Biofuel from Plastic for this Young Egyptian Scientist from Alexandria

ORIGINAL:  Green Prophet

Linda Pappagallo

July 16th, 2012

Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad was the winner of the 2011 European Union Contest for Young Scientists for finding a new way of turning plastic into biofuel.  Image via European Commission Research

A sixteen-year-old Egyptian student, Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad from the Zahran Language School in Alexandria has identified a new low-cost catalyst which can generate biofuel by breaking down plastic waste.

The idea of breaking down plastic polymers into fuel feedstocks, the bulk raw material used for producing biofuel, is not a new idea. But Faiad has found a high yield catalyst, calcium bentonite catalyst, that breaks down plastic waste producing gaseous products like methane, propane and ethane, which are then converted into ethanol to use as biofuel.

Faiad and her mentors propose using this discovery to exploit Egypt’s high plastic consumption, which is estimated to amount to one million tons per year, and make money from recycled plastic! She calculates that this technology “can provide an economically efficient method for production of hydrocarbon fuel namely: cracked naphtha of about 40,000 tons per year and hydrocarbon gases of about 138,000 tons per year equivalent to $78 million.”

As we know plastic waste is a huge problem in the Middle East and for our oceans, but hopefully this idea will help convert the problem into a solution.

For her findings, Faiad was presented with the European Fusion Development Agreement award at the 23rd European Union Contest for Young Scientists — involving 130 competitors from 37 countries — held in Finland last year from 23t o 28 September.

Faiad is now looking to get her findings patented this year through the Egyptian Patent Office and scaling up the idea so that it can become a tangible project on the ground.

She has already garnered interests from the Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute.

Out of the six projects in the environmental section of the contest, three came from Egypt.

Digesting paper with termites?

Aside from Faiad, two other young Egyptian scientists Hassan Ahmed and Yomna Yasser Mohamed, proposed interesting solutions to environmental issues. Hassan Ahmed looked at managing paper product waste through termite digestion; the paper is digested by the termites which then enrich the soil with potassium, phosphor and nitrogen and can be used as fertilizers, the termites also produce hydrogen which can be used as a renewable source of energy.

Jatropha plants for biofuel.  Image of jatropha plant from Shutterstock

Yasser Mohamed’s project instead looked at producing a clean and green source of energy that could be manufactured locally in poor rural areas in Egypt. The project selected a plant which is not linked to the food chain, the jatropha plant, to investigate whether it’s oil, methanol, and KOH, which are blended to make bio-diesel, could be produced using different parts of the plant.

Will young Egyptian scientists continue to be at the forefront of environmental solutions? Let’s hope so.

Cockroaches Good For Environment, Biologists Say

ORIGINAL: Huffington Post-Lifes Little Mysteries

By: Natalie Wolchover 

06/20/2012

The sight of a cockroach makes just about every American shudder. We fear a roach infestation inside the walls. We fear that our house is dirty enough to sustain them. We fear that a cockroach might scurry across our faces at night, or, under cover of darkness, eat flecks of toothpaste off our toothbrushes.

These fears drive us to kill, kill, kill, and wish death upon the whole genus. But what if — through some means more effective than a nuclear bomb — cockroaches really were wiped out? Could we then rest easy? Or do we, in fact, somehow need these monstrous vermin?

We put the question to Srini Kambhampati, professor and chair of the biology department at the University of Texas at Tyler, and a world expert on cockroaches. Turns out, the sudden disappearance of Earth's 5,000 to 10,000 cockroach species would have ramifications far beyond your filthy apartment. [Chocolate Allergies Linked to Cockroach Parts]

Worldwide, the insects are a significant food source for many birds and small insectivorous mammals, such as mice and rats. (Even humans eat them in some parts of the world.) None of these animals rely solely on cockroaches for food, Kambhampati said, so they probably wouldn't go extinct, but their numbers would drop. Parasitic wasps, which specialize in parasitizing cockroach eggs, do rely entirely on the cockroach. "These would almost certainly become extinct," Kambhampati told Life's Little Mysteries.

If you can't get very worked up about a dent in the rat population or the extinction of something called a parasitic wasp, consider this: A dearth of mice and rats would, in turn, impact the species that prey on them, including cats (both wild and domestic), coyotes, wolves and many reptiles, as well as eagles and other birds of prey. Many of those animals, we're quite fond of.

Furthermore, the disappearance of cockroaches would mess with something truly vital for us all, called the nitrogen cycle.

"Most cockroaches feed on decaying organic matter, which traps a lot of nitrogen," Kambhampati said. "Cockroach feeding has the effect of releasing that nitrogen (in their feces) which then gets into the soil and is used by plants. In other words, extinction of cockroaches would have a big impact on forest health and therefore indirectly on all the species that live there."

