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Scientists have learned to turn plastic waste into jet fuel in an hour, and Google has created a “holographic” video chat of the future
Topics of the week
Plastic waste is being used as aircraft fuel
Scientists have unveiled an innovative way to turn plastic waste into ingredients for jet fuel (Jet fuel). As noted, this will make plastic recycling easier and cheaper.
The researchers turned 90% of plastic into jet fuel and other valuable hydrocarbon products within an hour at moderate temperatures.
The accumulation of plastic waste today has become one of the most serious environmental problems. The rapidly growing production of single-use plastic products far exceeds the world’s plastic waste recycling capacity. As a result, pollution of the oceans and the environment around the world.
It has also been found that as the waste decomposes, it breaks down into microplastics that end up in water and food, creating a potential threat to human health.
Today, the most common method of mechanically recycling used plastic is melting it down into new products. However, in this case, its economic value and quality are reduced (the so-called “downcycling”). Another way is chemical processing. It allows the production of higher quality secondary products, but the process requires higher temperatures and longer processing times, which makes this method too expensive. As a result, in the US, for example, only 9% of plastic is recycled every year.
And now, researchers have developed a new method that can convert polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into jet fuel and lubricants in just an hour.
PET packaging is considered one of the most common in the world. Plastic bottles, vials, jars and other containers are made from polyethylene terephthalate.
Using a catalyst made from carbon and the silvery-white metallic ruthenium, as well as some commonly used solvents, the scientists converted about 90% of the plastic into jet fuel components and other hydrocarbons in just an hour. The temperature during the process did not exceed 220°C. This is lower than required for conventional processing.
“In the recycling industry, the cost of recycling is key. Our work is an important milestone on the path to advancing new technologies to commercialization, ”comments one of the authors of the study, associate professor of the Jin and Linda Woyland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering Hongfei Lin.
According to him, now scientists can control the temperature, processing time and the amount of catalyst. This will depend on the final products.
“The process is very flexible. It is possible to customize it depending on what product we want to produce,” says the scientist.
In the future, it is planned to refine the new technology and try to extend it to other types of plastic.
Google has invented the “holographic” video chat of the future
Google unveiled a prototype “holographic” video chat Project Starline. With it, people can communicate with each other, being at a distance. At the same time, this communication looks like glass separates people.
So far, the technology works using special cameras. However, the company’s video showcases what video calls could look like in the near future:
“Imagine that you are looking through some kind of magic window, and through that window you see another person in life size and in three dimensions. You can speak naturally, gesticulate, and make eye contact,” says Google Vice President Clay Bayvor.
For development, the company used algorithms for computer vision, machine learning, spatial sound and real-time data compression. Additionally, a display was created that allows the formation of deep three-dimensional images without the use of special glasses or helmets.
So far, Project Starline technologies are used only in some Google offices. The main goal of the company is to make the system more accessible. According to the developers, Google employees have already spent thousands of hours communicating with colleagues from San Francisco, New York and Seattle. Demonstration projects have also been implemented with several partners in the medical and media technology sectors. In 2021, even more projects with the participation of corporate users are planned to receive feedback and eliminate identified deficiencies.
News of the week
- Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer in 2022.
- Telegram creator Pavel Durov called iPhone users “slaves”.
- The world’s largest iceberg has broken off from Antarctica.
- The number of birds on Earth is six times greater than the number of people.
- Scientists have traced the path of thought through the human brain for the first time.
- Found 64 regions of the genome that cause bipolar disorder.
- Fox TV will release the first animated series on the blockchain.
Week numbers
- Almost 40% of Russian ice cream producers do not have time to start mandatory product labeling from June 1.
The business experienced difficulties with the supply and installation of equipment by integrators. Producers are afraid of a stop in production and a shortage of ice cream.
- 33% of the respondents in our country began to play computer games more often.
Citizens of our country began to spend more money on computer games. 70% of players are over 24 years old, 59% of them are men. 85% of all gamers have played on tablet/smartphone in the last month.
Study of the week
More than half of our countries have experienced stress this year
The research holding Romir studied the key trends in consumer behavior in 2021 – one of the analysis parameters was our country stress index. More than half of our countries (55%) admitted that they experienced stress in January-February 2021. When asked if respondents experienced stress in 2020, 79% of respondents answered positively.
The results of the study showed that, on average, women are more likely than men to experience stress: 56% of the female population and 51% of the male population are in an exciting mood. In 2020, the statistics were also more depressing: 72% of men and 84% of women, respectively, experienced anxiety.
Our country feels the most stress under the age of 21 and from 21 to 40 years old – 61% in each group. Slightly less worried are people of retirement age over 75 years old (55%), from 41 to 50 (48%) and from 51 to 74 years old (42%),
Last year, 91% of our country under the age of 21, 83% of residents from 21 to 40 years old, 77% of those aged 41 to 50 years old, 71% of those aged 51 to 74 years old and 59% of those over the age of 75 experienced stress. years.
Among the topics of concern to our country this year, five out of ten are related to financial concerns: more than half of the inhabitants are worried about rising prices and inflation (62%), as well as low wages (56%). Slightly fewer fellow citizens are concerned about the crisis in the economy (30%), rising unemployment (27%) and social stratification of the population (25%).
“The current reaction of our countries is quite understandable – our compatriots during the pandemic are tired of constantly being in a state of tension and now they are not expecting a deterioration in the situation, but rather stagnation. It is impossible not to note the focus on self-reflection – first of all, our country is concerned about problems that directly affect them personally and their immediate environment, while political and social ones lose their paramount importance, ”comments President Romir Andrey Milekhin.
What to read
- Three-quarters of objects observed in orbit are space debris
There are about 3,9 thousand active spacecraft in the near-Earth space, as well as about 2,8 thousand devices that have ceased their work. In an interview with TASS, Igor Bakaras, head of the information and analytical center of TsNIIMash, analyzes the quantitative and qualitative composition of space debris.
What to listen
- Podcast “We are all going to die. But this is not accurate”, episode “Toxic finish. Are most building materials hazardous to health?
Radioactive gases, microscopic fragments, carcinogens and toxins – this is not a complete list of what building and finishing materials can emit. Even wood and stone are not free from these emissions. Why is this product not subject to mandatory certification, and how to choose the least toxic material? Andrey Guskov, Deputy Head of the Sanitary Supervision Department of Rospotrebnadzor, answers questions.
What to see
- Chinese rover sends first images from the surface of the Red Planet
The Zhuzhong rover transmitted the first videos and photos to Earth after landing on the planet. China has become the second country after the US to land a spacecraft on Mars.
- Solar Orbiter recorded an eruption on the Sun
The space probe made the first video recording of such large-scale phenomena in the solar atmosphere.