Bugs that eat waste and make petrolem... Too good to be true?

Reaction: I thought this was so unuasual and interesting to see bugs that are able to produce a substance similar to crude oil. The only big problem with this is how little it is able produce. Since the bugs are so small it can only produce one barrel a week and that is so small compared to our weekly consumption. I believe if they are able to find a way to get more of this excretion out of the bugs it is a great source of energy. A big plus on the bug resource is that it is renewable and geneticaly alternated so we will never have to run out as long as we can keep producing the bugs. Along with the renewable portion the polution is better also because it is carbon negative.

Questions:

1. Who is one of the main scientists working on this resource?

2. What has been done to the bugs so that they are able to be used a alternate resource for energy?

3. What substance does the bugs excrete?

4. How many square miles would have to be built for this resource to work?

5. Do you think this would be a good source of eergy if able to produce more?

Brianna Branco

Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol

Greg Pal a former software executive has been finding a way to make tiny bugs into petroleom.The bugs are geneticly alternated and are made to feed of agriculture waste. When doing so the excrete crude oil. Theoreticaly this excretion could be pured into a vehicle and be able to run. Pal believes it will take a few months

before this renewable petroleum will be suitable for cars. The labratory

and testings are being funded by $20 million of start-up capital from investors including Vinod Khosla, the Indian-American entrepreneur. T

he company claims that this “Oil 2.0” will not only be renewable but also carbon negative – meaning that the carbon it emits will be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made.The bugs are bein

g caled LS9's. The bugs are single-cell organisms, each a fraction of a billionth the size of an ant. Because crude oil is only a few molecular stages removed from the fatty acids normally excreted by yeast or E. coli during fermentation, it does not take much testing to get the desired result. Fermentation is the process of deriving energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates. For this process to take place there must be raw material or feedstock so it can be brocken down into sugars. When the byproduct is burnt it produces electricity to run the plants. Using genetically modified bugs for fermentation is very close to using natural bacteria to produce ethanol. Although the bugs excrete a substance that is pump ready, the machine that is used to ferment the bugs can only produce one barrel a week of the petroleum. To be able to produce Americas weekly consumption of 143 million barrels, a facility of 205 square miles roughly the size of Chicago would have to be built.

Thank God for the Military

Because people are constantly attacking fuel convoys, the military are frantically looking for ways to promote more newer energy sources. Solar powered and energy conservers are important, and the marines are going to be the first ones to actually take them into battle. The gonverment has put renewable resources on hold because of recession but the military is speeding it back up. Fossil Fuels are becoming more and more of a liability, and as renewable resources are becoming less and less expensive its easier to put them in place. In Afghanistan fuel trucks are just sitting ducks for bombing and its becoming harder and harder just to try and protect them. By 2020 the plan is to have half of the Navy and Marine resources to come from renewable. "Fossil fuel accounts for 30 to 80 percent of the load in convoys into Afghanistan, bringing costs as well as risk. While the military buys gas for just over $1 a gallon, getting that gallon to some forward operating bases costs $400." Last year the Navy introduced the first hybrid vessal and the Air force will have their entire fleet carried out on biofuel by next year.

Questions:

1) Do you think what the military is doing is good?

2) If you were part of the military is this something you would put in place

3) How much is getting one gallon of gas to operating bases cost?

4) What year does the military plan to have 50% of their resources renewable?

Response: I'm so glad that someone has realized what they are doing and are really trying to change it. Though the change may have come from a nessesity rather than their own choices, but it still is a change in the right direction. I think this will really effect everyone in the right way, maybe have an influence on everyone that will change the world.

Sweden Using the Power of Waste

Link to Article

Summary:

The city of Kristianstad in Sweden "essentially use no oil, natural gas or coal to heat homes and businesses, even during the long frigid winters." This city is an epicenter for agriculture, and

so, they produce energy from many different objects, such as potato peels and even pig intestines. Stale cookies too! A power plant uses a biological process to turn the waste into a form of methane,

called biogas, which is then refined to fuel cars or burned to create electricity and heat. Soon enough, the city of Kristianstad started burning and refining gas from landfills and sewage ponds.

