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Using Nanoparticles to Clean Ocean Oil Spills: Ferrofluids

Marine oil spills have long-lasting devastating environmental consequences and dangerous conditions for workers. The US dumps 1.3 million gallons of oils into the ocean each year. These include the physical smothering of aquatic organisms, which leads to possible ecological changes, and toxic chemicals ending up in the water. Currently, the most widely utilized method to clean these spills is chemical dispersants. They break down large areas of oil into tiny particles, similarly to dish soap; however, a problem with this is that, though, in smaller quantities, the oil becomes more scattered in the environment. While dispersants can break up the spill on the surface, the ocean's depths still end up polluted. Additionally, some chemicals found in dispersants may be more harmful than the oil itself. Another method involves using booms and skimmers. Booms are barriers placed around the spill that concentrate the oil into thicker layers. This allows vacuums or skimmers to capture, allo

Climate change is so advanced already that mitigating carbon emissions may no longer be enough to address its negative effects. The scientific community is now realizing that the largest emitting countries must find ways to remove carbon pollution that is already in the atmosphere, and they must do it quickly. The need to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to curb climate change sounds like something we can all agree on. The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act both include provisions to spur carbon capture technologies, so we may see many more of these projects popping up. But are these technologies addressing the most urgent environmental and climate concerns? Several forms of carbon storage are being developed and implemented: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), Direct Air Capture (DAC), Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), as well as nature-based solutions. That’s a lot of a

Supra: there's a prefix you have probably never heard before. It defines a fascinating class of materials with a broad range of applications, including in environmental protection. In general, supramolecular materials are composed of molecules that self-assemble into large complex structures that are held together by noncovalent interactions, namely by hydrogen bonding. And these assemblies really do get very big and very complex, as the image below shows. Supramolecules come in many different forms, including hydrogels, which is the form that opens the door to supramolecule applications in tackling environmental challenges. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-covalent-post-assembly-modification-cascade-self-assembled.html How do supramolecular materials self-assemble? According to an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , there are five main characteristics that define molecular self-assembly: components, interactions, reversibility, environment, and m

As the Bethesda Green’s Environmental Leaders Intern, for my spring project, I created a six-episode podcast series about the circular economy. My podcast contains three hours worth of content including expert interviews. It is available on the Bethesda Green website and the following streaming platforms: Spotify and Anchor. Listen Here! https://bethesdagreen.org/begreen-living/environmental-education/circular-planet/ I chose this topic after taking an online course on circular economy offered by a Swedish university (Lund University) and becoming fascinated about the topic. The idea of the circular economy has so many elements, which sometimes can make it a bit hard to understand fully. So I decided to challenge myself to learn even more about this amazing topic myself with the goal of creating an easy-to-follow resource for others, especially young people, to learn and get excited about the circular economy, and seek to adopt its principles in their own lives. Since the industrial r

Image: Getty Images With the concern over climate change and its effects only multiplying, along with the rising energy demand, harnessing energy from renewable sources is a must. Wind is arguably one of the most important renewable energy sources that the world must take advantage of to decrease reliance on energy from fossil fuels. In the United States, the nationwide share of wind energy in 2020 was 8.4%, a massive increase from 20 years ago in 2000 when this figure was just 0.1% (Wind Electricity). More wind farms are sprouting up in many areas across the US and the world because as wind energy technologies have advanced, costs have gone down. Many of these technologies still face challenges that need to be addressed, so that wind energy utilization becomes widely accepted and implemented around the world. One of the chief criticisms of wind turbines by both climate change deniers and concerned environmentalists is that wind turbines negatively impact wildlife. Though wind energy m

Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet; approximately 90 percent of all atoms are hydrogen. It is also the most simple element consisting of only one proton and neutron. Yet, hydrogen has the potential to be utilized as a source of generation and storage of clean energy. However, hydrogen does not often appear in nature on its own, so it requires a primary energy source to be produced. The sources and processes used to obtain hydrogen are often referred to by color, like grey, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Currently, grey hydrogen is the most common and economical method. Grey hydrogen is derived from natural gas by steam methane reforming (SMR). During SMR, natural gas is combined with hot steam, and the methane from natural gas reacts to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Extra water is added to convert the carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide while producing more hydrogen. The key distinction between grey and blue hydrogen is that blue hydrogen aims for carbon dioxide no

In 2020, residential homes in the US accounted for 11.5% of total energy consumption. Only 7% of energy consumed by homes came directly from renewable sources. This is a huge problem if the US wants to meet the national energy goal of a zero emission energy grid by 2035. Since 42% of energy use options are decided at home, with the right energy infrastructure, the nation could shift towards net-zero energy homes. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a net-zero energy home is simply a home that produces as much energy as it consumes. These homes utilize technologies like solar panels, to produce energy on site, and then dispense it into the energy grid. They also maximize energy efficiency through construction of well insulated roofs, walls, windows, and foundations, and the additions of high-quality windows, LED lighting, low-flow water fixtures, heat-reflecting roof tiles and energy-efficient appliances, all of which drastically cut back on the amou

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The EcoExplorer Blog

Posts

Organic Photovoltaics: An Invisible Solar Energy Revolution in the Making

Using Nanoparticles to Clean Ocean Oil Spills: Ferrofluids

Carbon Storage and Environmental Justice

Environmental Applications of Supramolecular Materials

Introducing My Podcast Series: Circular Planet!

Are Wind Turbines Really a Threat to Birds?

Blue, Green, Gray, Pink, or Yellow Hydrogen: What it Means For Generating Cleaner Energy

Net-Zero Homes for a Zero Emission Future