This post is based on an article in forskning.no.
Scientists from Delaware State University, USA said at a meeting in the American Chemical Society (spring 2008) that they have looked into studies from old farming sites in Amazonas. These sites are considered the most fertile in the world and they have found that the reason they are so fertile is because they have been mixed with charcoal made from bark, bones and other biological sources. The terms used are "terra preta" and "black gold agriculture".
To create charcoal from biological sources you need a metal container and burn it within there. It will also bind CO2 and in that way help our atmosphere. It is also proven that burning will affect how much rain is falling over that area.
The soil get very fertile when mixing in the charcoal and can change soil that is fatigued to be the most valuable. It is more effective than using compost and any fertilizers and it is not broken down as fast. It can last for hundreds of years (maybe thousands). The coal also make the soil more airy and let it take up more water.
Just think about what can be done in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, or your own back yard! However, I do recommend that you let the trees be there so that they can produce more leaves and branches! Just take what have fallen on the ground or dead branches from the trees.
I found a short article in TU.no (click here) that I almost passed by if it hadn't been for the heading. It states that a company has successfully used SUGAR to protect wood for outdoor use.
When I was a kid I was always told that sugar made holes in my teeth. Now it appears that it is protecting the wood from getting holes.
I had to check this out and it seems that the company, Wood Polymer Technologies ASA, has made a product from sugar cane and corncobs that is stable and is working great. The product is environmentally friendly and is not poisonous as many of the existing products used today. Most of the green wood we buy today has to be handled as highly poisonous material because of the toxins. The ash from burning green wood can be deadly if it is eaten.
The good news is also that existing plants that today are protecting wood using chemicals can easily change to this new technology. I say that if this is true, we can go into a time where one industry can go "green"!
If you are interested in finding out more, go to their web site http://www.wpt.no. They have great information in English.
This article is based on a Norwegian article in Teknisk ukeblad, that can be read at this address: http://www.tu.no/nyheter/produksjon/article31601.ece. The original story and the photos are by Anders J. Steensen and Tore Stensvold.
I must say that I really like to see that people look at nature in order to find new and better solutions. In this case it can help us all to get a lot more out of our energy resources as well. 20% of all energy today is used for pumping liquid. This pump is using 30% of the energy a normal pump.
Typical use for a pump like this is to pump water, oil or being used in medical equipments. Oil reservoir spesialists believe that this pump can get out almost twice as much oil from a reservoir than traditional pumping systems. That could probably solve a lot of our anxiety about oil reservs today, but we have to change our attitude about energy anyway.
This is not a joke! Norwegian and English engineers are now working on a possible solution to make power stations under the sea. Tidal Sails that owns the rights are located in Haugesund, Norway. Their idea is to make electrical power from the tidals.
A swedish man, Mats Nilsson, was listening to his grandfather when he was telling stories. His grandfather told him how he was drinking cider at work in a shipyard as a welder. They often spilled a little on their clothes and it dried. When they then started working again, the dried cider protected their clothes from flames or sparks.
This article is based on a TV-program in NRK, Norway.
Helge Karlsen in Sandnes, Norway has made an antenna that is 15x15mm (0.6inch). The antenna can work in a distance of up to 7-8km (4.3 to 4.9miles).
He used 12 years to develop this antenna and to find the right material to use. They have now tested the antenna in tunnels and under water and it is working well. The Norwegian helicopter rescue service, the Danish rescue service and Royal Navy are all among the users of this antenna.
Looking at the waves at a beach in Spain Fred Olsen got an idea on how to produce electric power from the sea.
Fred Olsen is a man with visions for the future and he is becoming more and more concerned about Mother Earths health. Based on this concern he has started to look into how we can continue to live on this planet responsibly. One of his ways of doing this is to look into different renewable energy sources.
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