Environmental Science

(This really has nothing to do with what we are currently studying in class, but I thought it was pretty interesting.)

  In Geneva, Switzerland, this magnet will be a major part of a newly designed particle accelerator (called ATLAS), which is part of the “European Organization for Nuclear Research’s Large Hadron Collider.” The particle accelerator is supposed to be in operation late next year.

  A particle accelerator is “a device that uses electric fields to propel electrically charged particles to high speeds and magnetic fields to contain them.” Scientista say the goal of this particle accelerator is to is to “explore the fundamental nature of matter and energy by creating conditions similar to those of the early universe.”

(A Small Particle Accelerator)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Particle_accelerators_1937.jpg)

 This specific superconducting magnet, which will hold the create and sustain the huge magnetic field, weighs 110 tons, is 16 feet wide, and 82 feet long.  The image of the magnet can be found here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061121-giant-magnet.html

 Sources:

• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061121-giant-magnet.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_magnet
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_accelerator

   One of the questions raised in class was whether it was right to use a source of food as energy because of the possible negative effect on hunger. Well scientists are now pushing for more reasearch to be done in the areas of ethanol and its production. Kenneth G. Cassman, director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln stated “It (the research) is the core issue to ensuring that we don’t come up short in food supply, and don’t have high consumer prices, and can still maintain expansion of the ethanol industry.”

   Conflicts are arising about whether corn can sustain both energy and food requirements. One side says “…it will be possible to produce 16 billion gallons of ethanol by 2015 while also meeting corn grain requirements for human food and livestock feed,” while others claim the prices in all agriculture and livestock feeds will rise dramatically due to the shortage of food. Hunger is a major problem in this country and others and it cannot be forgotten due to the demand for fuel. Everywhere we go people are begging or asking for money in order to eat.

  We can be sure that this issue will be a major part of conversation and that both sides will be strongly supported.  This along with rising gas prices will surely force this issue to be resolved.

Photo Credit – (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Gas_prices%2C_July_2006%2C_San_Francisco%2C_California_01.jpg)

  There definately needs to be more reseacrh done in order to determine what the best solution is to this energy problem. Hopefully scientists will either be able to find a new source of energy without using food, or find a way to provide enough food for people and enough fuel for… well … everything.

 Sources:

• http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11680
• http://www.ethanol.org/ethanolresearch.html
• http://www.ethanol.org/ethanolresearch.html

  To go along with posts by Ryan McLean (http://rmclean.wordpress.com/) and Mary Alice Acton (http://macton.wordpress.com/) I have found an article that deals with a new option for fuel in the near future. It deals with the popular growing idea of biofuels, like ethanol made from corn, to run vehicles and appliances.  Currently, biofuels “account for 4% of U. S. energy” but that number is rising.

Could this be running your car?

(Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Indian_corn.jpg)

These biofuels have been around for quite a while. The article says how the Japanese used them to fuel some of their jets in World War II.

There are problems with the idea though. There are limitations on ethanol like ethanol has ”66% of the energy content of gasoline”, which means more would be required and engines might have to be modified.

As new types of fuel are needed in almost dire numbers both environmentally and economically, changes must be made soon. Researchers believe that “some time after 2020, biofuels could account for as much as 30% of the globe’s transportation fuel.”

Sources:

• “Fortune” Magazine. October 2006 Issue
• http://www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/biofuels/res.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuels