Alternate use of energy

There are some recently discovered alternate energies so as to save the environment . Human beings are always trying to use solar energy for their survival and day to day use. We know that green plants create their own food and energy with the help of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis happens in the presence of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. The end results are food, chemical energy and release of oxygen gas. Whenever scientists tried to use the solar energy they were quite unsuccessful in utilizing a major part of solar power. The conversation rate of solar energy into electrical energy is quite inefficient. Now researchers at various places are trying to overcome this problem.

New solar charger for laptop computers-
Now we can have a green charger for our computers and laptops. We can take our laptops to outdoors and keep on using them without bothering that the charge will run out. Muzatch offers a solar charger for our computers. It is known as the MZH-SP-6500 / SP-6000 renewable energy charger. If one is traveling long distance in a car, or going on a business trip or in the wilderness and needs emergency power for laptop, this solar charger will come handy.

Fuel from chicken feathers-
Every year 11 billion pounds of poultry industry waste accumulates annually, because we have gigantic appetite for poultry products. They can't be stuffed into pillows. Mostly they are utilized as low-grade animal feed. Scientists in Nevada have created a new and environmentally friendly process for developing bio diesel fuel from 'chicken feather meal'. It has been discovered that chicken feather meal consists of processed chicken feathers, blood, and innards.

Solar-powered Atms by Vortex -
Alternative energy can be a boon for third world countries. Normally governments have to invest vast sums of money in developing infrastructures for a long period of time in underdeveloped areas. If we consider the example of cell phones, they have bypassed the usual wires, poles, roads, telephone exchange infrastructures. People residing in remote villages can be connected via mobiles. Same thing can happen with ATMs (automated teller machines) too. Vortex Engineering is an India-based rural ATM manufacturer. State Bank of India (SBI) wants to deploy 545 ATMs across semi-urban and rural India.

Use of Visible light to break down carbon dioxide-
We all are familiar with the effects of carbon dioxide on our environment. Carbon dioxide is responsible for causing the greenhouse effect. If scientists can breakdown this gas into other form it would lead us to reduce the concentration of this gas into environment substantially. It would mean dealing with the root cause of the problem. Now scientists are trying out to get hold of an organism which could help in the breakdown of carbon dioxide.

Solar energy from plant protein structure-
Nanoscience is quite fascinated with the process of photosynthesis. They want to duplicate this process exhibited by green plants and utilize the solar power for energy use. Till now power generating solar panels are not in a position to replace the fossil fuels. They produce little amount of energy and quite expensive also. Generation of solar energy also depends on geographical locations. Deserts are more suitable locations for solar power than areas experiencing temperate climate. But we can have a new source of solar power that also delivered a power packed performance for us when it is on our dinner/lunch plate i.e. pea power.

Honda solar hydrogen station introduced to green car market-
Honda finally unveiled their new solar hydrogen solar station and all signs point to a dramatic success. The station is smaller than previous models and enables an electric car owner to refill their fuel cell overnight. The unit should easily fit into a homeowners’ garage taking up significantly less space than previous models. The older model required a compressor and electrolyzer for it to be operational. One of the reasons the units were so big was because of the compressor that was required to run the unit. Not only that, the compressor was also the reason that the units were so expensive to produce and purchase.

Waste to energy continues to gain steam-
While new energy solutions are being discovered, refined and brought further and further into the public light, something that does not get a lot of headlines is waste to energy. This is being used in countries like Japan for quite some time and dramatically improving their waste disposal problems in highly populated areas.

Marine pollution

The continued degradation of the human environment has become a major problem in all parts of the world. Environment is everything that surrounds a plant or animal or human being, and affects the way it grows. The three major components of environment are; air, water and soil. The nature of these components are constantly being changed on earth through their interaction with living things .The two are very closely linked and a drastic change in one can lead to far-reaching changes in the other. The sea water which covers about two-third of the planet ,plays a vital role in maintaining the fundamental biological and ecological balance.

Man has always been attracted to the ocean for a variety of reasons which include adventure, food, trade, commerce, industry and recreation. He has thus put ocean to multiple use and will continue to do so in future. But the most injurious use mankind has put the ocean is for disposal of various harmful wastes. We are polluting our marine environment with increasing amounts of waste products, which originated with expanding technology,without full knowledge or ways in which these materials may interact with our surrounding and eventually affect our well being.

The sea-food man consumes is directly or indirectly dependent on the coastal zone and pollution of water in these areas causes significant threat to great portion of world fishing. The marine inhabitants like planktonic and nektonic (floating and swimming organisms), along with fish and fauna constitute the ecological unit know as “community”. It functions and survives on a delicate ecological balance, any disturbance of which will have harmful effects on marine food chain.

Pollution has already affected ocean’s source of food. Shellfish have found to have hepatitis, polio-virus and other pathogens. DDT was found in the Antarctic fish and penguins.

Marine pollution has also affected the recreational facilities on the beach. The floating materials like solid waste, oil, rotting algae, anaerobes have caused unpleasant odour and put threat to recreational and aesthetic value of sea.

The major sources of marine pollution are-:

1.Oil-Oil in marine environment comes from various sources like natural submarine seepage, natural decay of marine plant and animal life, shore-based industries and transport activities, wrecked oil tankers and other ships and discharges from ships which pump out cargo and clean tanks with sea water. Many techniques can help reduce the volumes and effect of oil pollution like mechanical removal of oil from polluted beaches.

2.Waste disposal-:Wastes can be divided into domestic and industrial wastes. The former include wastes from food processing , detergents and run-off from agricultural area. Latter includes heavy metals, radio-active nuclides inorganic chemicals and heated water.

So, as we see that there is an acute problem of marine pollution, necessitating it’s management. Management of marine pollution does not mean outright prohibition though , because that may evolve substantial deprivation to legitimate users. It would also stop the development and exploitation of ocean for the benefit of mankind. The solution lies in finding a balance between management and exploitation.