Considering the Environmental Impact of 3D Printing

Manufacturing with 3D printing is now a fast-growing field, with the technology becoming more accessible and affordable. Some think that it will revolutionize all kinds of manufacturing. But, while it offers some advantages, the process can be energy intensive and wasteful of material. A recent study has a comparison of some 3D printing and conventional milling methods.

There are many different kinds of 3D printing, and this study is only an early examination of a few methods. The environmental impacts between different printers (different printing methods) were not as great as the those between occasionally operated printers and ones in more consistent production (which is more efficient). "In cases like this, job shops legitimately can argue that they provide both economic and environmental advantage to their customers."

Equally importantly, the kind of object being produced can make a huge difference in the amount material used. An object with a great deal of hollow space will be easier to produce by 3D printing rather than milling. In some instances, "an inkjet 3D printer (which lays down polymeric ink and UV-cures it layer by layer) wastes 40 to 45 percent of its ink, not even counting support material, and it can't be recycled."

Regardless of method, 3D printing is not going to replace other methods of mass production, any more than laser printing replaced all conventional printing. "3D printing is not going to replace injection-molding for mass-manufactured products (plastic parts made in the millions). It is replacing machining for smaller runs (1 unit, 10 units, maybe 1,000 units)." Each has its advantages, for its appropriate application.

link; Is 3D printing an environmental win?

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/mqXSVtbgKD4/3879-considering-the-environmental-impact-of-3d-printin

Microbes Thriving on Plastic Ocean Pollution

From the Great Pacific garbage patch to more disperse bits of trash, immense amounts of plastic and other garbage continue to amass in the ocean. However, some of that plastic pollution is harboring life. Scientists have discovered colonies of microbes thriving on tiny fragments of plastic floating in the open ocean. The team of scientists studying these new ocean habitats--called the "plastisphere"--collected marine plastic debris using fine-scale nets at locations in the North Atlantic Ocean. They discovered at least 1000 kinds of bacterial cells, forming a variety of complex microscopic communities.

Many microbial species on the debris samples remain unidentified, and identifying the microbes present isn't the only task at hand. As Science Daily reports, scientist Linda Amaral-Zettler says, "We're not just interested in who's there. We're interested in their function, how they're functioning in this ecosystem, how they're altering this ecosystem, and what's the ultimate fate of these particles in the ocean ... Are they sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Are they being ingested? If they're being ingested, what impact does that have?"

One debris sample studied mostly contained certain strains of Vibrio bacteria that cause cholera; disease-causing bacteria thriving on plastic instead of something less durable like driftwood may have a better chance of spreading disease across the ocean. However, some of the microbes found on the plastic debris may be capable of degrading hydrocarbons. The team found microscopic pits in the plastic surfaces on samples made of different kinds of resins. Genetic sequencing will identify these microbes, and further research will explore whether some of these microbes can actually digest the plastic garbage they find so appealing.

The plastisphere study was published online in Environmental Science & Technology.

via: Science Daily

image credit: Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/2TeccB3yyiQ/3877--microbes-thriving-on-plastic-ocean-pollution

Rubbee TurnsRegular Bicycles into Electric Vehicles

Joining other developments in electric bike technology, a compact electric drive called Rubbee electrifies most regular bicycles in less than a minute. Cyclists looking for the occasional extra boost on the road can clamp the electric drive just below the seat (fitting tubes ranging from 22-35 mm), where its polyurethane cast friction wheel meets the bike’s back tire. A throttle, installed on the handlebars, stays on the bike with or without the drive. Pedaling is optional once Rubbee is switched on; its wheel turns the back tire, allowing the cyclist to travel for 15 miles and reach a top speed of 15 miles per hour without needing to pedal.

Its integrated battery pack ensures easy travel on level terrain or at an incline, and can be charged every day for 5 years without loosing range. Its integrated suppression system, enabled by a removable fixation pin, keeps a constant force on the tire. Rubbee can stay on the bike without touching the back tire with the pin put in place, useful for when Rubbee’s out of juice or when a cyclist would rather travel by pedal power alone.

