Liquid gold the green answer for the natural energy resources of tomorrow

Image via Wikipedia  Pee power?Many environmentalists dream of a 'green future' - a world in which cars, homes and industries can rely on a clean, abundant and  renewable  resource such as wind and solar radiation. But that future may be as much mellow yellow as grassy green, thanks to another  natural resource that most of us would not think of - urine.

Planet earth's nearly 8 billion people flush away an estimated 10 billion litres (2.6 billion gallons) of urine daily. Domestic animals such as cows and pigs contribute twice as much. Add to that the millions of sheep that make their own contribution as well.

Geraldine Botte, a chemical engineer at Ohio University in the US, thinks throwing all that money away is a waste of (literally) a golden opportunity. What urine contains is something that many scientists have called the fuel of the future - hydrogen.

Professor Botte claims they have made a breakthrough,, because hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. However it does not exist alone but in combination with other elements. An economical method must be found to break  those chemical bonds. And that is just what she and her team at Ohio University are actually doing; they are confident that success is just on the horizon. Pee power is close to a reality!

www.ohio.edu/engineering/news/upload/liquid --gold-color.pdf 

http://ecospree.com

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Research team granted $122 million to develop liquid fuel from sunlight...

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Research team awarded $122 million to develop liquid fuel from sunlight...



The Department of Energy has awarded a $122 million grant to a team of researchers based out of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to develop an efficient process for creating liquid fuel from sunlight. The process would essentially create artificial photosynthesis, but instead of converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar like plants do, researchers will create oxygen and hydrocarbons-the essential component of fuel used in combustion engines.



The potential applications of sunlight-to-fuel technology include carbon capture techniques that could allow factories and power plants to convert their carbon emissions into combustible fuel and oxygen on-site. Of course, implementation of any such method is anything but certain and years-if not decades-down the road.



Artificial photosynthesis is not a new idea, though issues of cost, scaling and efficiency have plagued the technology and prevented any serious attempts to move it out of the laboratory. The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis hopes to tackle these problems by using cobalt oxide nanocrystals as a catalyst in the photooxidation process. The nanocrystals are smaller and faster than other materials that have been used in artificial photosynthesis research, allowing for a much more efficient absorption of photons. Cobalt oxide is also cheap and abundant, whereas some of the other catalysts that have been experimented on are among the rarest and most expensive metals on earth.



Another challenge the team hopes to overcome is eliminating the intermediary processes that drive up costs and prevent viability. The JCAP will attempt to directly create a liquid fuel that doesn't need to be refined any further. In the past, researchers have been able to use solar energy to produce methane and other other gases that would then need to be liquified and refined in order to be used as fuel. Those processes greatly multiply the cost of production.



The JCAP will be led by researchers from Cal Tech, and is one of three Energy Innovation Hubs that DOE secretary Steven Chu will create for advanced energy research. A nuclear research hub was announced in May, and the department plans to announce one more in the coming months

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20 best Ted talks on the Environment - from The Computer Gizmo Blog

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20 Best TED talks on the Environment


Introducing the "The Computer Gizmo Blog" this week.



20 Best TED Talks on the Environment



The non-profit TED is a small organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It began in 1984 as a conference which strived to join people from the three worlds of technology, entertainment, and design. Shortly after, it became well known for the talks given by experts in each of their respective fields. Since the inception of the internet and video streaming, it has grown into a gigantic site, with a huge database. Best of all, it is free for the viewing and completely ad free.



If sifting through the net, or even TED itself, for expert information on the environment, stop here. Below are the 20 best TED talks on the environment loaded with experts, scientist, and well-known environmental activists. They are listed by current number of “most favorite all time.” Averaging about ten to 20 minutes in length each, a few hours can have you seeing the Earth in a whole new light.

http://becomingacomputertechnician.com/?page_id=107

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Japan restarts costly fast-breeder nuclear reactor...

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Japan restarts costly fast-breeder nuclear reactor....


Japan has restarted a costly fast-breeder nuclear reactor for the first time since it was closed down fourteen years ago because of a major accident and cover-up.



The experimental reactor Monju in the northern fishing town of Tsuruga, uses plutonium instead of the conventional uranium and produces radioactive substances that can actually be reused as fuel.



Monju's startup in August 1995 lasted only four months after it leaked volatile liquid sodium. No one was apparently hurt in the accident and no radioactivity escaped, but the operator's came under fire for concealing the extensive damage that was caused to the reactor.



This type of reactor could become more acceptable because it reuses waste product in its operation.

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UCSD Installs Solar Trees - alternative energy technology...

Looking at alternative energy technology - read below.


UCSD Installs Solar Trees;

The University of California, San Diego, which strives to be one of the nation’s “greenest” college campuses, is installing solar trees on the roof of two of its parking garages.

Fresno State completed a similar installation last year.

Steel components at the Uiversity of California have already taken shape, forming frameworks that will soon be fitted with a canopy of Kyocera photovoltaic modules to provide energy for the campus.

Each solar tree at UCSD will generate more than 17,000 hours of energy per year; enough to power more than four single-family homes; and avoid 13.2 metric tons of carbon emissions.

In addition, the design offers the option to install an outlet for electric vehicle charging.

The solar tree is the creation of Envision.

Parking lots are seen as a prime location for solar power installations. Google has installed solar canopies on its parking lots to satisfy 30 percent of its headquarters’ power demand.

Read