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Tires From Trees

March 16, 2017 By EarthWise

Car tires are generally considered environmentally unfriendly because they are predominantly made from fossil fuels. Natural rubber is generally not used anymore; most tires are made from isoprene, which is chemically very like rubber but is produced by thermally breaking apart molecules in petroleum in a process called cracking. The isoprene is separated out and purified and then reacted to form the artificial rubber that is the major component in car tires. The tires eventually end up discarded in giant piles that represent one of our biggest waste disposal problems.

Microalgae biofuels may provide a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Algae efficiently use CO2 and can produce biomass very quickly. Some species can double their mass in as little as 6 hours. Such single-celled organisms are amenable to high-throughput techniques to evolve new strains, unlike terrestrial biomass sources like corn which can take years to modify.

Wind Farms And Ordinary Farms

January 18, 2017 By EarthWise

Farmers in many places have found additional sources of income by allowing wind turbines to be built on their land. One example is the Amazon Wind Farm, which is a massive project of over 100 turbines near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The 494-foot tall turbine towers scattered over 34 square miles are rising up above farms that grow corn, wheat and soybeans. It is the first utility-scale wind farm in the Southeast.

Solar Power And African Food Security

January 2, 2017 By EarthWise

Some of the poorest countries in the world are unfortunately among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Malawi, for example, has 90% of its population in rural areas and 80% of its labor force is associated with agriculture.

Accidental Ethanol From Carbon Dioxide

December 27, 2016 By EarthWise

Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee were trying to find a series of chemical reactions that could turn carbon dioxide into a useful fuel. But the unexpected occurred: they found that the first step in their process actually got the job done all by itself. The reaction turns CO2 into ethanol, which is already used to power generators and vehicles.

Declining Insect Populations

August 5, 2016 By WAMC WEB

There has been lots of discussion about the decline in bee populations and its dire consequences for agriculture. We have also talked about the efforts to save the monarch butterfly, whose numbers have been dropping dramatically over the years. But the rest of the insect world does not get much attention. For the most part, we think of insects as a nuisance or as potential pests.

Half A Degree

July 28, 2016 By WAMC WEB

The average global temperature is one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. There has long been a goal to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees above those levels. But the Paris climate conference has set a more ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. What difference would that half a degree make?

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Biodiversity And Our Diet

December 14, 2015 By WAMC WEB

We often talk about the importance of biodiversity in maintaining the health of ecosystems. One ecosystem we don’t often think about in those terms is the human diet.

Cheap Oil From Algae

November 13, 2015 By WAMC WEB

We have had all too many scary stories about algae and the threats it is posing to health and safety. This time, for once, we have some good news about algae.

[Read more…] about Cheap Oil From Algae

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Some of the poorest countries in the world are unfortunately among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Malawi, for example, has 90% of its population in rural areas and 80% of its labor force is associated with agriculture.

We often talk about the importance of biodiversity in maintaining the health of ecosystems. One ecosystem we don’t often think about in those terms is the human diet.

We have had all too many scary stories about algae and the threats it is posing to health and safety. This time, for once, we have some good news about algae.

WAMC Northeast Public Radio