Category Science

Can hydrogen really become a climate solution?

 

Hydrogen or H is getting a lot of attention lately as governments in the U.S., Canada and Europe push to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. But what exactly is H2 and is it really a clean power source?

Here are some key facts about this versatile chemical that could play a much larger role in our lives in the future.

SO, WHAT IS HYDROGEN?

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but because its so reactive, it isn’t found on its own in nature. Instead, it is typically bound to other atoms and molecules in water, natural gas, coal and even biological matter like plants and human bodies.

Hydrogen can be isolated, however on its own, the H2 molecule packs a heavy punch as a highly effective energy carrier. It is already used in industry to manufacture ammonia, methanol and steel and in refining crude oil.

HYDROGEN AS AN ENERGY SOURCE

As a fuel, hydrogen can store energy and reduce emissions from vehicles, including buses and cargo ships. Hydrogen can also be used to generate electricity with lower greenhouse gas emissions than coal or natural gas power plants. Because it can be stored, H2 could help overcome intermittency issues associated with renewable power sources like wind and solar. It can also be blended with natural gas in existing power plants to reduce the plants emissions. Using hydrogen in power plants can reduce carbon dioxide emissions when either blended or alone in specialised turbines, or in fuel cells, which consume H2 and oxygen, or Oz, to produce electricity, heat and water. But it’s typically not entirely CO-free. That’s in part because isolating Hz from water or natural gas takes a lot of energy.

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What is de-extinction?

You must have heard of the term extinction. A species is declared extinct when the last member dies and no individual from that species exists anywhere on our planet. Local extinction refers to a species disappearing from one region, including a country. But have you heard of de-extinction? Come let’s find out what it is and what its implications are also known as resurrection biology, de extinction refers to the process that attempts to recreate extinct species through technology. Since these species no longer exist the new ones will be “new versions of the species. For the last few years, one of the main species in the news for de-extinction has been the woolly mammoth. A project seeks to create “a cold-resistant elephant with all of the core biological traits of the woolly mammoth, and will use the African elephant as the host. With the creation of this new version, the project also hopes the ecosytem that the animal inhabited can be improved – the Arctic tundra, now dominated by the threat of melting permafrost. Many view de-extinction as an opportunity to right the wrong humanity has meted out to wildlife. It is also seen as a first step towards safeguarding endangered species and those on the brink of extinction. The process can also be a chance for humans to learn about the crucial role wildlife plays in our planet and be sensitive towards them. But, de-extinction is not without concerns. The chief worry is the question of ethics – the new versions of species will be a product of humans and not nature. Also, if humans start creating plants and animals, is it far-fetched to think they could end up creating even humans in the future? And, there’s the financial aspect. Bringing back an extinct species costs money-a lot of it. It could rather be spent on safeguarding threatenend species, educating people on wildlife protection, creating a greener planet, etc.

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What are bubbletrons?

While it is nearly impossible to say with certainty, the moments following the Big Bang will probably be unmatched in the universe. We do know that it featured the most energetic and transformative events that have ever Occurred.

A new study published on the preprint database arxiv on June 27 suggests that massive bubbles emerged and collided with each other, may have powering up colossal energies in the early universe. The researchers are calling these ultra-energetic, early universe structures as “bubbletrons.”

Four fundamental forces of nature

 There are four fundamental forces of nature – electromagnetism, strong nuclear, weak nuclear and gravity. These, however, aren’t always different and they tend to merge at high energies. Powerful particle colliders have already detected electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force merging into a “electroweak” force.

Even though there is no proof, physicists suspect that all forces could merge into a single, unified force at extremely high energies. The only time the universe had such energies, however, was in the moments after the Big Bang. The splitting of the forces from those instances might have either been serene and smooth, or incredibly violent.

Extraordinary amounts of energy

This research suggests that if the transitions had indeed been violent, then the universe could have been filled with gigantic bubbles, only briefly. Before eventually colliding, expanding and converting the universe into the new reality, these bubbles would have carried extraordinary amounts of energy. According to the researchers, the bubbletrons could have in fact reached the energies required to trigger the formation of hypothetical dark matter. The researchers also discovered that the expansion and collision of these bubbletrons would have created gravitational waves capable of persisting till this day.

A recent research has already expressed that our universe is flooded with a background hum of gravitational waves. Even though most of these are likely due to supermassive black holes colliding, some might be a result of other processes in the early universe, including the creation and distortion of bubbletrons. Future analysis and upcoming gravitational wave detectors might be able to provide evidence for the existence of bubbletrons.

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How can clothes be recycled sustainably?

When the word waste’ is mentioned, people immediately think of plastic, electronic or food waste. There is another type of waste that pollutes the environment almost as much. This is waste produced from clothing.

