Splitting the Sea: Turning Ocean Water into Hydrogen Fuel

THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG

WEDNESDAY, 12 JUNE 2013 UOW scientists have developed a novel way to turn sea water into hydrogen, for a sustainable and clean fuel source. Using this method, as little as five litres of sea water per day would produce enough hydrogen to power an average-sized home and an electric car for one day. The research team at UOW's Australian Reserch Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) have developed a light-assisted catalyst that requires less energy input to activate water oxidation, which is the first step in splitting water to produce hydrogen fuel. A major limitation with current technologies is that the oxidation process needs a higher energy input, which rules out using abundant sea water because it produces poisonous chlorine gas. The research team, led by Associate Professor Jun Chen and Professor Gerry Swiegers, have produced an artificial chlorophyll on a conductive plastic film that acts as a catalyst to begin splitting water. The results were recently published in the journal Chemical Science. Lead author, Associate Professor Jun Chen, said the flexible polymer would mean it could be used in a wider range of applications and it is more easily manufactured than metal semiconductors. "The system we designed, including the materials, gives us the opportunity to design various devices and applications using sea water as a water-splitting source. "The flexible nature of the material also provides the possibility to build portable hydrogen-producing devices." The development brings UOW's energy research a step closer to creating an artificial leaf-like device that can efficiently produce hydrogen. ACES Executive Research Director Professor Gordon Wallace said: "In today's world the discovery of high performance materials is not enough". "This must be coupled with innovative fabrication to provide practical high-performance devices and this work is an excellent example of that," he said.

Story: Army of Elephants

The following incident is mentioned in Surah Feel of the Holy Quran and it happened during the period of the birth-year of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

 

Abraha Al-Ashram was the governor of Yemen on behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build a house (like the Kabah at Makkah) in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and call the Arabs to perform the pilgrimage there in Sana instead of the Kabah in Makkah, with the intention of diverting the trade and benefits from Makkah to Yemen. He presented his idea to the king of Ethiopia who agreed to it. So the house (church) was built and he named it Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like at that time. Then a man from the Quraish tribe of Makkah came there and was infuriated by it, so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it, soiled its walls and went away.

 

When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he could not control his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah and demolish the Kabah. He had in that army thirteen elephants and amongst them was an elephant called Mahmud which was the biggest of them. So that army proceeded and none amongst the Arab tribes that faced them (fought against them) but was killed and defeated, till it approached near Makkah. Then there took place negotiations between Abrahah Al-Ashram and the chief of Makkah (Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim, the grandfather of the Prophet), and it was concluded that Abrahah would restore the camels of Abdul Muttalib which he had taken away, and then he (Abrahah) would decide himself as regards the Kabah.

 

Abdul Muttalib ordered the men of Makkah to evacuate the city and go to the top of the mountains along with their wives and children in case some harm should come to them from the invading oppressors. Then that army moved towards Makkah till they reached valley Muhassir.While the army was marching towards Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it was overtaken by flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding that army with small stones slightly bigger than a lentil seed. There never fell a stone on a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces. So they perished with a total destruction. Abrahah Al-Ashram fled away while his flesh was bursting into pieces till he died on the way (back to Yemen). Such was the victory bestowed by Allah, (the All-Majestic, All-Powerful) to the people of Makkah and such was the protection provided by Him for His House (Kabah in Makkah).

Source: Extracted from Tafsir of Surah Feel (Surah 105) by Ibn Kathir as found in Translation of the Noble Quran by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

Plastic waste burns to give cooking gas

A team of researchers from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), has developed a technology that converts plastic waste into cooking gas, without causing pollution.

The team, led by Lisa Sreejith, associate professor, Department of Chemistry, NIT-C and N. Sitaraman, retired chemistry professor of the institute, told The Hindu that the cost-effective and eco-friendly breakthrough was achieved through a thermochemical decomposition of the shredded waste plastic at an elevated temperature in the absence of oxygen.

"As much as 750 ml of gas can be produced from a mere four grams of plastic waste using the technology (750 litre from 4 kg)," said Dr. Lisa. Apart from the gas, other costly chemicals including the plasticizers employed to make plastic more pliable, can also be extracted during the process, she said.

Unlike in the existing recycling system, no plastic item is rejected in the new method. "The trials have been successful in disintegrating all kinds of plastics including polythene, bottles, bags, tyres, charring plastics such as toffee covers and thermocol," said Dr. Lisa.

According to Dr. Lisa, a plant for processing 100 tonnes of plastic waste daily can be set up at an estimated cost of Rs.2.5 crore. "This includes machinery and storage facilities for gas in liquid form as it is done in refineries," she said.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has lauded Dr. Lisa and her team on their feat. "Mr. Chandy has also expressed his wish see the demonstration of the technology," she said.

