Wastewater as future source of electricity

There is a team of engineers that is now looking beyond fossil fuels – such as coal, oil and natural gas, and emerging alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power – to supply the world’s increasing energy demands.  They are developing a new technology that will harness the energy in sewage water to produce electricity.

According to a Smithsonian.com article, this team at Oregon State University has recently announced a new advance in microbial fuel cells that generate electricity from wastewater.  They have developed a technology that uses bacteria to harvest energy from the biodegradable components of sewage at a rate that is 10 to 50 times more efficient than previous methods.

In essence, they are harnessing biodegradable material in wastewater to feed aerobic bacteria, which digest the substances with the use of oxygen. When the microbes oxidize these components of sewage – and, in turn, clean the water -- they produce a steady stream of electrons.

As the electrons flow from the anode to the cathode within a fuel cell, they produce an electrical current, which can be directly used as a power source. Additionally, this process cleans the water more effectively than anaerobic digestion and doesn’t produce unwanted byproducts.

“If this technology works on a commercial scale the way we believe it will, the treatment of wastewater could be a huge energy producer, not a huge energy cost,” said Hong Liu, a member of the study. “This could have an impact around the world, save a great deal of money, provide better water treatment and promote energy sustainability.”

This technology would greatly benefit developing countries; immediately addressing two problems: a lack of cheap electricity and a scarcity of clean water.

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Meanwhile, on the local front, Cebu-based Bethesda Bio’Solutions Corporation has been making formal presentations to Panglao Island officials on the merits of their products and services, which eliminate the stench emanating from water management systems and open dumpsites.  This company can also convert the island's organic garbage into compost.

“Our business is taking ‘foul’ with our valued clientele and solving the malodor bugging them,” said Candido Nadela, president of Bethesda Bio’Solutions Corporation.

The firm offers to eradicate the stench at its source, on “No cure, No Pay Basis,” and generate revenues for their clients with the use of their organic technology, the Microbial Inoculation Technology.  It is a liquid culture of the latest generation of beneficial aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms sourced from nature. It consists of photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeast. It does not contain any genetically engineered or modified organisms, not chemically synthesized, safe and easy to handle, and is harmless to human health even if accidentally ingested.

Visit Bethesda Bio’Solutions Corporation online for further information on its products and services.

Water drainage system improvement project n Metro Manila

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Cloud over the wind farm industry

A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in one location that is used to produce electrical power. There are two main locations of these wind farms; offshore and onshore. Offshore wind farms utilize the sea winds. The Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm has a capacity of 662.5 megawatt that is capable of generating electrical power to more than 200,000 homes in Texas. Another notable wind farm is the Dabancheng Wind Farm in China with 118 turbines and is one of Asia’s biggest wind farms.

They can be a sight to behold, but unfortunately, I have no pictures of wind farms.

A wind turbine is a machine used for converting the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump or grinding stones, the machine is usually called a windmill. If the mechanical energy is then converted to electricity, the machine is called a wind generator.

Wind turbines are devices that generate electricity from the wind. 

It converts kinetic energy or energy that is created due to motion, into mechanical energy. Mechanical energy is used in numerous ways every day. One of its most important uses is as electrical energy. This electrical energy in turn allows us to power our light bulbs, refrigerator and television set.

Imagine wind turbines as electric fans, but instead of electricity producing air, it works the opposite. Wind turbines are connected to a generator and in turn convert wind into electricity. There are two groups of wind turbines, the vertical-axis design and the horizontal-axis variety. The horizontal-axis turbines have the main rotor on top of the tower and need to be pointed into the direction of the wind. The vertical-axis turbines on the other hand have the main rotor faced vertically and does not need to be positioned in the wind direction. It is the horizontal-axis that is the most commonly used while it is the vertical-axis that is highly advantageous.

In the Philippines’ Laoag City, three wind power developers were given the green light to build new wind farms last year, reinforcing Ilocos Norte’s bid to become the home of renewable energy (RE) in the country.

Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, according to a Philippine Inquirer article, said the Lopez family-run Energy Development Corp. (EDC) would operate a $310-million facility in Burgos town. Energy Logics will put up its own plants in Burgos and in neighboring Pasuquin town at the cost of $380 million.

The UPC Renewables, an affiliate of the Italian UPC Group, will also build plants in the villages of Balaoi and Caparispisan in Pagudpud town.

The new wind energy sources were part of the governor’s report in her state of the province address, marking her first year in office.

“Today, we decide to break our dependence on fossil fuel and within the next few years, we must generate 50 percent of the energy used by the province from renewable energies,” Marcos said.

“We were the first [to harness wind power in the Philippines]. We will not stop until we achieve all our dreams.”

Now the bad news

Despite being hailed as a leader in "green" innovation, wind farms might cause a warming effect on local climates, concluded a new study. The newfound revelation casts a shadow over the alleged accomplishments of wind power, and will likely ignite controversy among lawmakers and advocacy groups.

Researchers at the State University of New York at Albany observed satellite data circling areas around wind farms in Texas, where four of the largest farms in the world are stationed. The researchers’ data, published in the Nature Climate Change journal, uncovered a warming trend of up to 0.72 degrees Celsius per decade — using data from 2003 to 2011 — in regions over the wind farms, compared with nearby areas without farms.

In contrast, scientists report that the Earth’s average temperature has increased by only 0.8 degrees Celsius since 1900.

