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đŸ“¢Saturday Spotlight!đŸ“¢ Wind turbine blade was repurposed as a modern bike shed!

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  As the wind industry continues to grow to provide renewable energy across the globe, it commits to promoting a circular economy that reduces environmental impacts throughout product lifecycles. Most components of a wind turbine, like the foundation, tower and components in the nacelle have established recycling practices. However, wind turbine blades are more challenging to recycle due to the composite materials used in their production. While various technologies exist to recycle blades, and an increasing number of companies offer composite recycling services, these solutions are not yet widely available and cost-competitive. The European Waste Framework Directive defines basic concepts related to waste management. It emphasizes the need for increased recycling and highlights the reduced availability of landfills. It also establishes the waste hierarchy: Prevention > Reuse > Repurpose > Recycling > Recovery > Disposal. Repurposing means re-using an existing part for a

The UK approves Europe’s first field trials of Crispr-edited wheat

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HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND —Rothamsted Research, a pioneer of GM crop trials since the 1990s, has been granted permission by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to run a series of field trials in the United Kingdom of wheat that has been genome-edited. The Hertfordshire, England-based experiments will be the first field trials of CRISPR-edited wheat anywhere in the United Kingdom or Europe. The wheat has been edited to reduce levels of the naturally occurring amino acid, asparagine, which is converted to the carcinogenic processing contaminant, acrylamide, when bread is baked or toasted. The aim of the project is to produce ultra-low asparagine, non-GM wheat, said Professor Nigel Halford, leader of the project. “Acrylamide has been a very serious problem for food manufacturers since being discovered in food in 2002,” he said. “It causes cancer in rodents and is considered ‘probably carcinogenic’ for humans. It occurs in bread and increases substantially when the b

CHIMPANZEE 'S FINGER

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A chimpanzee s finger and a human finger. Identical in practically every aspect. We don't come from primates, we are primates. We are not a race, we are a species. We are animals, we are mammals. We are the product of nature. We belong to it and we are part of it. ( source: ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS )

Ferrari SF90 accident

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  đŸ“¢It's ''When Shit Hits the Fan..." Friday❗đŸ“¢ The first Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano was crashed in Italy! đŸ˜³ The Ferrari SF90 is the most expensive and powerful model of the brand... This crash must not have come cheap! Youtuber Varryx posted pictures of this Ferrari on his Instagram profile. The crash occurred in Ventimiglia, Italy. It is not known how the accident happened, but everything indicates that the driver hit the concrete barrier with the side of the car. So sad to see such a beautiful car being completely wrecked! Source: managingcomposites

New Greener Method to Produce Nylon 6-6 Without Zinc

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Researchers have developed “greener” methods to produce nylon 6-6. They have used alternative metals in place of zinc as a catalyst. They might even be able to substitute waste iron in the form of rust, or ferric oxide, for the endangered element. The researchers presented their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). “According to estimates from the ACS Green Chemistry Institute, zinc is only 50 to 100 years away from being extinct. And currently, manufacturers use zinc as the reducing agent and catalyst for making cyclohexene from trans-1,2-dibromocyclohexane, which is the first step in the five-step synthesis of nylon 6-6,” says Amina Aly, an undergraduate student who is presenting the work at the meeting. “Nylon” is a general term for a family of synthetic polymers, called polyamides, that are made of repeating units. Different types of nylons, such as nylon 6 and nylon 6-6, use different building blocks and therefore have unique properties. Nylon 6-6 is

Swedish company produces the first slab of steel that didn’t require any coal

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  Engineers from the SSAB steel-making company have unveiled the world’s first piece of steel cast without burning any coal or fossil fuel. Instead, they used hydrogen to power the process. Metalworking and coal burning have been entwined for as long as humanity has been using metals. Coal is a very good source of energy, providing the heat necessary to refine and process most metals. But it is also a source of carbon, a critical chemical in the production of steel, and the compound that allows us to turn metal ores (usually oxides) into actual metals (by leaching out the oxygen). For most of our history, this wasn’t that much of an issue. Coal smoke is definitely not healthy for you or anyone living near the smeltery or ye olde blacksmith, but overall production of metals was limited in scope — so the environment could absorb and process its emissions. Today, however, the sheer scale at which we produce metals means that this process has a real impact on the health of the world around

Massive fire at UK polyurethanes plant

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  A worker is still unaccounted for after a large fire and several explosions on 27 August severely damaged buildings at Leeson Polyurethanes plant in Leamington Spa, UK. As of 2 September, emergency services had not been able to access the site to investigate the cause or search for the missing man, as it is still unsafe. Local residents were temporarily evacuated but returned to their homes the following day once the fire was under control. Air monitoring suggested there was a minimal hazard, although residents were warned that soot and debris could be irritants. Cleanup of soot and debris in the surrounding area by the local authorities is ongoing.  Source: chemistry world