2010年11月24日 星期三
2010年11月15日 星期一
2010年11月11日 星期四
2010年10月24日 星期日
2010年10月12日 星期二
2010年9月20日 星期一
2010年9月19日 星期日
2010年9月13日 星期一
2010年6月3日 星期四
Cows with Gas: India's Global-Warming Problem
Forwarded from TIME Magazine
By Madhur Singh 四月 11, 2009
The country's livestock produces enormous amounts of heat-trapping methane. Now Indian scientists are trying to suppress and manage the bovine gasRead more: http://search.time.com/results.html?N=0&Nty=1&Ntt=methane&p=0&cmd=tags&srchCat=Full+Archive#ixzz0pm0tBP00
More photo (forwarded form TIME magazine) 2010年6月2日 星期三
The Promise And Pitfalls of Bioplastic
轉載自TIME Magazine - by Kristina Dell Monday, May. 03, 2010
Regular, petroleum-based plastic doesn't biodegrade. But this year's crop of Earth Day — inspired ads shows plant-based plastics doing just that: an empty SunChips bag fading into the soil, a Paper Mate pen dissolving underground. Although the visuals suggest that these items simply disintegrate (Goodbye, landfill!), the reality is more complicated. Take the SunChips bag. It needs to go in a compost bin; the packaging is clear about that. Likewise, Paper Mate notes that the pen's outer casing will break down if buried in a backyard but that its innards should go in the garbage. Forget to separate them, and the outer part won't biodegrade in a landfill.
Bioplastics could be really good for the environment — the manufacturing process produces fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than that for petroleum-based plastics, and these biomaterials don't contain an allegedly hormone-disrupting chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), that some regular plastics do. But is society green enough to use bioplastics? Many of us still don't recycle all our bottles and cans, and now companies are expecting us to start composting? (See a special report on plastic and other environmental toxins.)
Bioplastics have been around for decades — Henry Ford made automotive parts out of corn and soybean oils for the Model T — and interest in these materials has tended to fluctuate with the price of oil. Of the two promising new varieties of bioplastic, one type — dubbed polylactic acid, or PLA — is clear in color and costs manufacturers about 20% more to use than petroleum-based plastic. The other — called polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA — biodegrades more easily but is more than double the price of regular plastic. Both bioplastics are made of fermented corn sugar, and both come with a major benefit: if disposed of properly, they won't stick around in landfills for thousands of years.
But that's a big if. The PLA resins that biodegrade when composted are showing up in more and more consumer products. For example, NatureWorks makes polymers that are now in SunChips bags, water bottles in some government cafeterias and new Coca-Cola fountain-soda cups. (There are also nonbiodegradable versions in Canon copiers and Toyota Prius floor mats.) Other firms are trying to make PLA using switchgrass, potatoes and algae. (See pictures of environment-friendly water bottles.)
PHA is more expensive, but it can handle higher temperatures and is the only bioplastic that will decompose in soil or waterways. (No more floating garbage.) "Disposable, one-use plastics that biodegrade seem the most beneficial for society," says Oliver Peoples, co-founder of and chief scientific officer at Metabolix, whose Mirel PHA is in Paper Mate pens and Target gift cards. "A regular plastic fork stays around for hundreds of years."
But if a biodegradable fork ends up in an airtight landfill, it will most likely remain intact, just like regular plastic. However, should moisture seep in, bioplastics could anaerobically degrade and give off methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. "When you dispose of biodegradable plastic, it decomposes into an air-pollution problem," says Tillman Gerngross, an engineering professor at Dartmouth, who used to work for Metabolix and is now one of PHA's main critics. (NatureWorks says third-party tests revealed that its PLA stayed inert.) But discarded bioplastic is not the only potential methane emitter in landfills. Kitchen scraps and yard waste emit the gas, which is one reason many garbage dumps have started capturing methane output and using it for energy. (See the top 10 green ideas of 2009.)
The market for bioplastics is still relatively small, and until it gets bigger, eco-savvy consumers may have trouble dropping their bioplastics off at recycling facilities or composting centers. PLA is easy enough to recycle, but it can't be mixed with the current recycling stream. And smaller companies have yet to add sorting mechanisms like infrared technology that can separate clear bioplastic bottles from the regular, petroleum-based kind. Meanwhile, some composting centers have a blanket policy of discarding all plastic. "I direct pickers to take out plastic, which they can't distinguish from bioplastic," says Will Bakx, co-owner of and soil scientist at Sonoma Compost, a composting facility in Petaluma, Calif.
