Unexpected! Gutter oil has become a hot commodity for environmental protection｜Bolan Daily

Unexpectedly! Gutter oil has become a hot commodity for environmental protection

Gutter oil, once regarded as waste from the catering industry, has been criticized for its harm to food safety and the environment. However, in recent years, with the advancement of technology and the increasing demand for renewable energy, gutter oil has begun to be transformed into aviation fuel. This transformation not only provides an environmentally friendly way to deal with gutter oil, but also provides a sustainable fuel option for the aviation industry.

The process of converting waste cooking oil into aviation fuel mainly relies on biomass conversion technology, which is to convert waste oil into high-quality fuel through a series of chemical reactions. Specifically, this process usually includes steps such as raw material pretreatment, catalytic hydrogenation, isomerization, and separation and purification.

However, the cost of this conversion process is not low, about three times that of ordinary aviation fuel. If we consider this aspect alone, this is really not a cost-effective "business", but it can reduce carbon emissions by more than half.

Data shows that my country's annual aviation fuel consumption will be about 30 million tons in 2023. If all of it is replaced by biofuel, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by about 55 million tons a year, which is equivalent to planting nearly 500 million trees or stopping driving more than 30 million cars for a year. From this perspective, this "ecological account" is still very worthwhile.

Is watermelon sweeter after being chilled?

It’s not an illusion!

The sugar in watermelon is mainly fructose, and the sweetness of fructose is closely related to temperature. When the temperature is below 40℃, the lower the temperature, the higher the sweetness of fructose, which can be up to 1.73 times that of sucrose.

Specifically, fructose has two molecular configurations: α and β. The sweetness of α-fructose is only 33% of that of β-fructose. At low temperatures, the balance between the two shifts toward β-fructose, so the sweetness increases. In addition to watermelon, most fruits such as apples, pears, and lychees will be sweeter after being chilled because they all contain fructose. However, fruits such as citrus, peaches, and apricots contain sucrose, so their sweetness will not change significantly after being refrigerated.

Sometimes you buy a really big watermelon and can't finish it in one day, so wouldn't it be great to refrigerate it? However, it's best not to refrigerate the watermelon for more than 24 hours. When you take the watermelon out of the refrigerator to eat, you can first cut off the surface part about 1 cm thick. If it has an odor, you must throw it away.

It is not suitable to store watermelons for a long time after opening, but if the storage method is appropriate, watermelons left overnight can be eaten safely. Cut watermelons can usually only be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours, so it is safer to refrigerate them in time. In addition, it is best to cover the watermelon with clean plastic wrap to keep the surface of the watermelon as sealed as possible.

Image source: pixabay

The life span of experimental animals was extended by 12% to 35%!

Chinese scientists capture new longevity gene

Recently, a research team from Zhejiang University and the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences took a different approach and discovered genes in the insect nuclear genome that co-evolved with mitochondria. One of them not only affects the growth of the morphology of the mitochondria themselves, but can also significantly extend the lifespan of insects and nematodes.

Mitochondria are energy factories within cells and are closely related to the aging process. As we age, mitochondrial function gradually declines, leading to the occurrence of a variety of diseases. This time, the research team focused on the nuclear genes that co-evolve with mitochondria.

The team found that 75 nuclear genes and mitochondrial genes showed a significant co-evolutionary pattern. These genes are closely related to aging and disease. In particular, the activity of the CG11837 gene is positively correlated with the life span of animals. Experiments have shown that reducing the activity of this gene will shorten the life span of animals, while activating this gene can significantly extend the life span of fruit flies and nematodes and enhance the anti-aging ability of human cells.

This research is not only of great scientific significance, but also has broad application prospects. Drugs and treatments based on the CG11837 gene are expected to extend human healthy lifespan. In addition, this gene can also be used as a new target for controlling agricultural pests, reducing the use of chemical pesticides and achieving environmentally friendly green prevention and control. In the field of public health, interfering with the expression of this gene can shorten the lifespan of disease vectors and reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission.

On the plane,

Don't use alcohol to relax...

Some airlines offer alcoholic beverages to passengers during flights. Some passengers choose to have a drink to help themselves relax during a long journey.

However, a recent study found that when flying at high altitudes, the combination of alcohol and low cabin pressure may reduce the oxygen content in passengers' blood and increase their heart rate, posing potential risks to their heart health.

Scientists had 48 participants between the ages of 18 and 40 enter a pressure chamber that simulates a cabin at sea level or cruising altitude (2,438 meters above sea level), asked them to fall asleep after drinking, and continuously monitored their sleep cycles, blood oxygen saturation, and heart rate.

The study found that the combination of alcohol intake and decreased oxygen partial pressure in the cabin caused the average blood oxygen saturation to drop to 85% and the heart rate to increase to 88 beats/minute, breaking the clinical health standard. In contrast, the average blood oxygen saturation can be maintained at around 95% when drinking alone or being in high-altitude cabin pressure alone. At the same time, the deep sleep (N3) and rapid eye movement (REM) cycles of participants who drank in a low-pressure environment were also significantly shortened.

According to statistics, heart disease accounts for 7% of medical emergencies on board. Scientists suggest that crew members and other relevant practitioners should carefully consider providing alcoholic beverages on board.

Image source: veer gallery

Satellites may threaten ozone hole recovery

To meet the demand for global Internet coverage, SpaceX, Amazon and other companies have launched many satellites into low-Earth orbit. However, the lifespan of these satellites is very short, only about 5 years, after which the company must launch more replacement satellites to maintain the Internet. And those satellites that have reached the end of their lifespan are likely to fall into the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, leaving behind tiny aluminum oxide particles. However, the impact of pollutants produced by these satellites on the upper atmosphere has received little attention.

Recently, a study published in Geophysical Research Letters confirmed that these oxide particles will erode the Earth's ozone layer, and their number increased eightfold between 2016 and 2022, and will continue to accumulate with the surge in the number of satellites in low-Earth orbit.

To better understand the pollution caused by artificial satellites when they re-enter the atmosphere, researchers modeled the chemical composition and chemical bonds of satellite materials. The study found that in 2022, satellites re-entering the atmosphere increased the amount of aluminum in the atmosphere by 29.5% above the natural level.

Models show that a typical 250 kg satellite, about 30% of its mass comes from aluminum, will produce about 30 kg of aluminum oxide nanoparticles (1 to 100 nanometers in size) when it re-enters the atmosphere. Most of these particles are produced in the middle layer of the Earth's atmosphere (50 to 85 kilometers above the surface), and then they take nearly 30 years to settle to the stratosphere (10 to 50 kilometers above the surface), where about 90% of the Earth's ozone is located. This study shows that the unexpected growth of aluminum oxide particles may hinder the recovery of the ozone hole in the next few decades.

Image source: pixabay

The content is compiled from China Science Popularization Expo Weibo, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Science Popularization, Digital Beijing Science Center, China Science Daily, Global Science

This article was first published on China Science Expo (kepubolan). Please indicate the source of the public account for reprinting