The London-based company, currently seeking funds via Kickstarter, states that Rubbee gets its name for the way the friction wheel rubs the bicycle tire without significant wear. It weighs 14 lbs, which could take some getting used to for those keeping Rubbee installed while it's turned off, but only takes 2 hours to fully recharge, and includes an LED tail light for more visible travel at night. While it costs £699 (roughly $1073), for those who can afford it, a drive like this would give cyclists some help up those hills.

via: EarthTechling

image via Rubbee Ltd

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/RVMCOkwi2l8/3880--rubbee-turnsregular-bicycles-into-electric-vehicl

New Seawater Desalinating Process in Development

In general, removing salts from water is an expensive, energy intensive process. But a team of chemists at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Marburg in Germany are developing a new method to produce freshwater from briny that doesn’t involve reverse osmosis or thermal desalination. A small electrical field does the trick.

As UT Austin states, researchers apply 3.0 volts to a plastic chip filled with seawater. The chip has a microchannel with two branches, and an electrode placed at the fork. The electrode neutralizes some of the chloride ions in the water, changing the electric field nearby by creating an “ion depletion zone.” This funnels the salts into one branch, leaving the desalinated water to flow into the other.

Electrochemically mediated seawater desalination, as it’s called, is in the early stages of development. The prototype chip only removes about 25 percent of salts from water in testing and only produces about 40 nanoliters of desalinated water per minute. The chemists developing this technology say that with further research this can be scaled up from its current nanoscale size and 99 percent desalination--the amount necessary to produce drinking water--may be achieved.

via: TreeHugger

image via University of Texas at Austin

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/SEz_-GFu87M/3878--new-seawater-desalinating-process-in-development

Considering the Environmental Impact of 3D Printing

Manufacturing with 3D printing is now a fast-growing field, with the technology becoming more accessible and affordable. Some think that it will revolutionize all kinds of manufacturing. But, while it offers some advantages, the process can be energy intensive and wasteful of material. A recent study has a comparison of some 3D printing and conventional milling methods.

There are many different kinds of 3D printing, and this study is only an early examination of a few methods. The environmental impacts between different printers (different printing methods) were not as great as the those between occasionally operated printers and ones in more consistent production (which is more efficient). "In cases like this, job shops legitimately can argue that they provide both economic and environmental advantage to their customers."

Equally importantly, the kind of object being produced can make a huge difference in the amount material used. An object with a great deal of hollow space will be easier to produce by 3D printing rather than milling. In some instances, "an inkjet 3D printer (which lays down polymeric ink and UV-cures it layer by layer) wastes 40 to 45 percent of its ink, not even counting support material, and it can't be recycled."

Regardless of method, 3D printing is not going to replace other methods of mass production, any more than laser printing replaced all conventional printing. "3D printing is not going to replace injection-molding for mass-manufactured products (plastic parts made in the millions). It is replacing machining for smaller runs (1 unit, 10 units, maybe 1,000 units)." Each has its advantages, for its appropriate application.

link; Is 3D printing an environmental win?

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/mqXSVtbgKD4/3879-considering-the-environmental-impact-of-3d-printin

Microbes Thriving on Plastic Ocean Pollution

From the Great Pacific garbage patch to more disperse bits of trash, immense amounts of plastic and other garbage continue to amass in the ocean. However, some of that plastic pollution is harboring life. Scientists have discovered colonies of microbes thriving on tiny fragments of plastic floating in the open ocean. The team of scientists studying these new ocean habitats--called the "plastisphere"--collected marine plastic debris using fine-scale nets at locations in the North Atlantic Ocean. They discovered at least 1000 kinds of bacterial cells, forming a variety of complex microscopic communities.

Many microbial species on the debris samples remain unidentified, and identifying the microbes present isn't the only task at hand. As Science Daily reports, scientist Linda Amaral-Zettler says, "We're not just interested in who's there. We're interested in their function, how they're functioning in this ecosystem, how they're altering this ecosystem, and what's the ultimate fate of these particles in the ocean ... Are they sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Are they being ingested? If they're being ingested, what impact does that have?"

One debris sample studied mostly contained certain strains of Vibrio bacteria that cause cholera; disease-causing bacteria thriving on plastic instead of something less durable like driftwood may have a better chance of spreading disease across the ocean. However, some of the microbes found on the plastic debris may be capable of degrading hydrocarbons. The team found microscopic pits in the plastic surfaces on samples made of different kinds of resins. Genetic sequencing will identify these microbes, and further research will explore whether some of these microbes can actually digest the plastic garbage they find so appealing.

