World
Tugboat powered by ammonia sails for the first time, showing how to cut emissions from shipping
Kingston, New York – On a tributary of the Hudson River, an ammonia-powered tugboat eased away from the shipyard dock and sailed for the first time to demonstrate how the maritime industry may reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.
The tugboat used to run on diesel. Amogy, a New York-based business, bought the 67-year-old ship to convert it to cleanly produced ammonia, a new, carbon-free fuel.
The tugboat’s inaugural sail on Sunday night marks a significant milestone in the battle to build zero-emission propulsion using renewable fuels. Shipping emissions have climbed over the previous decade, reaching approximately 3% of the global total, according to the United Nations, as vessels have grown in size, transporting more cargo every trip and using massive amounts of fuel oil.
Tugboat powered by ammonia sails for the first time, showing how to cut emissions from shipping
CEO Seonghoon Woo stated that he founded Amogy with three friends to help the world address a major concern: the global economy’s backbone has yet to switch to renewable energy.
“Without solving the problem, it’s not going to be possible to make the planet sustainable,” stated Mr. Obama. “I do not believe this is the problem of the future generation. “This is a huge issue for our generation.”
The pals met while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they spent their free time brainstorming ways to power huge industries cleanly. They started their business in November 2020 in a modest room at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The name Amogy is derived from the phrases ammonia and energy.
They hunted for a boat and discovered the tug at the Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, New York, where it was sitting idle. It could shatter ice, but little to no ice had developed on that stretch of the Hudson River in previous years, therefore it was available for purchase.
“It represents how serious the problem is when it comes to climate change,” Woo told the crowd. The venture, according to him, is “not just demonstrating our technology, it’s really going to be telling the story to the world that we have to fix this problem sooner than later.”
They christened the tugboat NH3 Kraken after ammonia’s chemical formula and their way of “cracking” it into hydrogen and nitrogen. Amogy’s method converts ammonia to hydrogen for a fuel cell, transforming the tug into an electric-powered ship. The International Maritime Organisation has set a target for international shipping to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by or around 2050.
According to the Global Maritime Forum, a nonprofit that works closely with the industry, shipping emissions must be reduced quickly, and there are currently no readily available methods to decarbonise deep-sea shipping. Ammonia is a popular alternative fuel since it contains no carbon, according to Jesse Fahnestock, who leads the forum’s decarbonization efforts.
Ammonia is frequently used as a fertiliser, therefore there is already infrastructure in place to handle and transport it. Tonne for tonne, has more energy capacity than hydrogen and is easier to store and transport.
“It certainly has the potential to be a main or even the main fuel,” according to Fahnestock. “It has a potentially very friendly greenhouse gas footprint.”
Ammonia has downsides. It’s toxic. Currently, nearly all of it is produced using natural gas in an environmentally destructive process. Burning it requires precise engineering or it will emit traces of a potent greenhouse gas.
The tugboat ran on green ammonia generated by renewable electricity. The original gasoline tank space can accommodate a 2,000-gallon tank for a 10- to 12-hour day at sea.
It separates liquid ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, then feeds the hydrogen into a fuel cell, which creates energy for the vessel with no carbon emissions. Because the mechanism does not burn ammonia like a combustion engine, the emissions are predominantly nitrogen and water. The corporation claims there are trace quantities of nitrogen oxides that it is attempting to totally eradicate.
Amogy employed ammonia to power a drone in 2021, then a tractor in 2022, a semi-truck in 2023, and now a tugboat to demonstrate the technology. Woo stated that their system is intended for usage on vessels ranging in size from tugboats to cargo ships, and that it may also generate power on land to replace diesel generators in data centres, mining and construction, and other heavy industries.
The company has raised approximately $220 million. Amazon, a company with significant delivery needs, is among the investors. Nick Ellis, principal of Amazon’s $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund, stated that the business is delighted and impressed by Amogy’s efforts. By investing, Amazon can demonstrate to ship owners and builders that it wants its goods transported with zero emissions, he explained.
Tugboat powered by ammonia sails for the first time, showing how to cut emissions from shipping
“Many folks will now get a chance to see and understand how real and promising this technology is, and that it could actually be in container ships or tugboats in a matter of a few years,” he told reporters. “If you had asked five years ago, I believe many people would have thrown up their hands… And now we have a compelling example that is also financially practical. These types of things don’t happen every day.”
