Why Is Carbon Fiber So Expensive?

When carbon fiber was first trotted out in solid rocket motor cases and tanks in the 1960s, it was poised to not only take on fiberglass, but also a whole host of other materials. What happened? 50 years later it’s still an exotic material. Sure, Batman’s got it in his suit, expensive cars feature smatterings … Read more…

VBC sparked new, expanded wastewater plants

OSAGE | One of the by-products of the new $146 million Valent BioSciences Corp. operation, which opened in 2014, was an increase in industrial wastewater. As a result, an $8.4 million county-owned and city-staffed pre-treatment plant, located just south of the VBC plant, opened late last year. And, a $5.5 million expansion to the city’s … Read more…

City in risk of sewage treatment damage

Plainview’s City Council will do some emergency voting on Tuesday as two broken screens at the city’s waste water treatment plant is posing serious threats to plant equipment. “We are risking total system failure,” said councilmember Dr. Charles Starnes, as the council discussed the problem during their routine work session Thursday afternoon. During the situation … Read more…

Firm cements ways to convert waste into energy

With energy costs rising and climate change now a major concern, a local cement company has come up with ways to convert garbage into fuel and heat into electricity. Around 60 metric tons of garbage from Payatas landfill will be processed daily to be used as alternative fuel for cement manufacturing, following Lafarge Republic Inc.’s … Read more…

Which way the water flows

For several years, the city of Lebanon has been working toward building a new water treatment plant because the current one is aging and nearing its capacity. Overall, city staff are happy with how well the plant is working considering its age, said Ron Whitlatch, city engineering services manager. “It’s just to the point now … Read more…

How To Make Bio-Fuels From Wet Farm Waste

With pressure cooking, it is possible to turn even wet farm waste into bio-fuels, new research shows. While dry farm waste such as wood chips or sawdust are easier to use for generating power, scientists have struggled to find uses for wet waste as the materials break down before reaching their destination. Cooking farm waste … Read more…

Carbon capture with sawdust

Plants may help to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when dead as well as alive, say scientists from Spain. Carbon capture – the removal of CO2 from waste gases (such as from power plants) – is an important method for reducing CO2 emissions. One such strategy is the use of porous solids, such as … Read more…

RFFI works to sustain a way of life and protect forests

President of Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. (RFFI) Kathleen Moxon was the guest speaker at last week’s Garberville Rotary Club. Previously, Moxon was the executive director at the Humboldt Area Foundation for 15 years prior to her departure at the end of 2010. The RFFI was formed in 1997 as the first non-profit in the nation … Read more…

Agriculture: State-of-the-art soil

For more than 150 years, the Brooklyn Navy Yard constructed vessels that helped to stop the slave trade from Africa, lay the first undersea telegraph cable and end the Second World War. Now, this sprawling industrial facility in New York City is filled with artists, architects, producers of artisanal moonshine and people growing organic vegetables. … Read more…

Everything You Need to Know About Charcoal

Let’s ask the question: What’s the best form of charcoal? Wood embers? Hardwood lump charcoal? Charcoal briquets? Let’s answer the question: For most cooking, it is charcoal briquets. And please, all you lump charcoal devotees, read on before you start cursing me in the comments. Let’s look at the facts: A lot of hot shot … Read more…