The plastisphere study was published online in Environmental Science & Technology.

via: Science Daily

image credit: Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/2TeccB3yyiQ/3877--microbes-thriving-on-plastic-ocean-pollution

Solar Impulse Plane Completes Across America Mission

While a flyby of the Statue of Liberty had to be canceled due to a rip in the left wing, the solar-powered Solar Impulse plane has successfully finished its journey across the United States, landing at JFK International Airport in New York City on July 6.

The coast to coast series of flights kicked off in San Francisco in May, with stopovers in Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, DC. During the transcontinental mission, the single-seat HB-SIA prototype plane was piloted by CEO and co-founder of Solar Impulse, André Borschberg, and at other times by Bertrand Piccard, the company's president and initiator.

The 11,628 solar cells that cover HB-SIA charge its 900 lb (400 kg) of lithium-ion batteries, which allow the plane to fly night. During the Phoenix to Dallas leg of the mission, the plane set a new world record for absolute distance traveled during a solar-powered flight--958 miles (1,541km).

Across America marks the last mission for the HB-SIA craft. This particular prototype has made great strides over the past few years, from a 24-hour flight in 2010 to an intercontinental journey in 2012. Solar Impulse's future plans involve finishing a larger, two-seat prototype to complete a flight around the world, currently scheduled between April and July 2015.

via: BBC News

image CC BY 2.0 by Charles Barilleaux

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/R52aN1ypwHE/3876-solar-impulse-plane-completes-across-america-missi

Rubbee TurnsRegular Bicycles into Electric Vehicles

Joining other developments in electric bike technology, a compact electric drive called Rubbee electrifies most regular bicycles in less than a minute. Cyclists looking for the occasional extra boost on the road can clamp the electric drive just below the seat (fitting tubes ranging from 22-35 mm), where its polyurethane cast friction wheel meets the bike’s back tire. A throttle, installed on the handlebars, stays on the bike with or without the drive. Pedaling is optional once Rubbee is switched on; its wheel turns the back tire, allowing the cyclist to travel for 15 miles and reach a top speed of 15 miles per hour without needing to pedal.

Its integrated battery pack ensures easy travel on level terrain or at an incline, and can be charged every day for 5 years without loosing range. Its integrated suppression system, enabled by a removable fixation pin, keeps a constant force on the tire. Rubbee can stay on the bike without touching the back tire with the pin put in place, useful for when Rubbee’s out of juice or when a cyclist would rather travel by pedal power alone.

The London-based company, currently seeking funds via Kickstarter, states that Rubbee gets its name for the way the friction wheel rubs the bicycle tire without significant wear. It weighs 14 lbs, which could take some getting used to for those keeping Rubbee installed while it's turned off, but only takes 2 hours to fully recharge, and includes an LED tail light for more visible travel at night. While it costs £699 (roughly $1073), for those who can afford it, a drive like this would give cyclists some help up those hills.

via: EarthTechling

image via Rubbee Ltd

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/RVMCOkwi2l8/3880--rubbee-turnsregular-bicycles-into-electric-vehicl

New Seawater Desalinating Process in Development

In general, removing salts from water is an expensive, energy intensive process. But a team of chemists at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Marburg in Germany are developing a new method to produce freshwater from briny that doesn’t involve reverse osmosis or thermal desalination. A small electrical field does the trick.

As UT Austin states, researchers apply 3.0 volts to a plastic chip filled with seawater. The chip has a microchannel with two branches, and an electrode placed at the fork. The electrode neutralizes some of the chloride ions in the water, changing the electric field nearby by creating an “ion depletion zone.” This funnels the salts into one branch, leaving the desalinated water to flow into the other.

Electrochemically mediated seawater desalination, as it’s called, is in the early stages of development. The prototype chip only removes about 25 percent of salts from water in testing and only produces about 40 nanoliters of desalinated water per minute. The chemists developing this technology say that with further research this can be scaled up from its current nanoscale size and 99 percent desalination--the amount necessary to produce drinking water--may be achieved.

via: TreeHugger

image via University of Texas at Austin

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/SEz_-GFu87M/3878--new-seawater-desalinating-process-in-development

Considering the Environmental Impact of 3D Printing

Manufacturing with 3D printing is now a fast-growing field, with the technology becoming more accessible and affordable. Some think that it will revolutionize all kinds of manufacturing. But, while it offers some advantages, the process can be energy intensive and wasteful of material. A recent study has a comparison of some 3D printing and conventional milling methods.

