Geothermal Energy Keeps Turkeys Comfortable And Saves Farmers’ Money

University of Missouri, USA, professor uses geothermal energy to keep live turkeys comfortable during both cold and hot weather. It is intended to reduce utility costs while improving the air quality for turkeys. In the system continuous loop of pipes are buried horizontally few feet beneath the soil surface with liquid circulating in it. At this level the soil temperature remains fairly constant at around 55 to 65 degrees F throughout the year. In winter, the water in the pipes transfers the earth’s heat into the building and in summer, the circulating water brings cool air into the building, transferring heat back into the ground.

The installation and maintenance cost will be cheaper than other conventional geothermal systems which have vertical structure. Geothermal energy also doesn't generate any greenhouse gases and is independent on wind or sunlight. In the future, the system will use an artificial wetland above the buried tubes to further insulate them.

“This is our first prototype of a geothermal system in a commercial livestock operation,” said Yun-Sheng Xu, associate research professor in civil and environmental engineering. “Our first set of performance data suggests that farmers could cut their heating costs in half at current propane prices. Currently, two units are installed at the test farm.

“Similar systems could be installed in other livestock operations,” Xu said. “It might work better in a chicken house, since they use solid walls as opposed to the curtains used to enclose turkey barns. Pig-and-cattle-rearing facilities could benefit from the inexpensive hot water produced using a geothermal system. The system also could be scaled down to keep a doghouse comfortable in the backyard.”

For more information, please visit: http://engineering.missouri.edu/2012/06/laying-the-groundwork-for-agricultural-use-of-groundsource-energy/

Micro Fuel Cell Made From Glass

Yale University researchers have developed a new micro fuel cell using bulk metallic glass (BMG) that is long-lasting, low-cost and environmental-friendly. The goal is to one day replace the traditional fragile, inefficient and expensive silicon and stainless steel based micro fuel cell used in portable electronic gadgets.

Assistant professor Andre D. Taylor of Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science said that, "These amorphous metal alloys are amazing materials that can be easily shaped into both large and small nanostructures, yet retain suitable properties for a wide range of electrochemical applications". Also, silicon is a brittle and poor electricity conductor, and stainless steel is prone to corrosion. Special coatings are required which increase production costs. Fabricating metal components on the nanoscale is complex and time-consuming also. BMG will solve all these problems.

The micro fuel cell sized 3 cubic centimeters was made with zirconium and platinum compounds. In tests, researchers were able to prove that it generates electricity. Now the focus is to improve its efficiency so that one day it could power things like smartphones, tablets or remote sensors.

2012 World's Worst Toxic Pollution Problems

Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland have published the 2012 The World’s Worst Pollution Problems report attempting to quantify how human health was impacted by specific industries and toxic pollutants created. This evaluation is based on data collected on toxic hotspots around the world. Below table shows the 10 worst industrial pollutions on 2012.

DALY means "disability-adjusted life year". It measures the overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death. One DALY, therefore, is equal to one year of healthy life lost.

The study also indicates that the impact on health in low and middle income countries from these sites, identified as blue dots on the map below, is very significant and likely higher than in the developed world.

You can get the complete report from http://www.worstpolluted.org/2012-report.html

Polar Ice Sheets Are Melting 3 times Faster Now!

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

 

Researchers from NASA and the European Space Agency have worked together to study the rate of ice sheet meeting in Greenland and Antarctica. They found that the ice sheets are melting 3 times faster than in the 90s.

The melted ice sheets will raise the sea-level by 0.04 inches annually, compared to only 0.01 inches 20 years ago. Since 1992 the melted ice sheets have raised the sea-level by 0.44 inches. Greenland contributes about 2/3 of the losses and 1/3 is from Antarctica.

According to scientist Erik Ivins from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "...the pace of ice loss from Greenland is extraordinary, with nearly a five-fold increase since the mid-1990s, ... In contrast, the overall loss of ice in Antarctica has remained fairly constant, with the data suggesting a 50-percent increase in Antarctic ice loss during the last decade."