In Kristianstad, there are many biogas plants, but in the United States, they are rare, with only around 151 of these types of plants, and they mostly use manure too. Even in Germany, there are about 5,000 biogas plants.There are so little of these biogas plants in the United States because costs are too high and not many places to sell this biogas to, which is caused by people not creating enough energy for residents.

Biogas still gives off about the same amount of emissions as natural gas, but biogas can be used for fuel, heat, and even electricity while natural gas is mainly used for fuel and heat

ing. Coal is our main source of electricity, but switching to biogas could reduce emissions by more than half, since 51% of our electricity is made with coal. Biogas saves money too. Kristianstad uses about $3.2 million a year to heat buildings in contrast to the $7 million it would of spent without biogas. Also, they did not need to buy half a million

dollars worth of fuel.

Although vehicles would need to be changed in order for it to run on biogas fuel, it reduces the amount of oil needed.

Reaction:

People have already started using waste as a source of energy. This is great, since Kristianstad uses almost no oil, natural gas, or coal too. They do not need to buy and import sources of energy/fuel anymore, which also saves money. I think this is great, using things such as potato peels and even stale cookies to produce energy, fuel, and even heat for everyone. It reduces the amount of waste in landfills and uses sewage waste from ponds, which stop more water pollution. On the other hand, it still gives off emissions that are about the same as naturals gas. Other sources of energy, such as solar power, do not give off much emissions, but this process reduces waste. Natural gas, though, produces the least amount of emissions when compared to oil and coal, which is good. Overall, I think this is a great way to get energy.

1. Where is biogas being used as a main source of energy?
2. About how many biogas plants are there in the United States?
3. The emissions for biogas is about the same as...?
4. How much money did this city save for heating?
5. Do you think people would be willing to buy another car that is compatible with biogas fuel?

MIT researchers discover new energy source

Researchers at MIT have devised a process for generating electricity using nanotechnology. They hope that if they refine the process they will able to create a new, environmentally friendly battery, as well as other products. The process they have devised uses tiny wires, called carbon nanotubes, to create a powerful wave of energy. To create the energy wave the tiny wires are coated with a layer of fuel, which results in the generation of a thermopower wave. The reaction which creates the thermopower wave could eventually be able to be used to power electronics, computers and cell phones. "This could lead to batteries that are up to 10 times smaller and still have the same power output. In the portable energy and energy conservation arena, we're trying to find power sources that have a smaller profile but hold more energy," said Michael Strano, one of the researchers who devised this process and an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT, told CNN Radio. To build a power source, like a battery, electrons must be moved in a material from one end of the battery to the other end, to create an electrical current. The researches found that the thermopower wave that carbon nanotubes generates does this. Strano said "some of the advantages of this technology [are] you can generate a lot of power from a very, very small device." Most of the batteries sold today are made from highly toxic heavy metals. These heavy metals, like lead, nickel and cadmium are very bad for the environment. But, according to Strano, batteries made from this new thermopower technology would be completely nontoxic. There's another potential benefit in using a so-called thermopower battery and that is energy savings. "Most people don't realize a battery sitting unused in your laptop is leaking its power away," Strano said.

Questions: (3-5)
1. Where was this process discovered?
2. What do the researchers hope to use this process for?
3. What is the benefit of this type of power?

Opinion / Reflection
I think this ether could change how portable electronics are powered in the future. Portable electronics could become more powerful, and even smaller with these types of batteries. A lot of heavy metal pollution could be prevented if we begin to use batteries that use this technology. We could stop doing as much environmental damage as we do now, just to power our laptops and cell phones.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/12/mit.research.electricity/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Can Solar Power Lead to Blackouts?

