Duct tape has been the all-around versatile tool that has been in toolboxes for many years, since they were invented in the 1920’s by who else but the adhesive pioneers at 3M a division of Johnson and Johnson. Duct tape if you don’t already know is again a product that was designed for military uses and was intended to keep moisture out of ammunition cases which if allowed to get wet can mean the difference between life and death(originally called duck tape due to the material it was made of, cotton duck). The original material was colored green (the favorite of the military) where the mother of all invention, improvisation had soldiers finding all kind of uses for the humble “duck tape” from repairing their jeeps, boats and all other stuff they had to get working or face the enemy. The current version we all know as duct tape was a re-name done when the advent of air-conditioning systems had them used for sealing joints and fixing insulation in duct work, hence the name “Duct Tape”.
From MacGyver to the space shuttle (yep, they used it to repair a leak and way back in the Apollo 13 failed moon landing) all creative thinkers always found a use for good old duct tape. Imagine being in space with no atmosphere and breathing only oxygen you bring with you and then your ship springs a leak, duct tape is the answer(well along with some pieces of cloth and rags actually). From ammunition savers to life savers, they have been used in all kind of applications that the world is truly a better place. That’s to old American engineering and thinking we all used to love.
Grass for the Planet’s Ethanol Needs
Ever since the promise of grain ethanol has been smashed and stepped on by making the problems with the environment worse, people have been on the lookout for more and better ways of producing ethanol (alcohol) to fuel our vehicles and for many other machines that needs oil products as fuel. Bio diesel, solar, wave, wind and other alternative technologies that would allow us to generate energy for our electricity needs are all in the spotlight and is finally getting the funding it needs for proper development.
Most alternative technologies are still in need of much improvement to maximize their potential while some like grain ethanol needs more research and from that line comes new studies that algae and grass are showing to be better sources of ethanol for our fuel needs. Switch Grass, which is a native American plant has more energy stored within it pound per pound compared to grains (mainly corn and soy). The only problem is that there is not much in terms of infrastructure or bio-reactors that can turn cellulose fibers into ethanol unlike grain ethanol which has gotten an early head-start. The costs are also higher that with conventional ethanol bio reactors but the US Department of Energy is willing to invest $50 million for six experimental plants that would hopefully establish a base for cellulosic bio reactor technologies making it more feasible and cheaper for future generations as oil supplies dwindle and prices go higher.
These cellulosic bioreactors can also use other plant waste materials such as corn husks, grain shells, sugarcane waste and other plant based materials to produce ethanol that is better and friendlier to the environment than current technologies.
Source : Scientific American
Harnessing the Sun’s Rays without Silicon Solar Panels
Scientists and almost anybody out there are on a mad rush to find the next form of alternative energy source that would provide us with the energy (electricity) we need to power our lives. With the price of oil still on the rise with no signs of stopping even with the world asking (well, more of demanding the Oil giants) to produce more oil to satisfy the world’s fuel needs (production has since increased but the price continues to rise). Oil has become an economic bargaining chip and the search for better sources that does not harm the environment is on the priority of most scientific communities.
The field of solar power generation is a well established one but the high costs of silicon for solar panels and other hardware needed to produce electricity directly from the sun keeps it away from the realm of practicality. The alternative was to come up with super efficient mirrors that bounces the sun’s rays onto a concentrated point which has a structure containing some liquid (can be water, oil or some other easily vaporized liquid) that in turn is used to turn turbines to produce electricity. This may be the cheapest alternative for other technologies are still so expensive that not many can afford the infrastructure and equipment needed to benefit from their use. Wind farms cost millions of dollars, Hybrid batteries are still quite in their infancy and so are solar panels so scientists are still on the lookout for other more realistic technologies that may solve the energy crisis we are experiencing today and possibly for sometime in the future to come.