As a following step, Amogy is collaborating with major shipbuilders to introduce ammonia power to the maritime industry. Hanwha Ocean, a South Korean shipyard, is obtaining its technologies. HD Hyundai and Samsung Heavy Industries are collaborating with Amogy on ship design.
According to Sangmin Park, because Amogy has made substantial headway in demonstrating ammonia’s promise as a clean fuel, “we expect the industry to move towards adoption more quickly.” Park is senior vice president of HD Hyundai’s subsidiary HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering.
“For the past few years, the industry has recognised the potential of ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel,” Park noted via email, “but actually building and sailing the first vessel is a true landmark event.”
SOURCE | AP
World
Do Microplastics in the Atmosphere Endanger Your Fertility?
(VOR News) – It is quite possible that the presence of small microplastic particles in the air may be a contributing factor to a wide variety of health problems, including malignancies of the lungs and colon.
This is something that needs additional research to be determined. There is one more item to take into consideration, and that is the potential that this is the exact circumstance.
A recent study found that tires and debris that are decomposing shed minute fragments of plastic that go airborne, so creating a form of air pollution that is not particularly widely known. This type of pollution is caused by the degradation of plastic. An example of this type of pollution is that which is discharged into the atmosphere.
The industry refers to microplastic as “air pollution.”
According to the findings of a researcher named Tracey Woodruff, who is a professor of obstetrics, gynaecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, “These microplastics are basically particulate matter from air pollution,” and it is common knowledge that this particular type of air pollution is particularly hazardous.
The researchers who supplied background notes stated that the size of microplastics is less than 5 millimetres, which is smaller than a grain of rice.
This information was provided, according to researchers. These details were supplied by the researchers who conducted the study. These particulars were provided by researchers who were responsible for carrying out the study.
The amount of plastic that is created on a yearly basis by enterprises all over the world is roughly 460 million tonnes, as indicated by the data that were provided by academics all over the world. The forecasts indicate that by the year 2050, this quantity is anticipated to have increased to 1.1 billion tonnes.
Driving is a substantial contributor to the amount of plastic that is floating around in the atmosphere, according to the conclusions of the experts who conducted the study about the phenomenon. When tires are worn down to the point where they scrape against the surface of the road, they allow microplastics to be released into the environment.
As a result of the tires wearing down, this occurs. This impact is brought about as a consequence of the inevitable amount of wear and tear that tires are subjected to.
A study that was published on December 18 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology was the result of researchers conducting an examination of data collected from over 3,000 previous investigations.
The paper was published as a consequence of this procedure. The review was constructed with the help of this analysis that was carried out.
Microplastic used this analysis to put together the review.
A number of diseases, such as cancer, lung problems, and infertility, may be influenced by the presence of microplastics in the air, according to the data, which led to the conclusion that this may be the case.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of the studies that were incorporated into the study were carried out on animals, the researchers claimed that it is very certainly plausible that the findings can also be applied to people. The fact that the majority of investigations were conducted on animals does not change the reality that this is the case.
“We urge regulatory agencies and policy leaders to consider the growing evidence of health harms from microplastics, including colon and lung cancer,” stated Nicholas Chartres, the principal investigator and senior research fellow at the University of Sydney.
The organisation reported this comment. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) issued a press release on behalf of the organisation that contained this statement. The news release was disseminated to the public. We are convinced that state officials will act quickly to make sure that no leaks of this kind occur, which is of the highest importance.
SOURCE: USN
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Russian Oil Ships In The Kerch Strait Are Undergoing Rescue Operations.
(VOR News) – Following Sunday’s powerful storm, a Russian oil tanker carrying hundreds of tonnes of oil products ultimately broke apart, causing an oil spill into the Kerch Strait below. Additionally, Russian officials reported that the damage was causing problems for another vessel.
Sunday, Russian authorities announced an emergency rescue operation.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, which claimed the Emergency Situations Ministry as its source, the Volgoneft-212 tanker, carrying fuel oil and carrying thirteen crew members, ran aground and suffered damage to its bow. A shipment of fuel oil was being transported by the tanker.
Authorities have told the public that the damage was brought on by the extreme weather conditions that are currently occurring.
A second tanker, the Volgoneft-239, was damaged during the storm and is currently stranded in the same area with 14 crew members on board, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The tanker was discovered abandoned and alone in the same spot.