Many of the disposal issues could be resolved if manufacturers follow Bakx's suggestion and adopt a uniform color to identify bioplastic resins. Until then, Naturally Iowa is selling its PLA water bottles only in places like hotels and cafeterias, like the ones used by Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where the company can pick up and recycle the plastic waste. Says CEO Bill Horner: "We want to touch the bottle after it's used and know where it is going to go."
Breaking our petroleum addiction won't be easy. But the more pain we feel at the pump — gas prices are expected to go back up to $3 a gal. (80¢ per L) this summer — the more we'll be willing to adapt. For now, many SunChips purchasers are complaining not about the lack of industrial composting sites but about how much noise the new bag makes. "I tried to sneak some SunChips at night, and I woke my wife up," says Bob O'Connell, a compliance officer in New Port Richey, Fla. "That's how loud the bag is." Ah, priorities. For many, green still takes a backseat to convenience.Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1983894,00.html#ixzz0pls1SU2U
Bioplastics could be really good for the environment — the manufacturing process produces fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than that for petroleum-based plastics, and these biomaterials don't contain an allegedly hormone-disrupting chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), that some regular plastics do. But is society green enough to use bioplastics? Many of us still don't recycle all our bottles and cans, and now companies are expecting us to start composting? (See a special report on plastic and other environmental toxins.)
Bioplastics have been around for decades — Henry Ford made automotive parts out of corn and soybean oils for the Model T — and interest in these materials has tended to fluctuate with the price of oil. Of the two promising new varieties of bioplastic, one type — dubbed polylactic acid, or PLA — is clear in color and costs manufacturers about 20% more to use than petroleum-based plastic. The other — called polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA — biodegrades more easily but is more than double the price of regular plastic. Both bioplastics are made of fermented corn sugar, and both come with a major benefit: if disposed of properly, they won't stick around in landfills for thousands of years.
But that's a big if. The PLA resins that biodegrade when composted are showing up in more and more consumer products. For example, NatureWorks makes polymers that are now in SunChips bags, water bottles in some government cafeterias and new Coca-Cola fountain-soda cups. (There are also nonbiodegradable versions in Canon copiers and Toyota Prius floor mats.) Other firms are trying to make PLA using switchgrass, potatoes and algae. (See pictures of environment-friendly water bottles.)
PHA is more expensive, but it can handle higher temperatures and is the only bioplastic that will decompose in soil or waterways. (No more floating garbage.) "Disposable, one-use plastics that biodegrade seem the most beneficial for society," says Oliver Peoples, co-founder of and chief scientific officer at Metabolix, whose Mirel PHA is in Paper Mate pens and Target gift cards. "A regular plastic fork stays around for hundreds of years."
But if a biodegradable fork ends up in an airtight landfill, it will most likely remain intact, just like regular plastic. However, should moisture seep in, bioplastics could anaerobically degrade and give off methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. "When you dispose of biodegradable plastic, it decomposes into an air-pollution problem," says Tillman Gerngross, an engineering professor at Dartmouth, who used to work for Metabolix and is now one of PHA's main critics. (NatureWorks says third-party tests revealed that its PLA stayed inert.) But discarded bioplastic is not the only potential methane emitter in landfills. Kitchen scraps and yard waste emit the gas, which is one reason many garbage dumps have started capturing methane output and using it for energy. (See the top 10 green ideas of 2009.)
The market for bioplastics is still relatively small, and until it gets bigger, eco-savvy consumers may have trouble dropping their bioplastics off at recycling facilities or composting centers. PLA is easy enough to recycle, but it can't be mixed with the current recycling stream. And smaller companies have yet to add sorting mechanisms like infrared technology that can separate clear bioplastic bottles from the regular, petroleum-based kind. Meanwhile, some composting centers have a blanket policy of discarding all plastic. "I direct pickers to take out plastic, which they can't distinguish from bioplastic," says Will Bakx, co-owner of and soil scientist at Sonoma Compost, a composting facility in Petaluma, Calif.
Many of the disposal issues could be resolved if manufacturers follow Bakx's suggestion and adopt a uniform color to identify bioplastic resins. Until then, Naturally Iowa is selling its PLA water bottles only in places like hotels and cafeterias, like the ones used by Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where the company can pick up and recycle the plastic waste. Says CEO Bill Horner: "We want to touch the bottle after it's used and know where it is going to go."