There are many different kinds of 3D printing, and this study is only an early examination of a few methods. The environmental impacts between different printers (different printing methods) were not as great as the those between occasionally operated printers and ones in more consistent production (which is more efficient). "In cases like this, job shops legitimately can argue that they provide both economic and environmental advantage to their customers."

Equally importantly, the kind of object being produced can make a huge difference in the amount material used. An object with a great deal of hollow space will be easier to produce by 3D printing rather than milling. In some instances, "an inkjet 3D printer (which lays down polymeric ink and UV-cures it layer by layer) wastes 40 to 45 percent of its ink, not even counting support material, and it can't be recycled."

Regardless of method, 3D printing is not going to replace other methods of mass production, any more than laser printing replaced all conventional printing. "3D printing is not going to replace injection-molding for mass-manufactured products (plastic parts made in the millions). It is replacing machining for smaller runs (1 unit, 10 units, maybe 1,000 units)." Each has its advantages, for its appropriate application.

link; Is 3D printing an environmental win?

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/mqXSVtbgKD4/3879-considering-the-environmental-impact-of-3d-printin

Microbes Thriving on Plastic Ocean Pollution

From the Great Pacific garbage patch to more disperse bits of trash, immense amounts of plastic and other garbage continue to amass in the ocean. However, some of that plastic pollution is harboring life. Scientists have discovered colonies of microbes thriving on tiny fragments of plastic floating in the open ocean. The team of scientists studying these new ocean habitats--called the "plastisphere"--collected marine plastic debris using fine-scale nets at locations in the North Atlantic Ocean. They discovered at least 1000 kinds of bacterial cells, forming a variety of complex microscopic communities.

Many microbial species on the debris samples remain unidentified, and identifying the microbes present isn't the only task at hand. As Science Daily reports, scientist Linda Amaral-Zettler says, "We're not just interested in who's there. We're interested in their function, how they're functioning in this ecosystem, how they're altering this ecosystem, and what's the ultimate fate of these particles in the ocean ... Are they sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Are they being ingested? If they're being ingested, what impact does that have?"

One debris sample studied mostly contained certain strains of Vibrio bacteria that cause cholera; disease-causing bacteria thriving on plastic instead of something less durable like driftwood may have a better chance of spreading disease across the ocean. However, some of the microbes found on the plastic debris may be capable of degrading hydrocarbons. The team found microscopic pits in the plastic surfaces on samples made of different kinds of resins. Genetic sequencing will identify these microbes, and further research will explore whether some of these microbes can actually digest the plastic garbage they find so appealing.

The plastisphere study was published online in Environmental Science & Technology.

via: Science Daily

image credit: Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/2TeccB3yyiQ/3877--microbes-thriving-on-plastic-ocean-pollution

Solar Impulse Plane Completes Across America Mission

While a flyby of the Statue of Liberty had to be canceled due to a rip in the left wing, the solar-powered Solar Impulse plane has successfully finished its journey across the United States, landing at JFK International Airport in New York City on July 6.

The coast to coast series of flights kicked off in San Francisco in May, with stopovers in Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, DC. During the transcontinental mission, the single-seat HB-SIA prototype plane was piloted by CEO and co-founder of Solar Impulse, André Borschberg, and at other times by Bertrand Piccard, the company's president and initiator.

The 11,628 solar cells that cover HB-SIA charge its 900 lb (400 kg) of lithium-ion batteries, which allow the plane to fly night. During the Phoenix to Dallas leg of the mission, the plane set a new world record for absolute distance traveled during a solar-powered flight--958 miles (1,541km).

Across America marks the last mission for the HB-SIA craft. This particular prototype has made great strides over the past few years, from a 24-hour flight in 2010 to an intercontinental journey in 2012. Solar Impulse's future plans involve finishing a larger, two-seat prototype to complete a flight around the world, currently scheduled between April and July 2015.

via: BBC News

image CC BY 2.0 by Charles Barilleaux

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/R52aN1ypwHE/3876-solar-impulse-plane-completes-across-america-missi

Rubbee TurnsRegular Bicycles into Electric Vehicles

Joining other developments in electric bike technology, a compact electric drive called Rubbee electrifies most regular bicycles in less than a minute. Cyclists looking for the occasional extra boost on the road can clamp the electric drive just below the seat (fitting tubes ranging from 22-35 mm), where its polyurethane cast friction wheel meets the bike’s back tire. A throttle, installed on the handlebars, stays on the bike with or without the drive. Pedaling is optional once Rubbee is switched on; its wheel turns the back tire, allowing the cyclist to travel for 15 miles and reach a top speed of 15 miles per hour without needing to pedal.

