Good afternoon to all readers of the Bioblogosphere! To your attention topic 17 « System of waste recycling».
Task formulation 1 7 - 1. Mercury as substance belongs to the first hazard class. Why is mercury still used in household appliances?
Answer: mercury: thermometers, mercury-containing lamps, galvanic cells, fluorescent lamps, manometers, barometers, etc.
Task formulation 1 7 - 2. According to the waste classification by hazard class, plastic is practically not hazardous. Do you agree with this classification?
The 5th hazard class practically does not pose a danger: plastic, rubber products, metal objects. Their dumping is allowed.
Answer: In the short term, such waste is not dangerous, but it takes a very long time to degrade in nature, therefore it does not return to the cycle and accumulates. To conserve resources, it is preferable to collect waste. Recycled recyclables are used to manufacture new products.
Task formulation 1 7 - 3. A mercury thermometer crashes at your workplace. What will you do as a responsible person?
Answer: demercurization is the removal of mercury and its compounds by physicochemical or mechanical means in order to prevent poisoning of people and animals.
Task formulation 1 7 - 4. The Wagamama Asian Food Network has eliminated plastic straws since Earth Day (April 22), and offers a biodegradable paper instead. The British supermarket chain «Iceland» will eliminate plastic packaging in its brand’s products by the end of 2023. China has legally banned import of non-recyclable foreign products. Why is the movement against plastic gaining strength?
Answer: plastic pollution is a serious problem around the world. The consumption and production of disposable plastic products is spiraling out of control. In December, nearly 200 countries signed a United Nations resolution to eliminate plastic pollution in the ocean. Some businesses are switching to biodegradable materials or recyclable plastics on their own.
Task formulation 1 7 - 5. «Those who litter and throw carrion on the streets will be beaten with a whip». Where did this quote come from? What other measures aimed at following sanitary standards are indicated in this and other documents of that time?
Answer: a number of reforms of Peter Alekseevich were in the field of improvement and cleanliness of cities. The decree “On the observation of cleanliness in Moscow and on punishment for throwing litter and any litter on the streets and alleys” obliged residents to take out waste outside the city and fill it up with earth. The fine could be 10 rubles, which was a huge amount. In the capital, they began to lay sewers and installed garbage bins on the streets. Later, Catherine II continued Peter's work on improving the capital: “it is firmly forbidden and relentlessly watch so that no one litter and rubbish is thrown into the Moskva River and other flowing waters through the city and not taken out sewage on ice”.
Task formulation 1 7 - 6. In 1931, for his services in the discovery and development of high-pressure chemical processes, hydrothermal carbonization in particular, German scientist Friedrich Bergius became the Nobel laureate in chemistry. What is the importance of hydrothermal carbonization? What can one get from it?
Answer: at a temperature of 180-220 ° C, a pressure of 10-25 bar, without air access and with the addition of a catalyst, the biomass is dehydrated and carbonized within 6-12 hours to a CO2 -neutral biochar. Such biochar can either be burned to generate heat energy, or used in various technological processes in industry instead of fossil coal. The LTS process for the production of fuel biochar has not been used for many years due to low world prices for energy carriers. The production process is 100% carbon efficient - the conversion of the carbon present in the biomass into the final product: almost all of the carbon from organic biomass is converted into biochar.
Task formulation 1 7 - 7. Japanese molecular biologists have found that the ordinary soil bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis lives on a lavsan «diet», decomposes PET chains into single units and eats them, removing water and carbon dioxide. How can they use this discovery?
Answer: It was found out that only two enzymes of the “plastic-eating” bacterium are responsible for destroying plastic: PEFase decomposes long units of the polymer into molecules of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid; MGET hydrolase decomposes these units into ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Bacteria ate the proposed film in 6 weeks. Adding colonies of Ideonella sakaiensis to garbage heaps will significantly accelerate their decomposition.
Task formulation 1 7 - 8. At the Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands), scientists are designing an electric concept for a future urban car. The project is called Noah, it consists of renewable materials by 90%. The frame is made on the basis of a sugarcane. Why are they using such unusual materials for automotive industry? What else do you know about this car?
Answer: Lina was the first model built using biocomposites and bioplastics. This biocomposite is made from flax and has the same strength to weight ratio as fiberglass. It consists of 90% renewable materials. The frame is made on the basis of sugarcane, which means the complete disposal of the sandwich. Noah will be able to travel at speeds up to 100 km/h and have a range of 240 km.
Task formulation 1 7 - 9. At the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, onion peels were used to generate inexpensive green electricity to power pacemakers and small electronics. Why is do they use onion peel?
Answer: Non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible device based on the piezoelectric properties of the onion shell as a transducer of simple body movements into green energy. Among the various cellulosic biomaterials, onion peel is the most common biowaste. Researchers covered a piece of the peel of the onion with a thin layer of gold and brought thin copper wires with silver solder. Then, such a micromodule was sealed in a polymer capsule. The nanogenerator responds to body movement, wind flow and even the vibration of the sewing machine.
Task formulation 1 7 - 10. Two engineers from Amsterdam created Crowded Cities startup, which will train a raven to collect cigarette butts on the streets and throw them in litter-boxes in exchange for a treat. Suggest a version of how they will use it.
Answer: The authors of the project hope not only to make the city cleaner, but also to draw people's attention to the problem of garbage. Perhaps, seeing that the crows have learned how to clean up garbage, the townspeople will want to prove that they are no more stupid than birds.
Task formulation 1 7 - 11. In Stirling, Scotland, the old Sea King helicopter was converted into a mini-hotel, instead of being sent to a landfill. It has a luxurious (for helicopters) interior, there is a place for a bed, a kitchen and a shower. The helicopter has been restored, the walls are insulated and covered with wooden panels. Is it a unique type of an overnight stay?
Answer: The helicopter can accommodate five to seven people using two large beds and one small one at the tail of the helicopter. This unique type of lodging confirms that the greenest solution is reuse, not recycling.
Task formulation 1 7 - 12. The Massachusetts University has developed a chemical process for producing isoprene, a key molecule in car tires made from natural products - wood, grass or corn silage. What environmental problem can be solved using these car tires?
Answer: this process will help reduce the carbon footprint that increases when tires are made from petroleum isoprene.
Task formulation 1 7 - 13. Half Century Jeans creates «indestructible» jeans that last 50 years, or repair is free. Instead of a cotton mix, they are made from a hybrid of Japanese denim from Okayama and Spectra fibers. Spectra is 15 times stronger than cable steel and is used in extreme sports. Why do we need such clothes?
Answer: They will cost 69 pounds. Instead of a cotton mix, they are made from a hybrid of Japanese denim from Okayama and Spectra fibers. The fabric is created by continuous transverse twisting of the fibers. 25% of the world's chemicals are used in the textile industry, and 10% of global CO2 emissions come from clothing.
Thank you for attention! That's all for today! Bye Bye! Have a good day! Take eco-knowledge from me, but give me a like :-)))