Breaking our petroleum addiction won't be easy. But the more pain we feel at the pump — gas prices are expected to go back up to $3 a gal. (80¢ per L) this summer — the more we'll be willing to adapt. For now, many SunChips purchasers are complaining not about the lack of industrial composting sites but about how much noise the new bag makes. "I tried to sneak some SunChips at night, and I woke my wife up," says Bob O'Connell, a compliance officer in New Port Richey, Fla. "That's how loud the bag is." Ah, priorities. For many, green still takes a backseat to convenience.Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1983894,00.html#ixzz0pls1SU2U
2010年4月21日 星期三
2010年4月13日 星期二
what kind of bonds they are ?
Wanna sing a song of bonding?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNBzyM6TcK8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNBzyM6TcK8
2010年3月28日 星期日
2010年2月9日 星期二
MAKE YOUR OWN SAFER AND INEXPENSIVE HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS
USING AND MAKING A CLEANER
· It may take longer because of needing to let the mixture “sit” before rinsing.
· You may use more “elbow grease.”
· The ingredients are still not completely safe, so follow these guidelines:
· Be careful mixing chemicals. Chlorine bleach and ammonia produce a toxic gas when mixed.
· Only make a month’s supply at a time, or the mixture may lose its strength.
· Mix where there is plenty of fresh air.
· Still store all cleaning solutions out of children’s reach or in a locked cabinet.
· Store in new containers bought for each specific mixture and keep in a permanent place. If using a recycled container your mixture may react with something left over inside it or be mistaken for a food or beverage.
· Label carefully, clearly and permanently.
Sometimes only a commercial product will do the job. Here are some tips to keep your household safe:
· Read the label for choosing the least poisonous product, storage, use, disposal and risks.
· Avoid aerosols; use sprays, powders, pastes or liquids.
GENERAL PURPOSE CLEANERS:
· Mix ½ cup of vinegar with 1gallon of water.
· Combine ¼ cup of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of water to form a paste.
· Combine 2 tablespoons of ammonia, 2 tablespoons liquid detergent and 1 quart of warm water.
FURNITURE POLISH:
Mix 2 teaspoons lemon oil and 1 pint of mineral oil.
AIR FRESHENER/ODOR REMOVAL:
· Simmer cinnamon sticks or sliced citrus in water.
· Spray a mixture of 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon lemon juice dissolved in 2 cups of hot water.
· Sprinkle carpets with baking soda at bedtime and leave overnight. Vacuum the next day.
BATHROOM CLEANER:
· ½ cup bleach and 1 cup of water, wiped on and left for 5 minutes will remove mildew from tile.
· Vinegar and water removes mildew from shower curtains and water spots from faucets.
· Borax and lemon juice cleans and deodorizes the toilet.
· ¼ cup of cornstarch, ½ cup ammonia and 1 cup vinegar on windows or shower doors for removing rust and lime deposits.
DRAINS:
· For a weekly drain cleaner mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda, ½ cup vinegar with 1 quart of warm water and pour down the drain. Let sit ½ hour and rinse with 3 quarts of hot water.
· To unclog drain: Mix 1 cup of baking soda, one cup salt, and 1 cup of white vinegar. Expect fizzing while it sits for 15 minutes. Then pour it down the drain and follow with a few cups of boiling water.
KITCHEN:
· Baking soda makes a good scouring powder for counters, fine china, coffeepots, and toasters.
· Vinegar in the rinse water removes spots on glassware.
· Oven cleaner: Sprinkle baking soda on stains. 5 minutes later scrub with a damp cloth.
WINDOW CLEANER: (Note - remove chemical cleaner with ammonia first, or you may get streaks when using vinegar solutions.)
· ½ cup of vinegar in 1 gallon of water, wiping off with newspaper.
· ¼ cup of ammonia in 1 gallon of water, wiping off with newspaper, again.
FLOOR CLEANER:
· Mix 1 cup vinegar OR ½ cup of ammonia in a bucket of water.
· If there is a wax or dirt buildup, use 2 cups of ammonia per gallon of water and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing off.
· Dissolve 1/2cup of borax in 2 gallons of hot water.
· It may take longer because of needing to let the mixture “sit” before rinsing.
· You may use more “elbow grease.”
