New Voice

You might recall from a while back my look at some of the new technologies being introduced to tackle the global issue of climate change. Maintaining that focus I thought I would comment on the continued expansion of biofuels, of which so many potential sources have be found that it would take a veritable ocean of web space to begin to mumble around the fringes of this tumultuous field.  Needless to say, one specific element has piqued my interest.  A number of years ago (the eighties, a shockingly interesting time for novel scientific endeavour with sadly many of the original ideas produced petering out by the end of the decade), some scientists noted that algae (an awful looking autotroph, most of us would know them as seaweed) was a possible candidate for renewable energy given its photosynthetic machinery, and its tough and resilient nature.  How they could operate it as an energy source was derived from the fact that algae produces oil, during its processes, which, not being fossilized, is clean of carbon. But, as was the way of the period, this theorizing failed to gain enough credence and by the end of the decade with little material investment the energy source failed to acquire backing.  As time passed and the requirement for alternative energies became notably stronger and all potential biofuel sources received further attention, it seems that algae was viewed as too difficult, and expensive, to develop. Until some far-reaching science was manufactured that changed its potential. (continue reading…)

The End of the Road

At the turn of the twentieth century an eminent chemist announced his belief that physics, and to similar degree science as a whole, had concluded its most significant leaps of discovery. His thesis argued that little else could be contributed to the field of physics that could be as unique and peerless as those that had occurred in the previous three centuries. Indeed, the nineteenth century alone was an explosive era for scientific change. Most of the major branches of the sciences saw particular advancement; however, it was the introduction of whole new fields of study that proved the most celebrated events.

Scientific fields such as palaeontology and archaeology absorbed the most abundant intellects of the period, as intense new discoveries were formed and ever more expansive theories introduced. The period’s advancement was of such a revolutionary pace that some scientists began to envisage the potential for a complete understanding of the natural world, including the laws that govern its existence. It was in this transitional climate of ingenuity that voices became prominent with claims that extreme scientific discovery had come to an end. (continue reading…)

To my mind, Biomass has long been hailed as a standard bearer for the renewable energy world. Allowing the comprehensive destruction of dead materials with an output made up of distributable energy, its use in our high-energy-demand world is both logical and consistent – and indeed comprehensive. Though not specifically a carbon free scheme (roughly one half of the burnt matter contains carbon) it sits well as a renewable energy source. Its problems, as is irritatingly the case with so many renewables, lies in the amount of energy needed to complete the manufacturing process: in the case of Biomass – far too much to warrant significant use. Be that as it may, in a world floundering in the impact of too much carbon, technology is needed to find alternatives to the burning of fossil fuels, and hopefully, to burn a source clean and free of pollutants. A goal I feel is vitally important over the next twenty years. (continue reading…)