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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Airplanes Soar on the Power of Sunlight

Airplane flying in sky with sun in background

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Carbon-neutral fuels are crucial for making air and sea transport sustainable. Aldo Steinfeld, professor of renewable energy sources at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, and a team of researchers have been operating a mini solar refinery for two years. He says, “This plant successfully demonstrates the technical feasibility of ... converting sunlight and ambient air into drop-in fuels. The system operates stably under real-world solar conditions and provides a unique platform for further research and development.” The technology is now ready for industrial application. The plant will be used to produce synthetic liquid fuels that release CO2 extracted directly from ambient air during their combustion using solar energy. The process yields syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, that can be processed into kerosene, methanol or other hydrocarbons.

Johan Lilliestam, a research group leader at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies and professor of energy policy at the University of Potsdam, explains, “Unlike with biofuels whose potential is limited due to the scarcity of agricultural land, this technology enables us to meet global demand for jet fuel by using less than 1 percent of the world’s arid land, and would not compete with the production of food or livestock feed.” Given the high initial investment cost, solar fuels will need political support while the price of solar kerosene is high and production capacities are low. This would have little impact on the cost of flying, but would promote the construction of production facilities and lead to lower prices.

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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