In the adventure classic Back to the Future, Emmett "Doc" Brown uses energy generated from rubbish to power his DeLorean time machine. But while a time machine may still be some way off, the prospect of using rubbish for fuel isn't too far from reality. Plastics, in particular, contain mainly carbon and hydrogen, with similar energy content to conventional fuels such as diesel. Plastics are among the most valuable waste materials—although with the way people discard them, you probably wouldn't know it. It's possible to convert all plastics directly into useful forms of energy and chemicals for industry, using a process called "cold plasma pyrolysis." Pyrolysis is a method of heating, which decomposes organic materials at temperatures between 400℃ and 650℃, in an environment with limited oxygen. Pyrolysis is normally used to generate energy in the form of heat, electricity or fuels, but it could be even more beneficial if cold plasma was incorporated into the process, to …
Energy
The energy price cap was a catastrophic Tory error
If you thought the energy price cap was confusing, spare a thought for John Penrose. Maybe it’s all that sea air but the Conservative MP for Weston-super-Mare has gone from being one of its key proponents, to calling for it to be lowered, to now admitting that it was a pretty bad idea after all. As political contortions go, it’s up there with the very best. Still, in a crowded field, the price cap must rank as one of the worst government policies ever, and it wasn’t even this Cabinet that introduced it. Under the chaotic leadership of Boris Johnson, this is a Conservative government that has become unashamedly but wildly interventionist , propping up failed companies, subsidising the ones it wants to do well, bailing out industry and shaping supposedly independent processes to suit its own interests and that of allies. Its latest fixation is the creation of a new independent football regulator, as if anyone really believes that would save the national game. Many fans have …
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‘No point in living’ – Pensioners pushed into poverty due to energy bill hike
Budget 2021: Experts outline state pension changes Get pensions news and advice plus latest money alerts for FREE now SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Those over the state pension age are sounding the alarm that “there won’t be any point in living” unless more support is provided. In response to this ongoing problem, experts are calling on the Government to hike winter benefit schemes, such as the Cold Weather Payment, as a way of supporting low income households to survive the coming months. Age UK is one of the many organisations drawing awareness to how the energy bill hike is impacting the country’s most vulnerable demographics, most notably pensioners. Related articles Inheritance tax: Parents to be hit by …
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Horoscopes & love: Aquarius told love is ‘worth the wait’ amid week of ‘optimistic energy’
Horoscopes: Expert offers advice to This Morning callers Sign up for FREE health tips to live a long and happy life SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Each star sign in the zodiac has different qualities, needs, and desires when it comes to finding love and being in love. Astrology experts have predicted what’s in store for Aquarius – the eleventh sign in the zodiac – when it comes to love. Related articles Prince William couldn't keep 'admiring glances' off Kate during outing Daily horoscope for November 28: Your star sign reading READ MORE Sophie Wessex’s wedding rule was ignored by these Royal Family members Today, November 29, is set to be a positive day for Aquarians, …
Germany stokes Putin fury and SUSPENDS Russia gas pipeline amid EU energy crisis
Russia 'took advantage' of Europe's energy issues says expert Sign up HERE for science breakthroughs in health, business and more that matter SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Russia’s new Nord Stream 2 pipeline was scheduled to transport gas from Russia into Germany, bypassing Poland and Ukraine. Mr Putin was waiting for months since the pipeline was completed in September, and has been accused of using the pipeline as a "geopolitical weapon" after decreasing gas supplies from other pipelines to speed up the certification process. The move to order Gazprom to decrease gas flow from his vast network of other pipelines had caused wholesale gas prices across Europe to skyrocket and further deepen the energy crisis. …
Gas price crisis POLL: Are you worried your energy supplier will go bust?
Emmanuel Macron says gas prices are providing 'strong pressure' Sign up to receive our rundown of the day's top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Since January gas prices have skyrocketed, last week alone saw gas prices increase by 33 percent, according to National Grid’s data. As a result, smaller energy suppliers have had to close down and pass their customers over to larger companies like British Gas and EDF Energy through the Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) system. Related articles UK energy crisis domino effect: 18 companies on brink of collapse M1 traffic CHAOS: Huge queues cause mayhem on motorway ------------------------------ The latest casualties are 100 …
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Termite guts could help power a clean coal revolution
Coal is an abundant and relatively inexpensive energy resource that is available almost everywhere in the world. It is essentially wood that's been cooked for 300 million years. What if termites, a wood-eating insect usually seen as a pest, held the key to transforming coal into cleaner energy for the world? Read more: We've discovered a way to stabilize super-hot plasma for nuclear fusion Until now, the use of coal as an energy source has been framed as a polarizing debate between environmental advocates and those supporting jobs and economic growth. Extracting energy from coal by burning it releases toxic pollutants into the air that contribute to respiratory illnesses. This has given coal the reputation for being "dirty." However, it is not the coal that is dirty, but the way that we extract energy from coal. And that's where termites come in. They live to eat wood and are able to extract energy from it, thanks to a few thousand microbes living in their gut—their gut …
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Scientists are turning human excrement into renewable biofuel
A team of researchers from Israel's Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has demonstrated, for the first time, a technique for converting human excrement into hydrochar—a safe, renewable biomass fuel that resembles charcoal—as well as a nutrient-rich fertilizer. According to the team, this process could potentially address two major issues that affect many less-affluent countries—poor sanitation and growing energy needs. While access to waste treatment worldwide has improved significantly in recent years, approximately 2.3 billion people still lack basic sanitation services, according to the World Health Organization. Of those, around 892 million people—most of whom live in rural areas—defecate in the open. "Human excreta are considered hazardous due to their potential to transmit disease," Amit Gross, from the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology at BGU, said in a statement. "While it is rich in organic matter nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and …
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Nuclear fusion: We’ve discovered a way to stabilize super-hot plasma
Scientists have worked for decades to control nuclear fusion, wherein isotopes of hydrogen fuse to form helium, thereby releasing enormous amounts of energy. The nuclear fusion reaction is the same process that produces the vast energy of the Sun. If achieved, it would provide a near unlimited form of clean energy. The fusion reactions require the isotopes to be confined at temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees. At these temperatures, the atoms in the fuel are ripped apart, forming a plasma. Very hot plasma is thought to be best confined by magnetic fields. Read more: How scientists are creating plasma hotter than the sun in the quest for limitless clean energy Now, after many years of gradual progress, we are entering an exciting period in attaining fusion by magnetic confinement. The international ITER project in France that will demonstrate the feasibility of using fusion as a large scale power source is now 60 percent complete. ITER is known as the "world's …
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Biden hits back in plot to ‘squeeze’ Putin out of EU: ‘Russia has a problem!’
Expert accuses Russia of blackmailing Europe over gas trade Sign up HERE for science breakthroughs in health, business and more that matter SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info President Aleksander Vucic argued during a televised interview on Sunday that Russia is being "politically squeezed" out of Europe. Speaking to the TV channel Pink, the politician accused the US of meddling with the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline to keep Russian gas out of Europe. Mr Vucic said: "The Russians have a problem that they are not talking about. Related articles CIA warns Russia of 'consequences' over mystery illness Archaeologists solve 4,000 year-old mystery of ancient China EDF Energy Deals …
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