Germany is the leader in solar energy. Their country is currently using the most out of all the other countries, but head of Germany's energy agency DENA, Stephan Kohler, says, "that using to much of the solar energy can cause blackouts." He also goes on to say that the demand for solar energy is low in the morning and high at night. These blackouts can be caused by simply having to much solar energy. The uptake of the solar energy has been so rapid that solar capacity could reach 30 gigawatts, by next year. This is equal to the entire countries weekend power consumption. Germany needs to stop putting up solar panels, this will hopefully help the blackout issue. Daniel Davies looked at the state of California and saw that when they use energy the most is in mid day. They turn on their air conditioners and use them, but in Europe air conditioners are very rare to have.

Reflection- I think that this is a very interesting thing, usually we hear about countries using to much energy, but in Germany's case they are not using enough energy. I never thought that too much solar energy could cause blackouts. It would be very bad if one day you went to go bake a cake and your oven wasn't working, or if you wanted to watch your favorite TV show and were not able to because there was no electricity in your house.

Questions-
1. What is the problem here?
2. Why is this a problem?
3. What is being done to try and help the problem
4. Do you think this is a good idea?
5. What would you do if this was your problem?

Perennial Grains

Article Here

Summary

Jerry Glover, a soil scientist, wants to keep grains growing forever in all seasons. He is trying to create perennial versions of common grians, which will reduce erosion, reduce water runoff and nutrient runoff. This could also dramatically increase our crop yield for grains. Perennials also have very long roots, which go beyond the annually grown grains, as seen in this picture.

These perennials grains will also not require extensive tilling since they grow for years and years. They do not need to be replanted either, and with their long roots, the soil will be more compact and prevent erosion. During bad climates, perennial grains will be more likely to survive too. Jerry Glover is doing this to try and prevent world hunger. Imagine if there was no more people suffering from malnutrition from the lack of food worldwide. 70% of our food comes from grain crops such as corn or wheat. "Regular" grains only last for a season and you have to replant them over and over again while with perennial plants, they continually grow and can be harvested for years and years. Glover thinks that perennials will help stop erosion and protects the soil they are grown in.

Reaction:

I think this is great. Glover has a great idea to help world hunger, protect over environment, and give a higher crop yield, all in one. The roots in these perennial crops prevent as much runoff and save our environment. Farms will also be more eco-friendly and will probably save money with perennial grain crops.

1. How much of out food comes from grain crops?

2. Why is our farms getting worse?

3. Are our regular crops annual?

4. Do you think that this is a good idea?

Sea Turtle Herpes Tumors Linked to Sewage?

Summary
Nitrogen-rich runoff from sewage and farms is causing a rise in invasive seaweed that, when eatten by Hawaiian green sea turtles, may trigger an otherwise dormant herpes virus. This virus causes cauliflower like tumors that grow on a turtle's eyes, mouth, joints, and internal organs. The virus has contributed to declines in the 4 foot-long turtles. Several non-native seaweed species have been introduced into the ocean either accidentally or deliberately to be harvested for food crops and have "escaped" cultivation and spread into the wild. These non-native seaweeds absorb nitrogen from farm run-off and sewage and convert it into an amino acid called arginine. When turtles eat the seaweed with this arginine it awakens dormant herpes viruses in the turtles' bodies that cause the tumors. Because Hawaiian green sea turtles now rely on the invasive seaweed for food because of decline in their native foods, scientists suspect the animals ingest the tumor-causing amino acid at every meal. The scientist, Aguirre said “he suspects other factors, such as water temperature, and possibly additional viruses, are at play.”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/11/101108-green-sea-turtles-tumors-pollution-science-environment/
Opinion / Reflection
I think what is happening to the Hawaiian sea turtles is a terrible thing. I would have thought that I would have heard more about this because sea turtle are creatures that people all over the world adore. They are one of the reasons that many people go to the tropics. I think that the only reason people haven’t heard about this is because it might hurt tourism to Hawaii.
Questions
1. Where are the locations of the cauliflower like tumors?
2. What does the seaweed convert the nitrogen into?
3. What type of sea turtle is being affected by this?