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DRIVER-TREATMENT-WATER-INFRASTRUCTURE-CHEMISTRY-CHLORAMINE One new option that communities with ammonia problems have is biological filtration. This is a safe, chemical-free, method of removing ammonia. In a biological filtration facility, one of the stages of filtration is to pass the water through a special filter that is full of nitrifying bacteria. These bacteria take in the ammonia and some oxygen and perform a bio-oxidation reaction. They oxidize the ammonia into nitrite NH3 + O2 -> NO2- + 3H+ Then further oxidize that into nitrate, NO2- + H2O -> NO3- + 2H+. The bacteria gain energy from these reactions and are specialized to do them very efficiently. This process is part of the natural nitrogen cycle and does not produce any harmful byproducts. The nitrate that is produced by this process can easily be removed from the water by the reverse osmosis membrane in the final stage of the filtration process. The reaction between chlorine and ammonia can be written as NH3 +HOCl -> NH2Cl + H2O. In this chemical equation, NH3 is ammonia and HOCl is hypochlorous acid which is formed when the chlorine is first dissolved in the water. The primary result of this chemical reaction is NH2Cl, a chemical known as chloramine. Chloramine is a disinfectant like chlorine, it is a weaker disinfectant than chlorine but it lasts much longer in water. The chlorine concentration in water can gradually decrease as the chlorine evaporates out but chloramine does not do this. This makes it useful for making sure water stays disinfected throughout drinking water distribution systems. In areas where there is no, or very little, ammonia in the raw water treatment facilities might still want to use chloramine for this purpose. After chlorinating (disinfecting) the water, as the last step in the treatment process, they add ammonia and more chlorine to the water so that they react and create chloramine.

"Corrosion is a dynamic process, more so than even most corrosion engineers realize. It typically has a number of influencing factors that can vary with time and process variables, and so cause corrosion events or upsets to occur. The reason for the lack of appreciation of this situation is that historically long time intervals associated with inspections and off-line measurements do not afford the opportunity to correlate corrosion excursions with operating and process parameters This paper illustrates the importance of implementing an appropriate and correspondingly dynamic means of corrosion appraisal to help manage industrial processes and related corrosion prevention treatments, and to minimize corrosion upsets and failures, and maximize the availability of the plant assets. Value statements are provided that show the potential savings associated with online, real-time corrosion monitoring."

3D printing technology, using heat-resistant metal alloys, is revolutionizing trial-and-error rocket development. Whole structures that would have previously required hundreds of distinct components can now be printed in a matter of days. The key to fast engine development is to reduce the number of parts, which reduces the time it takes to assemble the engine and the disruption caused by supply chain delays. The easiest way to do this is to change manufacturing processes. Space companies are now moving away from subtractive manufacturing processes-which remove material to shape a part-to additive manufacturing processes that build up a part by adding material to it bit by bit.

Scientists have developed a process that allows them to manipulate wood to make it denser and harder than the natural product. They used the resulting material to make items like wooden knives and nails that rival traditional steel. There is also the possibility that wood processed in this way could replace existing products that are known to be harmful to the environment. "Trees are renewable and wood is sustainable," Li said. "If we look back to mother nature, we can use this natural material toward a sustainable future."

"For a snapshot of what all this points to regarding the total materials footprint of the green energy path, consider the supply chain for an electric car battery. A single battery providing a useful driving range weighs about 1,000 pounds.[15] Providing the refined minerals needed to fabricate a single EV battery requires the mining, moving, and processing of more than 500,000 pounds of materials somewhere on the planet (see sidebar below).[16] That's 20 times more than the 25,000 pounds of petroleum that an internal combustion engine uses over the life of a car."

DRIVERS-TREATMENT-TTHM-POLLUTION-SCARCITY-FUNDING Disinfection by-products (DBP) are a class of chemical by-products also referred to as trihalomethanes (THMs), formed when chlorine or bromine interacts with the natural organic materials found in water. DBPs also include other formed products, such as haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles, haloketones, and chlorophenols. The composition and levels of specific DBPs are determined by water quality, water treatment conditions, and disinfectant type (IPCS, 2000). Primary sources of DBPs are chlorinated drinking water and recreational water bodies, such as swimming pools. In drinking water, trichloromethane is the predominant DBP, usually found at much higher levels than bromodichloromethane; tribromomethane is the least abundant (Krasner et al., 1989). DBPs are volatile at room temperature and can be detected in ambient air during activities such as showering, bathing, dishwashing, and swimming (Backer, et al., 2000; Gordon et al., 2006). Trichloromethane has industrial applications and is used to produce refrigerants and feedstock. It may be released into the environment where chlorine-based chemicals are used for bleaching and disinfecting processes or disposed at hazardous waste sites (IPCS, 2004; LaRegina, et al. 1986). Tribromomethane has limited industrial uses, mainly in geological assaying, electronics manufacturing, and as a solvent in laboratory analyses (ATSDR, 2005). DBPs tend not to bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms or persist in open or surface waters or soils, but they can remain in water within closed pipe systems. Workplace exposure may occur during the production of trichloromethane or tribromomethane, or in workplaces where DBPs may be generated, such as pulp or paper manufacturing, swimming pools, and water treatment plants (IPCS, 2004).

