BioPlastics, New Innovations

When making a list of the most promising innovations, the waste may be set aside to become the first topic that comes to mind, even the object of jokes. one of the companies have found ways to use waste to reduce the environmental impact of human and oil dependency.

Wastewater treatment plants can replace petroleum used each year to make plastic packaging.

You’ve probably never given a lot of thought to what happens to wastewater, but it’s a major environmental issue. Municipal water treatment plants nationwide process more than 150 million gallons of wastewater every day. When the treated water is released into a river or ocean, it leaves behind more than four million tons of sludge, mostly burned or trucked away to landfills. That’s a lot of waste, and it’s expensive, costing as much as $200 million annually.

That’s where Micromidas comes in. They’ve figured out how to convert sludge into a usable product. “Literally, we are brewing plastic,” said John Bissel, Micromidas CEO. “It’s very similar to brewing beer or anything else.” It’s been known for a while that a chemical in wastewater can be used to make plastic, but the challenge has always been extracting and converting it at a competitive price compared to the source of most of America’s plastic – oil.

The breakthrough lies in Micromidas’ proprietary process. The company takes sludge, renders it down to a liquid resembling chicken broth, and applies a cocktail of designer bacteria microbes. The chemical reactions that follow change the liquid’s composition into a thicker product, which is then run through an extruding machine, producing plastic.

If the idea catches on, it could mean big business. Nearly five percent of the oil consumed in America, about 300 million barrels a year, goes into making plastic products like shopping bags and water bottles. Combined with reducing costs for wastewater treatment and the impact of sludge being transported and buried at landfills, plastic from sewage makes sense. “Taking wastewater sludge and turning it into a bioplastic is pretty nice,” said Michael Donahue, Sacramento Water Treatment Plant. “It’s a pretty good idea.”

Even so, there’s still one hurdle to clear – the stigma of plastic from poop. But don’t worry; their product will never become water bottles. “Realistically, we’re looking for tertiary packaging applications,” said Bissel. Tertiary refers to third-level packaging, like the layer of plastic surrounding a DVD player, the rings surrounding packs of bottles, or the wrap that secures products on pallets at big box stores around the country.

Other bioplastics are already on the market, but they're derived from plants and are generally more expensive than oil-based plastic. These products require land, fertilizer, and water. By comparison, Bissel says all his technology requires is a laboratory and ingredients unlikely to run out any time soon.

Micromidas’ product will hit markets next year, so we’ll soon find out if sustainable plastic stinks, or if it can come out smelling like roses.
read more...

Evidence Mars Could Be Human Colonies

Hypothesize that Mars could be the place where human beings live, getting closer to the truth.
European Space Agency or the European Space Agency (ESA) states the condition of the red planet suitable for life support - especially the fact that Mars has water content.

Hydrated silicate minerals found by the two satellites, ESA's Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance owned by U.S. space agency, NASA's orbiting a star in the northern lowlands of Mars.

Found indications that water once flowed there. According to principal investigator for Mars from the University of Paris, Jean-Pierre Bibring, water flowed to the surface of Mars about four billion years ago and only lasted a few hundred years."Research shows water ever existed on Mars, but not in a big sea," said Bibring.

Evidence indicates, the Martian crust hydrated in the same way, both north and south.These latest findings contradict the results of American research team published last June 13 in the journal Nature Geoscience that said, the ocean covers a third of the surface of Mars, about 3.5 billion years ago.

"At that time, Mars has lost its atmosphere. Accordingly, the water is no longer stable in the liquid state at the surface," Bibring said."The flow of water can still flow, however, lack of water on the surface means there is no potential for the formation of sea level."

Added Bibring, pressure and temperature when water was not given an opportunity in a stable condition - the liquid state - on the surface. "Some water evaporates, while others went into the ground."

Water, Bibring said could remain on the surface for several days, or weeks. But does not millions of years later.

The researchers found water flowing on Mars a few hundred million years ago - when the sun melt the ice there.
Evidence about a dozen channels that are in the melt glaciers on Mars - scientists have admitted surprise, because the presence of water on Mars could say 'just' than previously thought.

"We think that the planet Mars is cold and dry completely. This fact will change the way we look at Mars," said Brown University planetary geologist, Caleb Fassett.

read more...

Prevent Disturbance of Health By Drinking Water

The water has important health benefits such as improving cognitive abilities, prevention of stone and bladder infections to prevent obesity. Prevent health disorders with adequate water minur.
Water is the largest component in the human body. Contents vary according to age, such as the infant is 80 percent water, in adults by 60 percent and in old age or above 65 years by 50 percent.

Water is also an essential nutrient for healthy body because it acts as a solvent, catalyst, lubricant, regulating body temperature and the provider of minerals and electrolytes.
Lack of water 1 percent of known weight with dehydration. This condition causes the body electrolyte imbalance is characterized by dizziness, fatigue, decreased physical and cognitive abilities as well as health problems.

While dehydration at 2 percent decline in the level of body fluids due to hot weather and exercise can lower the concentration, a second memory (short-term memory) and moving visual perception (visual motor tracking).

Drinking water and safe enough to optimize the health of various organs of the body so it can produce as much as 2 liters of urine a day that proved to prevent kidney stones.

Based on epidemiological studies indicate that the body of waste water at least 2 liters. For that every adult should consume 2-3 liters of water a day depending on the temperature and physical activity.

Soft drinks, beer and apple juice increased the risk of kidney stone formation, while drinking water, lemon juice, tea and coffee reduce the risk of kidney stones.

Besides drinking water and safe enough without being accompanied by withholding urine also reduce the risk of bladder infection.

Dehydration is associated with bladder infections. Because of the volume and low water flow will increase the growth of bacteria in the urinary tract above and below.
Therefore, do not resist the urge to urinate and consume a lot of water is a good combination to prevent urinary tract infections, for the elderly above 65 years are particularly vulnerable to high water intake, this is easy because of hyponatremia (levels of low blood hatrium). Therefore, elderly people should consume 1.5 liters of water.

Water consumption as much as 2-3 liters per day and no more than 1.5 liters for the elderly plus restraint not to urinate is highly recommended in preventing the occurrence of stones and urinary tract infections and other health disorders.

read more...