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Shipping traffic can be a major source of tiny plastic particles floating in the sea, especially out in the open ocean. In a paper published in the scientific journal
Environmental Science & Technology, a team of German environmental geochemists based at the University of Oldenburg s Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment and led by Dr Barbara Scholz-Boettcher for the first time provides an overview of microplastics mass distribution in the North Sea.
The scientists found that most of the plastic particles in water samples taken from the German Bight, an area in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea which encompasses some of the world s busiest shipping lanes, originate from binders used in marine paints. Our hypothesis is that ships leave a kind of skid mark in the water which is of similar significance as a source of microplastics as tyre wear particles from cars are on land, Scholz-Boettcher says.
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IMAGE: A University of Texas at Arlington assistant professor in the Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering (IMSE) Department received a $248,404 sub-grant to study how to make farming more sustainable and. view more
Credit: UT Arlington
A University of Texas at Arlington assistant professor in the Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering (IMSE) Department received a $248,404 sub-grant to study how to make farming more sustainable and environmentally friendly. We re trying to determine what it would take to have peri-urban and urban farms in central Iowa produce enough consumable food crops to supply 50% of Des Moines residents nutritional needs, and what the impact on the environment would be Assistant Professor Caroline Krejci said.
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Professor Jeremy Michalek and his Ph.D student Matthew Bruchon have published a study investigating what vehicle electrification would look like in a world where ridesourcing companies like Uber and Lyft were held responsible for the air pollution and carbon emissions created by their business.
Ridesourcing has changed the way people travel, affecting air emissions in the process. Researchers like those at the Center for Air, Climate and Energy Solutions (CACES) have quantified the negative health effects of airborne particulates created by cars in rates of cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and they re also the largest source of greenhouse gasses in the US. With public sector fleets such as the US Postal Service and many private companies moving to shrink their footprint, the Engineering and Public Policy EPP researchers asked what would happen if ridesourcing companies were charged for the costs resulting from the emissions their business creates.
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In civil engineering, flexural beams are used to control the effect of vibrations that can cause cracks to appear in surfaces (concrete slabs) and beams. This is particularly important in buildings that require high tensile strength and where the use of machinery can cause a lot of vibrations that can disturb structural integrity. One metric to determine the reliability of beams is the deflection value, which should be appropriately low relative to the structure the beams are used in. Engineering codes such as ACI codes include provisions for such values and there are a number of methods to calculate them. Deflection is altered practically by reinforcing the construction materials with concrete or steel.
Lithium-sulfur batteries, given their light weight and theoretical high capacities, are a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage systems, drones, electric vehicles, etc. But at present, they suffer from poor battery life, limiting their applicability. Now, scientists from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, have discovered a new catalyst material s ability to significantly improve lithium-sulfur battery life, opening doors to their near-future practical commercial realization.