources by 2018. Wells Fargo committed to buying enough renewable energy to power 100 percent of its operations by 2017. Several other influential corporations laid out similar goals. These corporate commitments will push renewables even further, spurring the growth of clean power. Before long, solar panels and electric cars could be just as commonplace as the personal computer. Source: http://www.popsci.com/renewable-energy-is-about-to-boom-thanks-to-new-white-house-initiative Instead of searching for an outlet to keep your phone alive, what if all you needed was some sunshine? An MIT startup has created a transparent coating that transforms surfaces into solar panels.
The panels would have to be dark, because the darker a material, the more visible light it absorbs. The idea of transparent panels would usually get dismissed because they don’t, by definition, absorb any visible light—it just passes right through them. Ubiquitous Energy has created a coating made of organic molecules that absorb the sun’s ultraviolet and infrared rays. Since the light isn’t in the visible range, the coating appears clear. The material doubles as a semiconductor: When photons hit the surface, they excite electrons that flow as an electrical current to power the device. “You can put the coating on anything and turn it into an electrical source,” says company founder Miles Barr—smartwatches, phones, windows, or even cars. When the tech is mature, Barr anticipates it will convert solar energy into electricity with 10 percent efficiency—two-thirds the industry average for solar panels. Who doesn’t want an excuse to spend more time at the beach? For full article: http://www.popsci.com/turn-your-smartphone-into-solar-panel
With a special ink being used, a 3D printer calla lily responded to it's environment. The components of the ink included hydro-gel and cellulose, a big component found in cell walls of many plants. Hydro-gel swells up when it's in water and due to this the flower is able to "respond to it's environment" by moving and changing shape.
Researchers also created a mathematical model of how they thought that the flower was going to react. Because of that model the researchers can control the movements of the flower by "manipulating the pattern of cellulose fibers within the gel." With this technology achievement, researchers hope to be able to develop bio-medical devices, smart textiles, and transformable tissue engineering. Their plan is that since this 3D flower responded to water, than they can also print material that responds to light and temperature. Full article here: http://www.popsci.com/4-d-printed-flowers?image=2 The robot designed and built by Hydronalix is remotely piloted and named "EMILY." EMILY contains a five-foot long flag that lets its operator see it from sea. The purpose of the robot is to help save refugees in boats on the Mediterranean and Aegean.
EMILY can pull a rescue line up yo 2,400 feet and has the capacity to carry up to five people. The way it works is very simple and effective. Once a person has grabbed it, the tether can be reeled in and the people are places onboard a seaworthy vessel. Although EMILY's batteries only last up to 20 minutes they can be changed very quickly and easily. EMILY is a little over four feet long and has a speed of 22 mph. EMILY is still in process to be approved and is being tested for ten days on the island of Lesvos. The plan is to take EMILY from a testing stage to a permanent rescue installation to help the Syrian refugees. For full article:http://www.popsci.com/greek-coastguard-tests-robotic-life-preserver Tesla announced their release of "low costing batteries" that will sell for $3,500. These batteries are solar and are said to aid in business, homes, and other utilities. The batteries are small enough to be hung outside a garage. The Nevada facility will be the largest producer of these batteries.
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