Its integrated battery pack ensures easy travel on level terrain or at an incline, and can be charged every day for 5 years without loosing range. Its integrated suppression system, enabled by a removable fixation pin, keeps a constant force on the tire. Rubbee can stay on the bike without touching the back tire with the pin put in place, useful for when Rubbee’s out of juice or when a cyclist would rather travel by pedal power alone.

The London-based company, currently seeking funds via Kickstarter, states that Rubbee gets its name for the way the friction wheel rubs the bicycle tire without significant wear. It weighs 14 lbs, which could take some getting used to for those keeping Rubbee installed while it's turned off, but only takes 2 hours to fully recharge, and includes an LED tail light for more visible travel at night. While it costs £699 (roughly $1073), for those who can afford it, a drive like this would give cyclists some help up those hills.

via: EarthTechling

image via Rubbee Ltd

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/RVMCOkwi2l8/3880--rubbee-turnsregular-bicycles-into-electric-vehicl

New Seawater Desalinating Process in Development

In general, removing salts from water is an expensive, energy intensive process. But a team of chemists at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Marburg in Germany are developing a new method to produce freshwater from briny that doesn’t involve reverse osmosis or thermal desalination. A small electrical field does the trick.

As UT Austin states, researchers apply 3.0 volts to a plastic chip filled with seawater. The chip has a microchannel with two branches, and an electrode placed at the fork. The electrode neutralizes some of the chloride ions in the water, changing the electric field nearby by creating an “ion depletion zone.” This funnels the salts into one branch, leaving the desalinated water to flow into the other.

Electrochemically mediated seawater desalination, as it’s called, is in the early stages of development. The prototype chip only removes about 25 percent of salts from water in testing and only produces about 40 nanoliters of desalinated water per minute. The chemists developing this technology say that with further research this can be scaled up from its current nanoscale size and 99 percent desalination--the amount necessary to produce drinking water--may be achieved.

via: TreeHugger

image via University of Texas at Austin

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/SEz_-GFu87M/3878--new-seawater-desalinating-process-in-development

Considering the Environmental Impact of 3D Printing

Manufacturing with 3D printing is now a fast-growing field, with the technology becoming more accessible and affordable. Some think that it will revolutionize all kinds of manufacturing. But, while it offers some advantages, the process can be energy intensive and wasteful of material. A recent study has a comparison of some 3D printing and conventional milling methods.

There are many different kinds of 3D printing, and this study is only an early examination of a few methods. The environmental impacts between different printers (different printing methods) were not as great as the those between occasionally operated printers and ones in more consistent production (which is more efficient). "In cases like this, job shops legitimately can argue that they provide both economic and environmental advantage to their customers."

Equally importantly, the kind of object being produced can make a huge difference in the amount material used. An object with a great deal of hollow space will be easier to produce by 3D printing rather than milling. In some instances, "an inkjet 3D printer (which lays down polymeric ink and UV-cures it layer by layer) wastes 40 to 45 percent of its ink, not even counting support material, and it can't be recycled."

Regardless of method, 3D printing is not going to replace other methods of mass production, any more than laser printing replaced all conventional printing. "3D printing is not going to replace injection-molding for mass-manufactured products (plastic parts made in the millions). It is replacing machining for smaller runs (1 unit, 10 units, maybe 1,000 units)." Each has its advantages, for its appropriate application.

link; Is 3D printing an environmental win?

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/mqXSVtbgKD4/3879-considering-the-environmental-impact-of-3d-printin

Microbes Thriving on Plastic Ocean Pollution

From the Great Pacific garbage patch to more disperse bits of trash, immense amounts of plastic and other garbage continue to amass in the ocean. However, some of that plastic pollution is harboring life. Scientists have discovered colonies of microbes thriving on tiny fragments of plastic floating in the open ocean. The team of scientists studying these new ocean habitats--called the "plastisphere"--collected marine plastic debris using fine-scale nets at locations in the North Atlantic Ocean. They discovered at least 1000 kinds of bacterial cells, forming a variety of complex microscopic communities.

