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September 2006
Boron + water = hydrogen + boron-oxide.
I've been predicting for a while that once there is the demand - created by proper pricing of oil, that techno-fixes will emerge to the shared problem of global-warming and peak-oil.
Hydrogen has been pitched as part of the solution (along with renewable energy to make it), but the problem is carrying enough of it safely.
Though its too soon to tell, this advance is the sort of out-of-the-box thinking we need. The idea is simple - instead of carrying hydrogen, you carry water, plus something that can be used to make the water into hydrogen, then you use renewably-generated energy to turn that something back into a re-usable form. This announcement uses Boron as the carrier, if Boron doesn't work then someone else will come up with an alternative.
The basic reaction is simple:
Water + Boron -> Boron-oxide + Hydrogen;
Hydrogen + Oxygen = Mobile Power + Water;
Boron-Oxide + Electricity = Boron;
The energy density sounds pretty good - 40 lbs Boron + 12 gallons of water being equivalent to 10 gallons of petrol. They are expecting a prototype in 2009, which is a bit long away, but this - or some alternative carrier - sounds to me like a promising alternative.
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Al Gore calls for a Freeze on Carbon Emissions
Al Gore gave a really important speech on 18th September at NYU, in it he goes beyond the message of crisis in "An Inconvenient Truth" and makes suggestions for what should be done about it. In particular, he calls for a freeze on Carbon Emission levels (we need to bring them down, so a freeze is a good start). We need bold suggestions, and the longer we leave taking action the tougher those proposals will need to be.
View the webcast video
here or directly here. or read the transcript below, and of course don't miss "An Inconvenient Truth" when it screens near you.
Continue reading "Al Gore calls for a Freeze on Carbon Emissions"
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New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup
For a long time I've been worried by people's perception that Roundup is safe, and its overuse in "Landcare" activities in Australia - not surprising since the training colleges essentially only teach how to regenerate bush using chemicals ..
Project Censored does a good job of uncovering stories that didn't get the media attention they enjoyed, here is there latest on this.
New studies from both sides of the Atlantic reveal that Roundup, the most widely used weedkiller in the world, poses serious human health threats. More than 75 percent of genetically modified (GM) crops are engineered to tolerate the absorption of Roundup—it eliminates all plants that are not GM. Monsanto Inc., the major engineer of GM crops, is also the producer of Roundup. Thus, while Roundup was formulated as a weapon against weeds, it has become a prevalent ingredient in most of our food crops.
Three recent studies show that Roundup, which is used by farmers and home gardeners, is not the safe product we have been led to trust.
A group of scientists led by biochemist Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini from the University of Caen in France found that human placental cells are very sensitive to Roundup at concentrations lower than those currently used in agricultural application.
Continue reading "New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup"
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