"However, in this configuration, the alluvial aquifers are also highly vulnerable to pollution. To address the issue of pollutant transfer, it is common to use natural or artificial tracing methods. In particular, the stable isotopes of the water molecule (2H, 18O) have many applications, allowing a better understanding of hydrosystems. They are used to estimate the recharge, to know the origin of water, the mixing processes and the transit times [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. The use of this tracer is particularly relevant in the context of short transit times within the aquifer, as is the case for exchanges between alluvial aquifers and rivers. However, it is necessary to have a marked isotopic signature for the input signal to the system and a different signature between the input and output signal [11]."

"Excess release of phosphorus is the main culprit for the eutrophication of freshwater and marine ecosystems [1]. Phosphorus is a nonrenewable and irreplaceable element for plant growth, and its role is crucial in agricultural production [2]. The accelerated growth in food demand has also increased the demand for phosphate fertilizers, which has placed stress on phosphate rock sources and is exhausting existing deposits [3]. The phosphate mining industry is also facing serious challenges regarding water availability for the mining process and a decrease in the quality of phosphate rocks"

It leads to new ways to activate our brain to be more eficient during certain tasks.This achievement helps to identify the roles played by individual neurons in coordinating and carrying out behaviors which could be a cornerstone of future neural interface technologies. This research begins to teach us how the brain processes and executes goal-directed behaviors in higher-order species, giving the knowledge and tools to begin making sense of neural circuitry and coding. (Sanchez, Justin)

DARPA is always a great source! Is this H1, H2, or H3...in your view?

The thirteen chapters of the Working Group I report provide an assessment of the current evidence on the physical science of climate change, knowledge evaluation gained from observations, reanalyses, paleoclimate archives and climate model simulations, as well as physical, chemical and biological climate processes. (1300 pages?)

If we can get all that plastic out of the ocean and use it to power the ocean-plastic-grabbing-machines, then this could be huge for the environment! "Honeywell International Inc. says it developed a commercially viable method to melt down low-grade plastic waste and turn it back into oil that's good enough to feed into a refinery."

Princeton researchers have developed a new way to make fuel from cellulose-Earth's most abundant organic compound, found in all plant cells-speeding up a notoriously slow chemical process and in some cases doubling energy yields over comparable methods. Cellulosic biomass has long been seen as a key ingredient in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, providing the feedstock for a renewable and clean-burning transportation fuel. The U.S. Department of Energy has conducted a series of studies showing that at least one billion tons of biomass could be sustainably harvested each year in the United States without disrupting forests or food production to produce biofuels, largely from cellulose.

Would you eat meat grown in a lab to save the world? The $10 million award will enable the creation of the first-ever U.S. government-funded cultivated protein research center of excellence and represents U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s first investment in cultivated meat to date. USDA awarded the grant as a part of a $146 million investment in sustainable agricultural research projects announced by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on October 6.

The article addresses some of the problems the supply chain infrastructure is facing today. It brings up some interesting points: US ports lag far behind ports around the world in their efficiency of loading and unloading cargo. The labor unions that control the ports are extremely reluctant to automation that might improve efficiencies and speed up processes.

A very interesting but lengthy read. The report describes a system for using foresight to develop EU R&I policy, which includes: - a set of future scenarios for different World Regions, - a mechanism for signposting relevant trends and - a process for assessing policy options combining standard policy assessment mechanisms with future scenarios. The regional scenarios include: ● China ● Japan, South Korea & Taiwan ● ASEAN ● India & its Neighbours ● Australia & New Zealand ● Russia & Central Asia ● The Middle East & North Africa ● Sub-Saharan Africa ● Central & South America ● United States, Canada & Mexico

"According to the 2019 Women in STEM Decadal Plan, prepared by the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, every organisation in Australia is increasingly reliant on STEM skills to thrive, whether they operate in government, academia, industry, or the education sector. "All these stakeholders face a common challenge: the need to tackle the significant under-representation of women in the STEM workforce, because we can ill afford to under-utilise all of the nation's available talent. To achieve this requires removing barriers to participation at every point of the STEM pipeline. We must create an environment where girls and women can readily engage in STEM education and then use those skills to progress through their careers to senior levels," the AAS report states. In many ways, the corrosion industry reflects this general state of affairs, being reliant on researchers - investigating both the process of corrosion and ways to control it - and practitioners managing its application."

The natural marine environment at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is one of the most corrosive in the continental United States. Corrosion control at KSC involves the flight hardware, ground support equipment, and facilities. A description is given of the space launch vehicles' environment and the process of materials selection for this environment. The corrosion control necessary for the Space Shuttle Orbiter and its ground support equipment is described. There is also a brief history of orbiter corrosion.

"Corrosion has a huge economic, environmental and sustainability impact on virtually all facets of constructional materials, from highways, bridges, and buildings to oil and gas, chemical processing, desalination, nuclear, power facilities, water, and wastewater systems. In addition to causing severe environmental damage and threats to public safety, corrosion disrupts operations and requires extensive repair and replacement of failed assets. The annual cost of corrosion worldwide was estimated to exceed $U.S.2.5 trillion in 2016, which translates to 3 to 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of industrialized countries according to NACE IMPACT study report. (...) To reduce the huge cost and the environmental impact of corrosion and enhance the sustainability of materials used for construction, available corrosion control practices such as proper material design and selection, the use of corrosion inhibitors, coatings, cathodic protection etc., are recommended and could lead to savings of between 15 and 35% of the cost of corrosion. This translates to between US$375 and $875 billion annually"

"Material science offers corrosion engineers design options in corrosion control with advanced materials. Engineered properties created through specialized processing and synthesis technologies give advanced materials superior performance over conventional materials and include ceramics, high value-added metals, electronic materials, composites, polymers, and biomaterials."