Intelligence and food to spur Innovations and Innovators

I returned with pleasure to Dave MacKay's blog where almost all his posts are highly pertinent for all, either those wishing to map their professional activity or simply wishing to gen-up on current Climate Change, GW-global warming and energy issues, hopefully all of us. In his post pre-review of the book Challenged by Carbon by Brian Lovell, the blog reader's attention is drawn to the fact that "55 million years ago, an enormous global warming event, raising the temperature of the water at the bottom of the ocean by more than 4 degrees C within roughly 10,000 years occurred". I did a rapid Google search and invite readers to do the same.

There is a short history of the big oil companies attitudes from "believing what the rocks say" and they say there is a problem and the business as usual approach and "as a backdrop the war in Iraq

"Yes, some oil companies greened up their public facades in 2003, but have they reverted to business as usual behind the scenes? But what about the rest of the oil industry?"

Quoting MacKay's selection from Lovell since this cannot be over-echoed I believe: "In the second half of the book, Lovell indicates how he hopes the drama will unfold: "government intervention is essential" in relation to the transition to the low-carbon economy; "concerted action" is required from all oil companies; oil companies [and the coal mining and power gen lobby] should turn their remarkable technical skills to a new waste management business: capturing and storing carbon[dioxide CO2], especially carbon [CO2] from coal power stations.

MacKay's figures: "key numbers for carbon capture. A standard unit of carbon capture and storage is "the Sleipner""

1. Norway's implementation of a carbon-emission tax of $55 per tonne of CO2 (which can be compared to today's EU market price of 14.10 euros per tonne),

2. StatoilHydro is storing 1 Mt CO2 per year in the Utsira saline aquifer under the North Sea.

3. A 1-GW coal power station, running all the time, produces roughly 7 Mt CO2 per year. So every 1-GW power station would require roughly 7 Sleipners.

4. The cost to the consumer for electricity from that source might be in the ballpark of an extra 4p per kWh of electricity (similar to the present subsidy for wind power in the UK).

5. The scale of the waste to be stored is worth mentioning. The volume of 7 Mt CO2 (the approximate annual waste from 1 GW coal power station), after it's been compressed to the same density as water, is three times the volume of the great pyramid at Giza.

Read via his site:
Prof. Dave MacKay FRS's book free (food) online
and Blog

in reference to Bryan Novell"s Book : Challenged by Carbon:The Oil Industry and Climate Change (Paperback)
"

"A 1-GW coal power station, running all the time, produces roughly 7 Mt CO2 per year. So every 1-GW power station would require roughly 7 Sleipners, and the cost to the consumer for electricity from that source might be in the ballpark of an extra 4p per kWh of electricity (similar to the present subsidy for wind power in the UK). The scale of the waste to be stored is worth mentioning. The volume of 7 Mt CO2 (the approximate annual waste from 1 GW coal power station), after it's been compressed to the same density as water, is three times the volume of the great pyramid at Giza."
- Sustainable Energy - without the hot air (view on Google Sidewiki)

Looking for a field to research, choose the people to follw: Royal Society 2010 Anniversary Professorships

N°1 for materials science and engineering or materials chemistry could be Andre Geim FRS, FinstP who is Langworthy Professor of Physics at the University of Manchester and is known primarily for the discovery of graphene. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms densely packed into a honeycomb lattice and the first representative of one atom thick materials which until 2004 had remained unknown. Graphene has many potential uses ranging from ultrafast transistors to bendable gadgets and from composite materials to novel batteries, and has been tipped as a likely successor to silicon in electronics. Geim is also known for his educational experiments on magnetic levitation (the "flying frog" experiment) and the development of a biomimetic adhesive known as "gecko tape".

2. The current hotest of topics is undoubtedly Climate Change. The professorship goes to Professor Andrew Watson FRS, University of East Anglia. He aims to improve our understanding of carbon sinks' and develop a model for the global accounting of the atmospheric CO2 budget. I intend to put more RS top quality studies on climate chage etc. in further wikis and on my blogs.

en référence à :

"Professor Andrew Watson FRS, University of East Anglia. He aims to improve our understanding of carbon sinks' and develop a model for the global accounting of the atmospheric CO2 budget."
- Top researchers receive Royal Society 2010 Anniversary Professorships (afficher sur Google Sidewiki)

Materials Views: Materials Chemistry, Materials Physics, Materials Science Nano-science and technology

There is much to be leaned in all the fields underlined in the above post title.

The scope is wide and demandingly specialised in terms of the science, technologies and engineering involved, all brought together by Wiley Intercience in their very attractive publication, Materials Views. Moreover their currebt early views are freely available online to peruse or download accordingly.

Most papers deal with the nanoscale. I noted especially papers:
a) using the concepts of materials testing and strength,
b) energy vectors and storage, batteries, hydrogen storage..
c)electronic materials
d) biomimetics and softmaterials, polymers..

