2011-07-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

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INDUSTRIES

· Desalting the sea could

solve the water shortage

It has been estimated that by the year 2000 3.6 billion people will lack adequate drinking water, and governments have responded by looking into the desalination process which creates fresh water from sea water. Britain has built its first desalination plant on its east coast, and is able to produce one in every thousand parts of drinking water by desalination. Most such plants are found on the coasts of oil-rich nations, with 60% located on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

· Fungus factories

manufacture future products

Biologists have realized that fungi can be useful. The mould Rhizopus transforms unusable maltose into valuable glucose. Strains of Aspergillus produce enzymes which are used to manufacture textiles, whilst riboflavin is made by the fungus Ashby a gossypii. Humans need 20 different amino acids for a healthy diet, 8 of which must be included in the diet. Scientists now have cultures of microbes which can produce all of them.

· Waste management

fuels the eco-industrial park

Bacteria can be used to recover minerals including gold and silver, and can even help extract heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and uranium from low-grade ores. Thiobacillus bacteria can utilize copper, iron and sulphur, and are able to metabolize metal wastes to release energy. A solution of metal suolphate leaches out, from which it is easy to extract the pure metal. Unlike conventional industrial processes, these microbes require external fuel supply.

FUEL

· Methane hydrate

as a new source of energy

The latest energy source to be discovered is deep-sea methane hydrate, a strange substance made of a waxy solid which is formed by methane molecules trapped in water. Investigations of mining methods are progressing rapidly, and include plans to release methane by warming the hydrate. The deposits around Japan, if successfully mined, could match current consumption rates of natural gas for at least 100 years.

· Tidal mills harness

the ocean’s power

Norway is planning to build the first ‘tidal mill’ power station. While most proposals for tidal power necessitate the building of dams across estuaries, Thorkild Carstens of the University of Trondheim, Norway, plans to submerge turbines in the strong tidal currents of the Kvall Sound where they will spin like windmills.

· Cow pats fuel power

station to create biogas

The first UK power station fuelled by cow dung went into operation in 1998. The ‘biogas’ plant cost 1 million to build and is located in Holsworthy, Devon. It is intended that the plant will produce enough biogas to meet all the electrical demands to the local residents.

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