In short, we really, really need cockroach poop. 

Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @nattyover. Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries, then join us on Facebook.

Copyright 2012 Lifes Little Mysteries, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Take Action Against Dow Chemical and Monsanto ‘Agent Orange’ GMO Crops

ORIGINAL: http://naturalsociety.com/dow-chemical-monsanto-agent-orange-gmo-crops/

You can help to hold the USDA and Dow Chemical accountable simply by posting your comments on the official public record of Dow Chemical’s petition with the USDA to approve their 2,4-D herbicide resistant GMO crops (remember that 2,4-D herbicide is half of the recipe for Agent Orange).

The USDA is required to respond to all UNIQUE comments publicly. Therefore, it is essential that you write your own message in addition to using any of the issues listed below. It’s also important to note that comments close April 27th, so make sure to get them in today. It’s simple to do, and you can view the list of issues and links below. Simply go to the USDA website to leave your comments and take action!

Here is a list of issues concerning the new dangerous 2,4-D herbicide resistant crops and source links that we encourage you to use, along with your own message, in your comments to the USDA:

Effects on human health:

I am demanding a full Environmental Impact Statement on these crops because they can affect human health.

What are the cumulative effects for these crops and the increase in 2,4-D herbicide usage?

EPA documents show that 2,4-D herbicide is the seventh largest source of dioxin in the US.

Link: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/24d_red.pdf

Pollution of the environment:

EPA documents reveal that 2,4-D agricultural runoff has polluted groundwater across the US. Dioxin has a half-life of more than 100 years when leached into soil and embedded in water systems. Additionally, when contaminated fish are used as a food source, humans absorb dioxin.

Links: http://www.epa.gov/teach/chem_summ/24D_summary.pdf

http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/agent-orange/history

Ramped up 2,4-D herbicide in crops:

The commercialization of GMO 2,4-D herbicide resistant crops will dramatically increase the usage of 2,4-D herbicide that is linked to dioxin to be used on food crops.

Link: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMcropsIncreasedHerbicide.php

Dioxin in diet and food sources:

The FDA admits that 95% of human dioxin absorption is from diet, especially animal fats. Corn and other crops are used for animal feed and dioxin levels are likely to rise in animals if they are fed 2,4-D herbicide resistant GMO crops, due to increased herbicide use.

Link: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/DioxinsPCBs/ucm292321.htm

Connection to cancer and birth defects:

The EPA says that dioxin increases risk of cancer and current dioxin levels are already “uncomfortably” close to dangerous levels that can cause other health damage.

Link: http://www.epa.gov/pbt/pubs/dioxins.htm

EPA admits that dioxin in 2,4-D causes blood, liver and kidney toxicity in addition to birth defects in lab-tested animals.

Link: http://www.epa.gov/teach/chem_summ/24D_summary.pdf

The Veteran’s Administration recognizes these diseases that have resulted from Agent Orange exposure (2,4-D is half of the recipe of Agent Orange): Amyloidosis, chronic B-cell leukemias, chloracne, diabetes mellitus type 2, Hodgkin’s Disease, ischemic heart disease, multiple myeloma, Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Parkinson’s Disease, peripheral neuropathy, liver dysfunction, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers (including lung), soft tissue sarcomas and birth defects in subsequent generations.

Link: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp

The USDA has failed to require tests of how 2,4-D herbicide and Monsanto’s glyphosate herbicide interact synergistically in the environment and in humans, which may present a real danger.

Take action on the USDA comments website:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=APHIS-2010-0103-0001

Please note that your comments should contain an original message by you (instead of a form letter) so that it is counted as a unique message requiring a response from the USDA. It’s also important to be aware that only your name, city and country are required information, the rest of your personal information like your home address and e-mail are voluntary.

Personal stories of individuals affected by agent orange:

Vietnam Veteran suffers from cancer and heart disease. His daughter is afflicted with birth defects. He explains how Vietnam Veterans were exposed to Agent Orange.

Vietnam Veteran suffers from ischemic heart disease and is receiving aid from the Veterans Administration that now recognizes this disease is linked to dioxin exposure from Agent Orange.

Vietnamese family struggles with 2 children that have severe birth defects from Agent Orange. Currently, many children are still being born with serious Agent Orange birth defects in Vietnam.

Daughter of Vietnam Veteran who died from a heart attack at age 56 describes her injuries resulting from Agent Orange in the second generation.

Please do your part to stop the USDA from approving these dangerous crops! Here’s the USDA link again:

Take action now!