Pushing the boundaries

-Environment

Toma CotunaEduard Enculescu

Iulia JurcuțaMarius Mircea

Florin Șarba

Life appeared around 4 billion years ago and we humans only 200,000 years ago. Yet we have succeeded in disrupting the balance so essential to life.

The Earth is reach but can’t keep up with our increasing needs. And above all, our chaotic daily activities caused problems in all of nature’s areas. That’s why, in modern society, there are a lot of people interested in pollution-ending or eco-friendly technologies.

Researchers are continually looking for new, more efficient ways of trying to cope with pollution. Here, we'll learn about five types of it and the new technologies trying to combat them.

Water PollutionNearly one out of every three people in the world lacks a reliable source of

clean drinking water. Drinking contaminated water can cause a variety of diseases, including cholera and dysentery.

Thousands of tons of toxic mercury are released into the environment every year. Much of this collects in sediment where it is converted into toxic methyl mercury, and enters the food chain ending up in the fish we eat. That’s why a new research showcases genetically engineered bacteria which are not only able to withstand high levels of mercury but are also able to mop up mercury from their surroundings.

Nanotechnology seems to hold promise in water purification. A company in South Africa has developed a water filter that resembles a teabag. Instead of tea, however, active carbon granules fill the bag, which is made from nanofibres treated with biocide to kill bacteria. LifeStraw, a portable water filter manufactured by a Swiss company, is an inexpensive purification method that thousands of people have adopted since its invention in 2005.

Air PollutionThe World Health Organization claims that Lima, Peru, has an average level

of air pollution 9 times higher than what is considered to be acceptable for healthy living. Lima has even recently required traffic officers to wear gas masks.

There, a new filtration system, the Super Tree, has been installed in several locations around the city. This device mimics the respiration of a real tree, taking in carbon dioxide and expelling oxygen.

The Super Tree cleans the air through a water filtration system, removing carbon dioxide as well as some bacteria. The Super Tree can purify up to 200,000 cubic meters of air per day - approximately what six trees would accomplish.

Land PollutionOne of the unfortunate consequences of our progress is

the tons of garbage we generate each day. Allowed to pile up in landfills, this solid waste can break down and contaminate the soil and ground water or, perhaps worse, it won't break down and will hang around for centuries.

At University College Dublin, researchers have discovered a bacterium that not only eats plastic foam, but can also convert it into a new form of useable plastic.

Other new technologies are helping us deal with the growing problem of electronic waste. Cell phones made of recycled materials are now on the market, and Chinese scientists have discovered ways to reuse glues and resins from old computer circuit boards to create things like fences and park benches.

Light PollutionFor millennia, humans ceased all productive activity after nightfall. They

gathered by the fire, ate a meal, maybe told a story or two, and then settled down to sleep. All that changed about a century ago. Suddenly, life could go on 24/7.

Light pollution can interrupt our circadian rhythms, making it harder to get to sleep, and it may also disrupt ecosystems.

One promising solution for light pollution could be the widespread use of "smart lights“, such as the BetaLED lights. Currently used in parking lots, these lights feature a bi-level switch that moves between low and high lighting levels, rather than simply turning on and off. Motion sensors turn the lights to a higher intensity when there's activity in the parking lot. This new technology has shown energy savings as much as 75 percent over conventional lights.

Noise PollutionHigh noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans,

a rise in blood pressure, an increase in stress and vasoconstriction, and an increased incidence of coronary artery disease. In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection and avoidance, interfere with reproduction and navigation, and contribute to permanent hearing loss.

Noise control or noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution or to reduce the impact of that noise, whether outdoors or indoors.

• This hybrid vehicle can operate 15 to 25 decibels quieter than conventional autos at speeds less than 60 km/h.

• The sound tube in Melbourne, Australia is designed to reduce roadway noise without distracting from the area's aesthetics.

But the bigger problem is that our world begins to look more and more nothing like how it was supposed to look. We’ve distanced ourselves from nature and from natural living. All of the new technologies made to combat pollution or other problems may have side effects that can also damage the environment. That’s why “pushing the boundaries” is a step in the search for knowledge but on the other hand, can be a drawback with unforeseen consequences. Therefore, we should proceed with caution in every action that we plan, consume less and be more self-aware of our land

base.