Many microbial species on the debris samples remain unidentified, and identifying the microbes present isn't the only task at hand. As Science Daily reports, scientist Linda Amaral-Zettler says, "We're not just interested in who's there. We're interested in their function, how they're functioning in this ecosystem, how they're altering this ecosystem, and what's the ultimate fate of these particles in the ocean ... Are they sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Are they being ingested? If they're being ingested, what impact does that have?"

One debris sample studied mostly contained certain strains of Vibrio bacteria that cause cholera; disease-causing bacteria thriving on plastic instead of something less durable like driftwood may have a better chance of spreading disease across the ocean. However, some of the microbes found on the plastic debris may be capable of degrading hydrocarbons. The team found microscopic pits in the plastic surfaces on samples made of different kinds of resins. Genetic sequencing will identify these microbes, and further research will explore whether some of these microbes can actually digest the plastic garbage they find so appealing.

The plastisphere study was published online in Environmental Science & Technology.

via: Science Daily

image credit: Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/2TeccB3yyiQ/3877--microbes-thriving-on-plastic-ocean-pollution

Solar Impulse Plane Completes Across America Mission

While a flyby of the Statue of Liberty had to be canceled due to a rip in the left wing, the solar-powered Solar Impulse plane has successfully finished its journey across the United States, landing at JFK International Airport in New York City on July 6.

The coast to coast series of flights kicked off in San Francisco in May, with stopovers in Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, DC. During the transcontinental mission, the single-seat HB-SIA prototype plane was piloted by CEO and co-founder of Solar Impulse, André Borschberg, and at other times by Bertrand Piccard, the company's president and initiator.

The 11,628 solar cells that cover HB-SIA charge its 900 lb (400 kg) of lithium-ion batteries, which allow the plane to fly night. During the Phoenix to Dallas leg of the mission, the plane set a new world record for absolute distance traveled during a solar-powered flight--958 miles (1,541km).

Across America marks the last mission for the HB-SIA craft. This particular prototype has made great strides over the past few years, from a 24-hour flight in 2010 to an intercontinental journey in 2012. Solar Impulse's future plans involve finishing a larger, two-seat prototype to complete a flight around the world, currently scheduled between April and July 2015.

via: BBC News

image CC BY 2.0 by Charles Barilleaux

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/R52aN1ypwHE/3876-solar-impulse-plane-completes-across-america-missi

New Seawater Desalinating Process in Development

In general, removing salts from water is an expensive, energy intensive process. But a team of chemists at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Marburg in Germany are developing a new method to produce freshwater from briny that doesn’t involve reverse osmosis or thermal desalination. A small electrical field does the trick.

As UT Austin states, researchers apply 3.0 volts to a plastic chip filled with seawater. The chip has a microchannel with two branches, and an electrode placed at the fork. The electrode neutralizes some of the chloride ions in the water, changing the electric field nearby by creating an “ion depletion zone.” This funnels the salts into one branch, leaving the desalinated water to flow into the other.

Electrochemically mediated seawater desalination, as it’s called, is in the early stages of development. The prototype chip only removes about 25 percent of salts from water in testing and only produces about 40 nanoliters of desalinated water per minute. The chemists developing this technology say that with further research this can be scaled up from its current nanoscale size and 99 percent desalination--the amount necessary to produce drinking water--may be achieved.

via: TreeHugger

image via University of Texas at Austin

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/SEz_-GFu87M/3878--new-seawater-desalinating-process-in-development

Microbes Thriving on Plastic Ocean Pollution

From the Great Pacific garbage patch to more disperse bits of trash, immense amounts of plastic and other garbage continue to amass in the ocean. However, some of that plastic pollution is harboring life. Scientists have discovered colonies of microbes thriving on tiny fragments of plastic floating in the open ocean. The team of scientists studying these new ocean habitats--called the "plastisphere"--collected marine plastic debris using fine-scale nets at locations in the North Atlantic Ocean. They discovered at least 1000 kinds of bacterial cells, forming a variety of complex microscopic communities.

Many microbial species on the debris samples remain unidentified, and identifying the microbes present isn't the only task at hand. As Science Daily reports, scientist Linda Amaral-Zettler says, "We're not just interested in who's there. We're interested in their function, how they're functioning in this ecosystem, how they're altering this ecosystem, and what's the ultimate fate of these particles in the ocean ... Are they sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Are they being ingested? If they're being ingested, what impact does that have?"

