Super technology against environmental pollution

Pollution is a 'byproduct' that people create in the process of industrialization and modernization. Pollution can be as simple as the night whistle of a neighbor ruining your sleep, or it happens at a macro level such as the discharge of fluorocarbon gases into the atmosphere damaging the ozone layer. , causing global warming. Loss of control over pollution may lead to the destruction of the natural environment on Earth.

For centuries, scientists have been searching for solutions to deal with environmental pollution.Discovery magazine introduces five new technologies that are being developed, which can help us effectively address future pollution.

Pollution water

Nano water filter bag (top photo) and LifeStraw tube

In the world today, 1 in 3 people lacks clean drinking water. The reason is that rainfall is becoming less and less, or due to difficulties in transporting water from rivers and lakes to residential areas, or because of polluted water. Drinking contaminated water can cause many dangerous diseases such as cholera or dysentery.

Nanotechnology - a technology to process materials at the molecular level - promises great promise in water purification. South Africa's Marelize Botes company has successfully developed a water filter bag shaped similar to a bag of tea bag; This bag is made from nanofibers that have been processed through the process of dioxide to be able to kill bacteria, inside the bag filled with activated carbon particles capable of absorbing debris in the water. Another water purifier, LifeStraw, was designed and manufactured by Swedish company Vestergaard Frandsen in 2005 and has been widely popularized and highly effective. The price for each LifeStraw is only about $ 3, and it's easy to use, a 3-year-old can use LifeStraw to drink water directly from the water without fear of infection.

Air pollution

A 'super tree'

In 2009, scientists concluded that breathing polluted air before birth will reduce IQ later. Studies have shown that children who are often in a polluted environment have an IQ score of about 5 points lower than children who are less exposed to air pollution.

In the Peruvian capital, Lima, where air is heavily polluted, the "super trees" produced by the Tierra Nuestra firm have been installed in several areas around the city. This device is capable of mimicking the breathing mechanism of a real tree, meaning that it can absorb CO2 and release O ₂ . The polluted air after entering this system will be run through a water filtration system to remove CO ₂ as well as some types of bacteria. A 'super tree' can clean up about 200,000 cubic meters of air a day - equivalent to the capacity of six real trees - with an initial investment cost of about $ 100,000.

Soil pollution

Protect and preserve the clean environment, for today, for tomorrow, for the future.

Every day people release tons of waste during their daily activities. When dumped in landfills, these solid wastes will decompose and contaminate the land and groundwater in the area and, worse, have non-degradable waste that stays there for centuries. For that reason, scientists have studied many waste treatment technologies to help solve the problem.

At Dublin University, researchers have discovered a bacterium that not only can digest plastic foam but also convert it into a reusable plastic. First, this plastic must be melted in the absence of oxygen, then converted into styrene oil. Bacteria will eat this compound and release PHA - a plastic that can biodegrade.

Several other technologies that help us solve the problem of e-waste are causing headaches for many authorities today. New technology aims to produce mobile phones with recyclable materials; or Chinese scientists have found a way to reuse adhesives and sap from the circuit boards of old computers to build fences or chairs in the park.

Light pollution

Using indiscriminate light at night is both wasteful and harmful to health

In the past, people naturally stopped production activities when night fell, but about a century ago, human life could take place day and night, during 24 hours in all 7 days. Although the extension of this time of operation helps increase the productivity of goods production and more time for other recreational activities, however, the use of indiscriminate light can cause great harm to health as do changing the circadian rhythm, causing sleeplessness or insomnia; furthermore, the use of unscientific light can undermine ecosystems.

A promising solution to this problem is to use smart lights like a BetaLED lamp developed by a group of researchers at the University of California-Davis. Currently used in car parks, this model has a special switch that automatically converts low / strong light intensity when there is movement in the parking lot thanks to a motion sensor. This new technology saves up to 75% of electricity consumption compared to conventional lamps.

Noise pollution

Noise pollution causes many harms to health

Noise pollution is a remarkable phenomenon in today's era, especially in developing countries, not yet reaching the level of civilization necessary in life. Noise is an agent related to people, old or young, going to the street or at home, or to the workplace . Noise pollution is harmful to health. Noise can also be one of the causes of increased violence in communication.

Currently, this particular type of pollution is located in agencies with social management functions.There should be regulations to prevent noise pollution in the street (not to use car horns, not to let old cars ruin, engines scream and discharge lots of smoke circulated); in the city and especially in the apartment buildings, do not make noise after 10pm; do not use loudspeakers to broadcast information on the street; limit the noise emitted from restaurants, discotheques . especially at night .