Bio-diesel - Future Fuel

Bio-Diesel - Future Fuel

Deep beneath the earth's crust, there existed a vast ocean of black gold, the fuel that revolutionized the way machines worked and the way people traveled. Since the discovery of vast oil reserves, people had begun exploiting these wells without even thinking that it cannot be replenished. Man had become so dependent on this fuel that he began wondering what will happen when the last drop of it is used up. This is when the scramble began to find out alternative fuels and one of the results was Bio-diesel.

Bio-diesel is nothing but trans-esterified lipids, or in layman terms, vegetable oil or animal fat based diesel fuel. It is generally prepared chemically by reacting oil with an alcohol. This fuel can be used as it is in diesel engines or can be modified by blending it with existing fuels to create a better and a cleaner fuel. This article is a brief description about Bio-diesel, its advantages as an alternative fuel and the positive effect it has on the environment.

Bio-diesel can be basically made from almost any plant derived oil or animal fat. It can also be made from soyabean or any other vegetable oil. The chemical separation of glycerin from these vegetable oils produces methyl esters or bio-diesel. Even though, bio-diesel can be used in its purest form, blending it with regular fuels is its most common usage in the current market. In its purest form, referred to as B100, the current diesel engines require a slight modification. But blends of 20 percent of bio-diesel with petroleum diesel can be used in existing diesel engines with no modifications.

The applications of bio-diesel are many. Apart from using them in on road diesel vehicles, trains and air crafts have also started using blends of bio-diesel. This includes the world’s first commercial news making flight of United Airlines, which used 40 percent bio-diesel blended with 60 percent conventional jet fuel. The famous park trains of Disneyland run on bio-diesel manufactured from cooking oils used by them. Many of the domestic and commercial boilers also use a mix of bio-diesel with heating oil as heating fuel. This is often referred to as bio-heat.

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you need a QR code reader in your smartphone

you need a QR code reader in your smartphone

Benefits of QR codes
A new coffee house opens and they have a huge advert. To get the location and directions to get there is just a click away.

The features of the code can allow the restaurant owners to integrate its directions into it, they load into the phone’s GPS and there...you get your directions.

For clients that visit a store regularly to make the same purchase each time, all one has to do is scan the code on the product pack and repeat purchase. For that order in the directory or on the online catalogue, scan and you are automatically connected to the customer agent on the other side and it can be delivered to your doorstep.

Transmission of data is made simple and the cost... well not so much.

For those without smartphones, the code can be broken down to a sequence of numbers that can be sent as a text message.
The data can be stored on a cloud to allow for its alteration without having to change the codes.

It is environmentally-friendly. Instead of handing out flyers, or walking around with tens of business cards, all one needs is one card or flyer, which people can scan and all the data is downloaded into the phone for access at any time. That saves on paper and also the hundreds of business cards stashed away in a box somewhere.

Shortcomings of QR codes
The more the data stored on the code , the more intricate the design. This is a problem to phones with lower camera pixel quality. When they try to pick up the code, they cannot distinctly identify the pattern and are therefore unable to read.

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Chevrolet EN-V Concept

Chevrolet EN-V Concept
Manufactured by General Motor, the EN-V Concept is a two-seater vehicle with a highly futuristic and unique design. This car was launched at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. It offers hand-free controls as it is controlled by a GPS-enabled core which drives it autonomously. The sensors used in this eco friendly concept vehicle allow it to navigate through the streets. The range of the battery is 40km and it can be charged using normal household power source. This car is still a concept but it is expected that General Motors would soon test it.

Light Tree

Designer Omar I. Huerta Cardoso has beautifully amalgamated hydroponic techniques with the latest solar cell technology to form a street lighting solution. Dubbed the “Light Tree”, the concept is an innovative tree-like street lamp that uses nanotube solar cells to light up the ultra-bright LEDs at night. It has water inside that not only conduces the light generated by the LEDs, but also feeds the seeds placed at the top extremities of the concept that will grow to become healthy plants, offering the real tree look to the concept.

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Android-Controlled LED Light Bulb

Android-Controlled LED Light Bulb

Now, an Android device can help you control a LED light bulb via an OS wireless networking protocol. Lighting Science Group and search giant Google together worked over this technology to create a LED bulb equivalent to 60 watt light bulb which can be controlled via an Android device such as a tablet, laptop or phone. The bulb can be dimmed or brightened up with just a tap.