Run an eye over the list of papers and abstracts and make your own choices,
join me in reading your favourite subjects. And why not give your view your materials view?

Sincerely,
JA

en référence à : Wiley InterScience :: JOURNALS :: Advanced Materials (afficher sur Google Sidewiki)

Bioactive Glasses, Steel Slags, Glasses and Ceramics from waste

The impressive Sage Publication catalogue, currently freely available online, encouraged me to scan widely.

In the previous post, I naturally started to focus my scan on their materials science and engineering offer. (again) Not surprisingly, I stopped-off at the J. of Biomaterials Applications, where I learned of the field of Bioactive Glasses whose chemical compositions reminded me to some extent of earlier work previously encountered in Steelmaking R&D and byproduct valorisation (as early as 1970)

There is nothing like doing a little brainstorming to clear the mind. Since I am "no longer "in the box" so to speak, I found it is easy to think "outside the box" for what it's worth! I made a hazardous suggestion that one could possibly seek synergies between the high value potential of bioactive glasses eg. previous post, and glasses and ceramics obtained from steelmaking slag.

Now as a member of The Institute (IMM3) prudence and loyalty, not to mention privileged member access to The Institute catalogue (more than 20 peer reviewed materials dedicated journals, leads me to take a new look at these fields. I did not have to look far.
From the first on The Institute list "Advances in Applied Ceramics I found a Special Issue on Bio-ceramics for Tissue and Bone Engineering and Drug delivery, Jan 2009. It's editorial was entitled "Glasses and ceramics from waste" My suggestion appears still far reached, cf. quote from the guests editors, P.Colombo, Univ of Padova, Italy, A.R. Boccachini and Bill Lee both of IC London,UK London
"Considerable research effort has been expended in the last 30 years concerning the production of glasses and glass-ceramics from a variety of silicate wastes including coal combustion ash, mud from zinc metal hydrometallurgy, slag from steel production, ash and slag from waste incinerators, red mud from alumina production, electric-arc furnace dust, foundry sands as well as glass cullet and various waste mixtures. Vitrification is typically used to transform hazardous residues into inert slags, with significant advantages in terms of reduction in the volume occupied by the residue, as well as in the immobilisation of harmful pollutants within a chemically-durable inorganic matrix. The vitrified material, which can often contain complex crystalline phases, can then either be land-filled
or be used as the raw material for other products."

Choke or take a breath of fresh air!
Not quite the bioactivity sought in medical circles, I can easily imagine.

Then high endeavour, breaking fundamental and applied barriers to progress is what research is all about, I believe?

Feedback welcomed.

NB. Google Sidewiki recovered post via Google profile.

REFERENCE:
Advances in Applied Ceramics free online and downloading to members of IOM3.

IOM3 Member writes for new users of Sidewiki- Back-up your Review.

Of course as a lifelong member, I make frequent use and reference to this attractive and well presented site. Further I delve deeply into it's member resources, in particular to it's peer reviewd journals, perhaps more so as an "off-shore metallurgist, materials scientist and engineer in a relatively remote location.

I have a second reason to make this entry. I was thoroughly enjoying using Google's Sidewiki for my blog and sharing views on my first experiences yesterday 12 Oct.09 with ease and fluency biefly reviewing pubished journal materials, when I hit a snag apparently specific to IOM3 journals secured site. Very pleased with my prose, on Bioactive Glasses and Steelmaking Slag Valorisation. I now appear to have lost the full text! So a word of caution to new reviewers and sharers, take care to back-up your text. Cheers and good luck.

in reference to: Welcome | IOM3: The Global Network for Materials, Minerals & Mining Professionals (view on Google Sidewiki)

Bioactive Glasses_J of Biomaterials Appications Sage Publications free until 31Oct09

A very rapid glance at the compositions of bioactive glases in this paper, may intregue process metallurgists and steelmakers all familiar with nature and composition of their favourite chemical reactant, slags. Could there be possibly routes to improving value in recycling this abondant by-product?

Feel free (till 31 Oct09) to read the journal.

Please do not hesitate to send all your feedback.

Introduction to Bioactive Glass

Ref. J.of Bioactive Materials.

Reference: Surface Modification of Bioactive Glasses and Preparation of PDLLA/Bioactive Glass Composite Films -- Gao and Chang 24 (2): 119 -- Journal of Biomaterials Applications (view on Google Sidewiki)

Link_Guns germs and steel->Guns, gems, and steel, Guns Minerals-Gems "coal iron and steel" : The Fate(s) of Human Societies_ One Year on

Management:
LINK_Guns germs and steel->Guns, gems, and steel, Guns Minerals-Gems "coal iron and steel" : The Fate(s) of Human Societies_ One Year on.

relevent to the profession "Materials Scientists and Engineers".