Globally, 13 million tons of discarded or used clothes are generated every year. Almost all of this waste can be reused or recycled.

Used clothing can be donated or repurposed to make mattresses, furniture, coarse yarn, paper, and clothes. Clothes that cannot be repurposed usually end up in landfills. The best way to manage this waste is by textile recycling.

Clothes can be recycled using machines. Warehouses first separate the clothes according to material and colour. Then the fabric is shredded and broken down into smaller fibres. The waste fibres are spun again along with bits of new fibre to make fabric. Usually clothes made of natural fibres like cotton and linen can be recycled this way.

Chemical processing

Clothes made of synthetic fabric require chemical processing. The materials are broken down using chemicals and then the fibres are rewoven into yarn and fabric. This process of recycling creates new fabric of the same quality as the original cloth. Many countries around the world, including India, have started producing recycled clothes using these methods.

Though reusing and recycling clothes are the best ways to reduce textile waste, it’s important to ensure that the processes are environmentally friendly. Recycling is better for the environment as it uses fewer resources and less energy, but it still relies on fossil fuels for Er powering the machinery.

The good news is that the textile recycling industry is planning to shift to greener energy alternatives. This will make the entire process more sustainable.

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How are snow rollers formed?

Snow rollers are freak weather phenomena that require the combination of many factors to occur: the snow on the ground must be icy and crusty to prevent falling snow from sticking to it; temperature should be around o degree Celsius and the wind speed should be just right to gently scoop the fresh layer of loose snow into a roll. It helps if the area has a natural slope.

As chunks of snow break loose from the icy ground, they start rolling and pick up additional snow along the way to form cylindrical rolls sometimes as – large as 1 metre in diameter. As the inner layer of the snow roller is usually loose and less compact, it gets easily blown away by the wind to form a hollow roll which looks like a snow doughnut. While most snow rollers are delicate and may crumble when touched, some are icy enough to play with! Snow rollers are a rare sight and therefore make headlines whenever they occur.

What is a sting operation?

A sting operation is often carried out to expose corruption. A sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a criminal in the act Typically, the police lay a trap for the suspect wherein he/she is induced to commit a crime Usually the criminal act is recorded on a video camera so that the police can build a foolproof case against the offender. For example, an undercover police officer may approach a suspected drug dealer posing as a prospective buyer in order to catch him red-handed. Or the police may keep a bait car in an area where large-scale car theft is happening. Often a sting operation is carried out to expose corruption. It may, for example, expose a politician taking bribe, or a govemment official demanding money to do his duty.

In recent years many media houses have made effective use of stings to expose highly-placed corrupt persons. But sometimes the media is also accused of carrying out sensational sting operations in which innocent persons may be victimised.

Some people think it is unethical to tempt a person to commit a crime which he/she may not have otherwise committed.Sting operations in India were able to expose malpractices in the medical profession such as illegal sale of kidneys or pre-natal sex determination tests.

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What are pioneer species?

Pioneer species include lichens mosses, fungi, and microorganisms such as bacteria. They reproduce and grow very fast establishing themselves before other competitors arrive. They are instrumental in building an initial biological community which will gradually enable other species to thrive.

Picture this. A newly created barren ecosystem or a barren disturbed environment. Not many organions can grow in these harsh, sterile environments. But a pioneer species can and hence the name. They are the pioneer or harbingers of life

The first species to colonise a newly created environment or recently disturbed environment is called a pioneer species.

These important species are the first to colonise barnos ecosystems. They are hardy and help in the recovery of an environment or ecosystem if it has been disturbed by cos such as deforestation or wildfires. They make the environment more hospitable for later species to thrive like helping enrich the ecosystem with nutrients

As they are the first to arrive they need to survive the harsh, barren ecosystem. As such, they are mostly photosynthetic can withstand harsh environments, mature early, or may even be capable of producing and dispersing a large volume of seeds. The seeds may be capable of surviving long periods of dormancy Pioneer species have many similar adaptations that help them colonise hostile environments.

They may be capable of germinating growing and reproducing quickly and also create a large range of offspring. For this, they might depend on asexual modes of reproduction or wind-dispersed pollen and seeds

Pioneer species include lichens, mosses, fungi and microorganisms such as bacteria. They reproduce and grow very fast, establishing themselves before other competitors arrive.

They are also instrumental in building the initial biological community. As time passes by, new entrants such as plants, animals and other organisms will arrive and outcompete them, changing the dynamics and structure of the biological community.

They are versatile and play an important role in ecosystem recovery and growth. They prepare the disturbed ecosystem or new ecosystem for complex communities.

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