Sweet Renewable Materials

By: Jessica Robertson

      Many everyday products are oil-based, including plastic, gasoline, and rubber; the non-renewable nature of these materials means their scarcity is increasing. Research is underway heavily to find new options for products so common in our world today. Biodiesel is a perfect example of a renewable material that is not based on oil, being derived instead from plants. While the invention of biodiesel advanced the renewable energy sector, researchers are still searching for more earth-friendly options.

            Isobutene, a product ubiquitous in the chemical industry, will soon be derived from plants, namely sugar. Research found that if sugar is introduced to a particular microorganism, the product of the fermentation and digestion process is gaseous isobutene. This process is highly renewable since sugar grows back, making it a huge improvement on oil.

            However, concern arises when dealing with renewable material derived from edible plants; with so much hunger in the world, is it really justifiable to use food for conversion to energy rather than for feeding hungry mouths? For this reason, the pilot plant in Germany is transitioning from sugar beet, which is edible, to sugar from wood or straw, which is not edible.

Making the production of isobutene completely independent from both oil and food production is a responsible choice for the future of our planet. 

                                      

Save Water ! But How?

By: Jessica Robertson

The vast majority of the water on our planet is not suitable for human consumption. Droughts plague a huge portion of the earth each year. Numerous countries share water with at least one other country, pushing nations closer to conflict as scarcity increases. For these reasons and more, most citizens of earth know that water conservation is important, but a recent survey showed that most of us don’t know how to save water.

The most efficient way to reduce personal water consumption, according to experts, is to improve efficiency in water-consuming household items, like toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. According to the survey conducted by a researcher at Indiana University, for most of us, the first changes we think of to reduce water waste include taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth, and making sure the sink doesn't drip. These small changes make a difference, truly; however, to make the biggest difference, the biggest issues must be addressed. Toilets use the highest volume of water daily overall, meaning, for example, if an old toilet is replaced with a water-efficient model, gallons upon gallons of precious water would be conserved.

Education and awareness are key in conservation efforts. The survey found that the majority of people underestimate gallons of water used in a particular activity by, on average, more than half. Educating populations on ways to save water and which activities use what volume of water could improve conservation efforts dramatically. Production of products such as coffee, rice, cheese, beer, and sugar requires an alarming amount of potable water, making efforts to improve efficiency in manufacturing crucial. While changes to this extent cannot be made on the individual or household level, awareness of the vast amount of water being consumed, even indirectly, serves as a great motivator in our quest to save water for tomorrow and the next generation.