Dr. Sitaraman said that the technology could make a huge difference in the lives of millions of people if utilised effectively.

"We expect the government to respond positively to this development," said Dr. Sitaraman.

According to Dr. Lisa, the team has submitted the project to various State and Central funding agencies, including the Department of Science and Technology of the Union government for approval. "The patent filing process also is in progress," said Dr. Lisa.

The technology was demonstrated in front a group of invited guests including Kozhikode MLA A. Pradeepkumar on the NIT-C campus recently. Mr. Pradeepkumar said

the technology should be utilised with the help of local bodies and residential associations such as Niravu Vengeri, which systematically collect plastic wastes from residents and hand them over periodically to plastic recycling units.

Courtesy:Thehindu.com

Helicopter Operated By Pure Mind Control

Controlling the movements of a helicopter just with your mind sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but scientists at the University of Minnesota have made it a reality. They have learnt to use their thoughts to steer a model helicopter around a gym, making it dip, rise, turn, and even fly through a ring.

The scientists have published their study in the Journal of Neural Engineering.

The development of brain computer interfacing (BCI) is to provide the user with the ability to communicate with the world outside and manipulate objects through thought modulation. Achieving this is accomplished through a closed loop of sensing, processing and actuation. Over the last ten years, scientists have made enormous progress in making it possible for us to move things by just thinking about it.

The robot takes its orders from a person's thoughts

Professor Bin He and team, who work in the laboratory of biomedical engineering, say that the technology they are developing may one day help people with neurodegenerative diseases, who have lost the ability to speak or move their bodies, regain function by controlling electronic and mechanical devices, such as artificial limbs, wheelchairs, etc.

The team say their technology is completely non-invasive. There are no brain implants. Brainwaves (electroencephalography, EEG) are picked up by electrodes fitted into an EEG cap that goes onto the scalp.

Professor He, who is a faculty member in the College of Science and Engineering, said:

"My entire career is to push for noninvasive 3-D brain-computer interfaces, or BCI. [Researchers elsewhere] have used a chip implanted into the brain's motor cortex to drive movement of a cursor [across a screen] or a robotic arm. But here we have proof that a noninvasive BCI from a scalp EEG can do as well as an invasive chip."

How does the brain-computer interface work

The motor cortex is an area of the cerebrum that controls movement. Prof. He's BCI system works thanks to the location of the motor cortex.

When humans move, or think about carrying out a movement, neurons in the motor cortex emit small electrical currents. Each thought regarding each different movement activates a new arrangement of neurons.

The groundwork for the BCI involved sorting out these neuron arrangements.

Professor He said "We were the first to use both functional MRI and EEG imaging to map where in the brain neurons are activated when you imagine movements. So now we know where the signals will come from."

According to the brain map, the easiest signals to distinguish were those that resulted in closing one fist, closing the other fist, or both.

He explained "This knowledge about what kinds of signals are generated by what kind of motion imagination helps us optimize the design of the system to control flying objects in real time."

Tapping the map

The EEG cap has 64 scalp-electrodes. They monitor the electrical activity coming from the brain and report signals (or absence of signals) to a computer. The computer processes the data and translates the pattern into an electronic command.

Using thoughts to control movement occurred initially with the one-dimensional movement of a cursor on a computer monitor. Researchers then moved a two-dimensional cursor, and finally achieved 3-D control over a virtual helicopter.

Now it is a real object, they are able to control an actual flying robot drone which was formally an augmented reality.

To control the model helicopter with just thoughts, the team's computers interface with the WiFi controls in the robot (helicopter). After processing the EEG brain signals into a command, the computer sends the command to the helicopter by WiFi.

The researchers describe how the team, consisting of five scientists, learned to guide the flying robot.

Karl LaFleur, a senior biomedical engineering student, said:

"Working for Dr. He has been a phenomenal experience. He has so much experience with the scientific process, and he is excellent at helping his students learn this process while allowing them room for independent work. Being an author on a first-person journal article is a huge opportunity that most undergraduates never get."

LaFleur, who is entering medical school next year, says he plans to put his knowledge into use there.

LeFleur continued:

"I think the potential for BCI is very broad. Next, we want to apply the flying robot technology to help disabled patients interact with the world. It may even help patients with conditions like stroke or Alzheimer's disease. We're now studying some stroke patients to see if it'll help rewire brain circuits to bypass damaged areas."

Previous studies on using just thoughts

In 2011, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Rehabilitation Institute created a computer interface that helped a paralyzed man move a prosthetic arm just with thoughts. All he needed to do was use his thoughts and the arm moved.

Researchers from the University of Essex and the University of Plymouth, both in England, created technology that allowed a patient with locked-in syndrome to play music just by thinking about it. They published their study in the journal Music and Medicine (March 2011 issue).

Courtesy: medicalnewstoday