One debris sample studied mostly contained certain strains of Vibrio bacteria that cause cholera; disease-causing bacteria thriving on plastic instead of something less durable like driftwood may have a better chance of spreading disease across the ocean. However, some of the microbes found on the plastic debris may be capable of degrading hydrocarbons. The team found microscopic pits in the plastic surfaces on samples made of different kinds of resins. Genetic sequencing will identify these microbes, and further research will explore whether some of these microbes can actually digest the plastic garbage they find so appealing.

The plastisphere study was published online in Environmental Science & Technology.

via: Science Daily

image credit: Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/2TeccB3yyiQ/3877--microbes-thriving-on-plastic-ocean-pollution

MIT's Solar System Estimates City's Solar Power Potential

Researchers at MIT have developed a new 3D solar potential mapping tool. The first rooftop solar mapping module of the Mapdwell platform, Solar System is available to anyone with Internet access. Incorporating factors ranging from roof angles and surface temperatures to local weather data and physical obstructions,

Solar System has been able to predict within 4 to 10 percent of photovoltaic (PV) panels' annual electricity yield during testing. MIT's home city of Cambridge, Massachusetts is the first to get a complete solar map of its 17,000 rooftops. According to Solar System, if PV panels were installed at all rooftop locations deemed "good" or better, they could provide one third of the city's energy needs for roughly $2.8 billion.

Solar System is inviting to play with and easy to use. But for all of the data it offers on potential expenses, tax credits, and revenue, these estimates cannot replace on-site evaluation for solar projects, as the "important notice" on any "Solar Electric Potential Report" states (example here). As with older solar mapping tools like the San Francisco Energy Map, since Solar System might not incorporate all real-world conditions into its analysis of a potential site, the use-value of the system seems more motivational and symbolic than strictly informative and technical.

For those interested in PV panel installation on rooftops in Cambridge, it is an accessible place to start. As a way to generate awareness of solar power potential, Solar System could also offer those who hadn't considered PV panels for their buildings reasons to investigate it further. However, consumers exploring the possibilities on the map can only determine what PV panels may potentially, but not with certainty, generate and cost.

via: Treehugger

screen capture via Mapdwell Solar System

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Solar Impulse Plane Completes Across America Mission

While a flyby of the Statue of Liberty had to be canceled due to a rip in the left wing, the solar-powered Solar Impulse plane has successfully finished its journey across the United States, landing at JFK International Airport in New York City on July 6.

The coast to coast series of flights kicked off in San Francisco in May, with stopovers in Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, DC. During the transcontinental mission, the single-seat HB-SIA prototype plane was piloted by CEO and co-founder of Solar Impulse, André Borschberg, and at other times by Bertrand Piccard, the company's president and initiator.

The 11,628 solar cells that cover HB-SIA charge its 900 lb (400 kg) of lithium-ion batteries, which allow the plane to fly night. During the Phoenix to Dallas leg of the mission, the plane set a new world record for absolute distance traveled during a solar-powered flight--958 miles (1,541km).

Across America marks the last mission for the HB-SIA craft. This particular prototype has made great strides over the past few years, from a 24-hour flight in 2010 to an intercontinental journey in 2012. Solar Impulse's future plans involve finishing a larger, two-seat prototype to complete a flight around the world, currently scheduled between April and July 2015.

via: BBC News

image CC BY 2.0 by Charles Barilleaux

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Microbes Thriving on Plastic Ocean Pollution

From the Great Pacific garbage patch to more disperse bits of trash, immense amounts of plastic and other garbage continue to amass in the ocean. However, some of that plastic pollution is harboring life. Scientists have discovered colonies of microbes thriving on tiny fragments of plastic floating in the open ocean. The team of scientists studying these new ocean habitats--called the "plastisphere"--collected marine plastic debris using fine-scale nets at locations in the North Atlantic Ocean. They discovered at least 1000 kinds of bacterial cells, forming a variety of complex microscopic communities.

Many microbial species on the debris samples remain unidentified, and identifying the microbes present isn't the only task at hand. As Science Daily reports, scientist Linda Amaral-Zettler says, "We're not just interested in who's there. We're interested in their function, how they're functioning in this ecosystem, how they're altering this ecosystem, and what's the ultimate fate of these particles in the ocean ... Are they sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Are they being ingested? If they're being ingested, what impact does that have?"

