Plastic bags recycled into batteries
Good Morning,
In the first article, read all about a revolutionary idea
that could turn plastic bags into batteries. Argonne National
Labratory in Illinois has come up with the purposed idea;
read all the details!
Until Next Time,
Erin
Plastic bags recycled into batteries
ARGONNE, Ill. - Plastic bags found in abundance at grocery
stores could be recycled into carbon nanotubes, a component
in lithium ion batteries, an Illinois scientist said. Vilas
Pol, of Argonne National Laboratory 25-miles southwest of
Chicago, developed the process as a way to turn plastic waste
into an energy resource, the Southtown Star reported.
With cobalt acetate as a catalyst, plastic bags were heated
to 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit, which caused the carbon in the
plastic to grow as nanotubes on the cobalt particles, Pol
said, noting the process could be used on plastic water
bottles and plastic cups. The cobalt acetate, which is rela-
tively expensive, could be recovered when the batteries were
recycled, Pol said. Performing the process without cobalt
acetate yields carbon spheres that could be used in printer
ink. Yet to be determined is how to collect enough bags to
make the project cost efficient, Pol said. Recycling programs
find the bags difficult to collect because they often get
swept up in air currents, causing a problem for curbside
collectors and recycling centers.
New warbler identified in Southeast Asia
VIENTIANE, Laos - A tiny colorful bird with a loud and dis-
tinctive sound has been discovered living in the forests of
Laos and Vietnam, scientists said. The bird has been nick-
named the “limestone leaf warbler” because it breeds in
region of Laos known for its limestone deposits, scientists
from the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a release
Tuesday. The olive-green bird, with a yellow breast and
striped crown, has a distinctive sound and is smaller with
shorter wings and a larger bill than other warblers found
in Southeast Asia, the scientific team wrote in the Inter-
national Journal of Avian Science. “The discovery of this
new species is very exciting and underscores the importance
of this region of Indochina for conservation,” society
spokesman Colin Poole said, calling the region the “Lost
World for new and unusual wildlife.” While a healthy and
sustainable population of the warblers is believed to exist,
their habitat is threatened by logging in the region, Poole
said.
Satellite moved into new orbit
GREENBELT, Md. - A French Space Agency satellite known as
PARASOL has been moved into a new orbit after nearly five
years in the Afternoon Constellation, NASA officials said.
The Afternoon Constellation, or “A-Train,” as it is commonly
called, is a formation of satellites trailing within minutes
of each other across the equator about 1:30 p.m. each day.
PARASOL’s departure leaves Aqua, CloudSat, CALIPSO and Aura
in the A-Train formation — all satellites that provide in-
formation about climate change and storms around the world,
said Steve Platnick, a spokesman for the Goddard Space Center
in Greenbelt, Md. PARASOL, which stands for Polarization and
Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences, measures
aerosols in atmosphere. The satellite was moved into a new
orbit last month about 2.4 miles under the A-Train. PARASOL’s
place in the A-Train is to be filled this year with the
launch of a polarization spectrometer satellite named Glory,
Platnick said in a release Monday.