Additional tankers also suffered damage. The 132-meter-long cruiser, which was constructed in 1973, hangs the Russian flag around its neck.
The footage posted by state media showed the 136-meter Volgoneft-212 tanker, which was cut in two with its bow underwater, and waves crashing over its deck. At least one person lost his life as a result of this tragedy. This led to the opening of two distinct criminal investigations by the Russian authorities to look into potential violations of certain safety regulations.
Having flown the Russian flag since 1969, the yacht was finished.
Rosmorrechflot, the Russian government agency in charge of water transportation, reported a petroleum product spill.
It is believed that the cargo capacity of each tanker is around 4,200 tonnes of oil products.
The magnitude of the leak and the cause of the substantial damage one of the tankers received were not specified in the official remarks. This is in accordance with the official remarks.
Several news sites cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Vladimir Putin directed the formation of a working committee to handle the rescue effort and lessen the effects of the oil disaster.
Peskov recommended that the government appoint the working committee’s members. This comment was made public right after Putin met with the ministries responsible for ecology and disaster management.
The Russian government has said that it will be sending more than fifty individuals and pieces of equipment to the area in response to the current crisis. Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugboats are examples of these people and tools.
The news that experts are presently investigating the damage at the event site was announced by Svetlana Radionova, who is in charge of Rosprirodnadzor, Russia’s natural resources regulating entity.
Kommersant reports that Volgoneft-212 used 4,300 tonnes of fuel oil.
The footage, which showed a partially submerged ship and murky water on rough seas, was posted to Telegram without the owner’s consent.
The warships were located in the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from the Russian mainland, when the distress signals were sent out.
The Kerch Strait is a crucial international marine passage that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, allowing for easier traffic between the two bodies of water. It also acts as a border between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which is under Russian occupation. The Kerch Strait is located in the centre of the two nations.
The peninsula has remained a major source of contention between the two national governments ever since Russia annexed it from Ukraine in 2014. Russia was the one who seized the peninsula. Ukraine brought legal action against Russia before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.
Specifically, the lawsuit claimed that Russia intended to illegally take over a location. The argument was supported by evidence pertaining to Russia’s conduct in the region. In 2021, the Russian Federation closed the strait for several consecutive months
SOURCE: VN
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Japan List Cannabis as Narcotic Criminalizes Recreational Use
TOKYO – Japan updated its cannabis and narcotics control legislation on Thursday, criminalizing cannabis (Marijuana) use and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), imposing a maximum seven-year prison sentence.
While the possession, transmission, and cultivation of cannabis and THC were already prohibited in Japan, the new rules will classify them as narcotics and criminalize their use as well, with a prison sentence of up to seven years for violations.
The amended regulations also legalize medical items containing cannabis-derived compounds that are beneficial and safe.
In 2019, 1.8 percent of the Japanese population had used cannabis at least once, making it the country’s second most popular illicit substance behind methamphetamine.
In 2023, a record 6,703 people were probed in cannabis-related criminal cases in Japan, topping methamphetamine cases for the first time, according to the Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry. Seventy percent of instances involved people under the age of thirty.
A nationwide poll performed the same year by the ministry’s research group estimated that approximately 200,000 people had consumed marijuana within the previous year.
Japan previously did not penalize cannabis usage, apparently taking into account farmers who may have accidentally ingested the drug while producing cannabis plants for use in hemp products.
The amendments will also lift a restriction on cannabis-derived medicines, putting them under a licensing system similar to other drugs used for pain relief and other purposes.
Drugs derived from cannabis plants were only allowed in clinical studies in Japan, but patient groups have been advocating for access to cannabis-derived cannabidiol treatments already licensed in Europe and the United States for illnesses like severe epilepsy.
Cannabis cultivation dates back to the Jōmon period of Japanese prehistory, roughly six to ten thousand years ago (source: Wikipedia).
Cannabis hemp, as one of Japan’s first cultivated plants, provided an essential supply of plant fibre for clothing, cordage, and Shinto ritual goods, among other uses.
For much of Japanese history, hemp was common for fabric and food before cotton emerged as the country’s dominant fibre crop during industrialization during the Meiji period.
Following the end of World War II and the occupation of Japan, the Cannabis Control Law prohibited cannabis possession and manufacturing.
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