"We attribute this warming primarily to wind farms," reported the study’s authors, which is likely due to the impact of the energy discharged by farms, as well as the turbulence ignited by turbine rotors. "These changes, if spatially large enough, may have noticeable impacts on local to regional weather and climate."

Many experts say wind power complements the generation of solar power, because solar power is only generated during daytime hours, while nighttime hours often experience stronger winds. However, the study’s authors and their colleagues deduced that turbulence behind the farm’s turbine blades force cooler air to the ground at night, and mix in warm air higher in the atmosphere, resulting in an elevated overall temperature.

"Given the present installed capacity and the projected growth in installation of wind farms across the world, I feel that wind farms, if spatially large enough, might have noticeable impacts on local to regional meteorology," Liming Zhou, one of the study’s authors, wrote in an email to Discovery News. "The year-to-year land surface temperature over wind farms shows a persistent upward trend from 2003 to 2011, consistent with the increasing number of operational wind turbines with time."

But John Dabiri, director of the Center for Bioinspired Wind Energy at the California Institute of Technology, warns that jumping to conclusions as to what are the best energy "solutions" — particularly when such action involves government interference — may be imprudent. Zhou and his colleagues’ findings show "that we need to think carefully about the unintended environmental consequences of any large-scale energy development," Dabiri averred, "including green technologies."

The purported research, if validated by future studies, should help reveal the fatuity of doling out massive taxpayer-backed subsidies to so-called green energy "solutions." In an effort to abate climate change, the advocacy of wind energy is possibly adding to climate change (even if the impact is "localized" and minimal). Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of birds die every year from turbine blades.

Globally, wind farms last year had a 21-percent increase (over 2010) in their capacity to produce electricity, and this capacity is expected to rise further as more, and larger, farms are constructed, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. China is reportedly building 36 wind turbines every day, while Texas holds the reign as the number-one producer of wind power in the United States.

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Suggested reads:

Time:  What the wind tells us

New American: Teens Sue Government for Global Warming

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Skywatch

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Going Green: The insidious chemical wastes

Most chemical residues are absorbed into the ground water, rivers, lakes and oceans; whereas some are spewed into the air, eventually lacing the local food supplies.

Chemical waste, such as mercury, bioaccumulates in the food chains. It is taken up through the gills of fish and concentrated in the flesh. It can be dangerous to eat large quantities of big ocean fish, contaminated by mercury. In humans, mercury causes neurological symptoms, birth defects and death. In one international incident, a village of Minimata Bay, Japan suffered mercury poisoning and 52 people died eating fish contaminated by a chemical plant.

Where do these chemicals come from?

- 100,000 chemicals are being used worldwide

- 3,000 chemicals are added to our food supply

- More than 10,000 are used as solvents, emulsifiers, while preservatives are used in food processing

- 1,500 new chemicals are introduced each year

What are the most common toxins?

1. Pesticides, EPA: 60% herbicides, 90% fungicides, 30% insecticides which are carcinogenic  

Risk: Cancer, Parkinson's, miscarriage, birth defects, nerve damage, malabsorption of food

Source: Food and bug sprays

2. Mold and fungal toxins

Risk: Cancer, heart disease, asthma, MS, diabetes

Source: peanuts, wheat, corn, alcoholic beverages

3. Phthalates: used to increase shelf life of fragrances and soften plastics

Risk: Endocrine system (mimic hormones)

Source: plastic wraps, containers, food storage, hair sprays, deodorants and fragrances

4. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)

Risks: Cancer, eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, memory loss

Source: Paints, deodorants, carpets, cleaning fluids, varnish, cosmetics, dry-cleaned clothing, moth repellants, air freshners, printer ink

5 Dioxins: Chemical compounds formed as a result of incineration, smelting, chlorine bleaching, pesticides manufacturing, burning of fuel and waste

Risk: Liver damage, cancer, reproductive/developmental disorder, severe acne, skin rashes, skin discoloration, heart disease, diabetes,endometriosis, early menopause

6. Asbestos: Insulating material widely used during the 1960s-70s

Risk: Cancer (mesothelioma)

Source: Insulation on floors, ceilings, water pipes constructed during the 1960s-70s

7. Heavy metals: arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum

Risk:  Cancer, neurological disorders, kidney failure, cardio-vascular diseases, Alzheimer's, foggy head, fatigue, blood disorders

Source: Dental amalgams, contaminated water and fish, unleaded fuel combustion, cigarettes, aluminum, cooking utensils, pesticides

8. Chloroform: A colorless fluid with a pleasant, non-irritating, slightly sweet taste used to make other chemicals.  It is formed when chlorines is added to water.

Risk: Cancer, reproductive damage, birth defects, dizziness, headache, fatigue, liver and kidney damage

Source: Air, chlorinated water, food

9. Chlorine: highly-toxic yellow-green gas

Risk: Cough, skin and eye irritation, sore throat, breathing problems, asthma

Source: household cleaners, living near an industry that uses a lot of water such as a paper mill

What are diseases linked to toxins?

- 1 in 3 people have cancer (more than 2 billion) \

- 1 in 8 women have breast cancer

- 17 million people have asthma

- 4 million people worldwide have Parkinson's disease

- 2.5 million people have Multiple Sclerosis

- 4 million people have Lupus

- 4.6 million people have Alzheimer's

- 40 million people have arthritis

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Suggested reads:

“Pink Slime” -- Finding Its Way Into American’s Ground Beef

Princeton University - Chemical Waste Disposal

Chemicals in Wastewater: A Growing Concern

The New York Times: How chemicals affect us

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

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