· The ingredients are still not completely safe, so follow these guidelines:
· Be careful mixing chemicals. Chlorine bleach and ammonia produce a toxic gas when mixed.
· Only make a month’s supply at a time, or the mixture may lose its strength.
· Mix where there is plenty of fresh air.
· Still store all cleaning solutions out of children’s reach or in a locked cabinet.
· Store in new containers bought for each specific mixture and keep in a permanent place. If using a recycled container your mixture may react with something left over inside it or be mistaken for a food or beverage.
· Label carefully, clearly and permanently.
Sometimes only a commercial product will do the job. Here are some tips to keep your household safe:
· Read the label for choosing the least poisonous product, storage, use, disposal and risks.
· Avoid aerosols; use sprays, powders, pastes or liquids.
GENERAL PURPOSE CLEANERS:
· Mix ½ cup of vinegar with 1gallon of water.
· Combine ¼ cup of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of water to form a paste.
· Combine 2 tablespoons of ammonia, 2 tablespoons liquid detergent and 1 quart of warm water.
FURNITURE POLISH:
Mix 2 teaspoons lemon oil and 1 pint of mineral oil.
AIR FRESHENER/ODOR REMOVAL:
· Simmer cinnamon sticks or sliced citrus in water.
· Spray a mixture of 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon lemon juice dissolved in 2 cups of hot water.
· Sprinkle carpets with baking soda at bedtime and leave overnight. Vacuum the next day.
BATHROOM CLEANER:
· ½ cup bleach and 1 cup of water, wiped on and left for 5 minutes will remove mildew from tile.
· Vinegar and water removes mildew from shower curtains and water spots from faucets.
· Borax and lemon juice cleans and deodorizes the toilet.
· ¼ cup of cornstarch, ½ cup ammonia and 1 cup vinegar on windows or shower doors for removing rust and lime deposits.
DRAINS:
· For a weekly drain cleaner mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda, ½ cup vinegar with 1 quart of warm water and pour down the drain. Let sit ½ hour and rinse with 3 quarts of hot water.
· To unclog drain: Mix 1 cup of baking soda, one cup salt, and 1 cup of white vinegar. Expect fizzing while it sits for 15 minutes. Then pour it down the drain and follow with a few cups of boiling water.
KITCHEN:
· Baking soda makes a good scouring powder for counters, fine china, coffeepots, and toasters.
· Vinegar in the rinse water removes spots on glassware.
· Oven cleaner: Sprinkle baking soda on stains. 5 minutes later scrub with a damp cloth.
WINDOW CLEANER: (Note - remove chemical cleaner with ammonia first, or you may get streaks when using vinegar solutions.)
· ½ cup of vinegar in 1 gallon of water, wiping off with newspaper.
· ¼ cup of ammonia in 1 gallon of water, wiping off with newspaper, again.
FLOOR CLEANER:
· Mix 1 cup vinegar OR ½ cup of ammonia in a bucket of water.
· If there is a wax or dirt buildup, use 2 cups of ammonia per gallon of water and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing off.
· Dissolve 1/2cup of borax in 2 gallons of hot water.
Elements
Element song: The melody is good!
Have you ever get a node on your tongue? 有無試過舌頭打結?
Lyrics:
There’s antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium,And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium,And nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium,And iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium,Europium, zirconium, lutetium, vanadium,And lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium,And gold and protactinium and indium and gallium, (gasp)And iodine and thorium and thulium and thallium.
There’s yttrium, ytterbium, actinium, rubidium,And boron, gadolinium, niobium, iridium,And strontium and silicon and silver and samarium,And bismuth, bromine, lithium, beryllium, and barium.
There’s holmium and helium and hafnium and erbium,And phosphorus and francium and fluorine and terbium,And manganese and mercury, molybdenum, magnesium,Dysprosium and scandium and cerium and cesium.And lead, praseodymium and platinum, plutonium,Palladium, promethium, potassium, polonium,And tantalum, technetium, titanium, tellurium, (gasp)And cadmium and calcium and chromium and curium.
There’s sulfur, californium and fermium, berkelium,And also mendelevium, einsteinium, nobelium,And argon, krypton, neon, radon, xenon, zinc and rhodium,And chlorine, carbon, cobalt, copper, tungsten, tin and sodium.
These are the only ones of which the news has come to Hahvard,And there may be many others but they haven’t been discahvered.
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