One debris sample studied mostly contained certain strains of Vibrio bacteria that cause cholera; disease-causing bacteria thriving on plastic instead of something less durable like driftwood may have a better chance of spreading disease across the ocean. However, some of the microbes found on the plastic debris may be capable of degrading hydrocarbons. The team found microscopic pits in the plastic surfaces on samples made of different kinds of resins. Genetic sequencing will identify these microbes, and further research will explore whether some of these microbes can actually digest the plastic garbage they find so appealing.

The plastisphere study was published online in Environmental Science & Technology.

via: Science Daily

image credit: Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association

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MIT's Solar System Estimates City's Solar Power Potential

Researchers at MIT have developed a new 3D solar potential mapping tool. The first rooftop solar mapping module of the Mapdwell platform, Solar System is available to anyone with Internet access. Incorporating factors ranging from roof angles and surface temperatures to local weather data and physical obstructions,

Solar System has been able to predict within 4 to 10 percent of photovoltaic (PV) panels' annual electricity yield during testing. MIT's home city of Cambridge, Massachusetts is the first to get a complete solar map of its 17,000 rooftops. According to Solar System, if PV panels were installed at all rooftop locations deemed "good" or better, they could provide one third of the city's energy needs for roughly $2.8 billion.

Solar System is inviting to play with and easy to use. But for all of the data it offers on potential expenses, tax credits, and revenue, these estimates cannot replace on-site evaluation for solar projects, as the "important notice" on any "Solar Electric Potential Report" states (example here). As with older solar mapping tools like the San Francisco Energy Map, since Solar System might not incorporate all real-world conditions into its analysis of a potential site, the use-value of the system seems more motivational and symbolic than strictly informative and technical.

For those interested in PV panel installation on rooftops in Cambridge, it is an accessible place to start. As a way to generate awareness of solar power potential, Solar System could also offer those who hadn't considered PV panels for their buildings reasons to investigate it further. However, consumers exploring the possibilities on the map can only determine what PV panels may potentially, but not with certainty, generate and cost.

via: Treehugger

screen capture via Mapdwell Solar System

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/bn2tuv3Py8s/3875-mits-solar-system-estimates-citys-solar-power-pote

Solar Impulse Plane Completes Across America Mission

While a flyby of the Statue of Liberty had to be canceled due to a rip in the left wing, the solar-powered Solar Impulse plane has successfully finished its journey across the United States, landing at JFK International Airport in New York City on July 6.

The coast to coast series of flights kicked off in San Francisco in May, with stopovers in Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, DC. During the transcontinental mission, the single-seat HB-SIA prototype plane was piloted by CEO and co-founder of Solar Impulse, André Borschberg, and at other times by Bertrand Piccard, the company's president and initiator.

The 11,628 solar cells that cover HB-SIA charge its 900 lb (400 kg) of lithium-ion batteries, which allow the plane to fly night. During the Phoenix to Dallas leg of the mission, the plane set a new world record for absolute distance traveled during a solar-powered flight--958 miles (1,541km).

Across America marks the last mission for the HB-SIA craft. This particular prototype has made great strides over the past few years, from a 24-hour flight in 2010 to an intercontinental journey in 2012. Solar Impulse's future plans involve finishing a larger, two-seat prototype to complete a flight around the world, currently scheduled between April and July 2015.

via: BBC News

image CC BY 2.0 by Charles Barilleaux

via Green Living - Building, Home, Auto & Lifestyles copy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/R52aN1ypwHE/3876-solar-impulse-plane-completes-across-america-missi

USDOE eGallon Offers Comparative EV Driving Cost

The US Department of Energy has introduced a new website to help consumers compare the driving cost for an electric vehicle (or hybrid in electric mode) versus a conventional gasoline vehicle. "The eGallon represents the cost of driving an electric vehicle (EV) the same distance a gasoline-powered vehicle could travel on one (1) gallon of gasoline."

In addition to offering a significant savings on a per-mile basis, electricity prices are also more stable over time compared to gas prices, which can fluctuate wildly on a week-to-week basis. The cost to operate an electric vehicle is much more manageable when the price is less susceptible to global market variability.

The DOE has also released its eGallon methodology showing how this figure is calculated. They also point out that in many markets, off-peak charging is available, which makes electric driving even less expensive than the calculated eGallon price.

link: eGallon (USDOE)

via: USDOE Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy News

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