The creation of this LED light system marks a new wave of revolution amongst energy efficient devices. This protocol can even be put to use for controlling appliances and thermostats as unveiled in a San Francisco conference. Artificial lighting systems present within our residences make up for 11 percent of our overall home energy use. Smarter lighting systems will surely help our planet by conserving environment and reduce energy consumption.

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What If Electric Cars Were Better?

What If Electric Cars Were Better?

Electric vehicles are still too expensive and have too many limitations to compete with regular cars, except in a few niche markets. Will that ever change? The answer has everything to do with battery technology. Batteries carrying more charge for a lower price could extend the range of electric cars from today's 70 miles to hundreds of miles, effectively challenging the internal-combustion motor. 

To get there, many experts agree, a major shift in battery technology may be needed. Electric vehicles such as the all-electric Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid from GM, rely on larger versions of the lithium-ion batteries that power smart phones, iPads, and ultrathin laptops. Such gadgets are possible only because lithium-ion batteries have twice the energy density of the nickel–metal hydride batteries used in the brick-size mobile phones and other bulky consumer electronics of the 1980s. 

Using lithium-ion batteries, companies like Nissan, which has sold 20,000 Leafs globally (the car is priced at $33,000 in the U.S.), are predicting that they've already hit upon the right mix of vehicle range and sticker price to satisfy many commuters who drive limited distances.

The problem, however, is that despite several decades of optimization, lithium-ion batteries are still expensive and limited in performance, and they will probably not get much better. Assembled battery packs for a vehicle like the Volt cost roughly $10,000 and deliver about 40 miles before an internal-combustion engine kicks in to extend the charge. The battery for the Leaf costs about $15,000 (according to estimates from the Department of Energy) and delivers about 70 miles of driving, depending on various conditions. According to an analysis by the National Academy of Sciences, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with a 40-mile electric range are "unlikely" to be cost competitive with conventional cars before 2040, assuming gasoline prices of $4 per gallon.

Estimates of the cost of assembled lithium-ion battery packs vary widely. The NAS report put the cost at about $625 to $850 per kilowatt-hour of energy; a Volt-like car requires a battery capacity of 16 kilowatts. But the bottom line is that batteries need to get far cheaper and provide far greater range if electric vehicles are ever to become truly popular. 

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Bus tour to spread the word on Siemens' Hull development

Bus tour to spread the word on Siemens' Hull development

A "GREENPORT bus" will be hitting the city's streets to deliver information about plans for the Siemens wind turbine factory in Hull.

The wind energy giant is investing £80 million in the facility, while Associated British Ports (ABP) is investing a further £130 million in the port infrastructure.

The development, earmarked for an area of land in Alexandra Dock, is known as Greenport Hull and the factory is expected to lead to thousands of new jobs.

Now, ABP is planning to take an exhibition bus around the city to bring information about the plans to the heart of the community.

The exhibitions will take place between Wednesday, January 11, and Friday, January 13.

A spokesman for Greenport Hull said: "We want to ensure as many residents and businesses can attend the exhibition as possible.

"There will be an exhibition bus travelling to the areas near the proposed development.

"The exhibition will also be stopping in the city centre at Queen Victoria Square.

"Exact timings and locations will be confirmed in the coming days and we hope people will use the opportunity to find out more and share their views."

Siemens first revealed Hull as the preferred location for its £80 million offshore wind turbine factory in January.

If approved by planners, the facility will be complemented by a 600m-long deep water riverside berth being constructed by ABP.

ABP and Siemens submitted five planning applications for the development last week, as revealed in the Mail.

Since then, hundreds of people have visited the dedicated Greenport website, created so people could pre-register their skills and experience, giving them the chance to apply for jobs once they are advertised.

Businesses hoping to get involved in the supply chain can also register their services and products, which will be added to a comprehensive database.

In the week before the planning application was submitted, the site attracted 106 visitors.

In the week following the application, this figure had soared to 599.

Hull City Council's planning department described the applications as "the most significant the city has received this century".

Councillor Sean Chaytor, chairman of the planning committee, said: "We have been following developments on ABP's and Siemens's proposals for Greenport Hull very closely throughout 2011, and are pleased to see the applications have now been submitted."

Exact locations for the exhibition will be made public in the coming weeks.

The council is now urging anyone with a view on the proposal to write to the planning department.

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