The 450° Centigrade Solution

Daily Upsider on August 12, 2024

Japan is pioneering a new approach to plastic recycling that could change the game.

Nearly 400 million tons of plastic is produced annually, and about half designed for single use. Only about 25 percent of global plastic waste is recycled, while most ends up in landfills or oceans, posing severe threats to marine ecosystems and human health.

Despite its reputation for cleanliness, Japan generates almost 40 kg of single-use plastic waste per person annually. This challenge has driven Japanese innovators to seek novel solutions.

The Science Behind the Solution
Environment Energy, a Japanese company, plans to launch a commercial plant in 2025 using their innovative HICOP (High-efficiency Oil Production) method. This process converts plastic waste into crude oil, potentially processing 20,000 tons of plastic annually.

The HICOP process uses catalytic cracking, a method from petroleum refining, to break down plastic molecules at temperatures up to 450°C. This approach is safer than pyrolysis, yielding high-quality oil composed of 50 percent gasoline and 50 percent diesel. The system can process about 120 tons of waste per month with minimal downtime, and the resultant oil can be used for fuel, home heating, or as raw material for new plastic production.

HICOP represents a significant advancement in chemical recycling, breaking plastic into its constituent parts to allow for higher-quality end products. The process uses catalysts to convert plastic into hydrocarbon gases, which are then concentrated into crude oil. This method is versatile, handling mixed plastic waste and PVC with low contamination rates.

The Road Ahead
Innovations like HICOP offer hope for reducing the environmental impact of plastic consumption by converting waste into usable fuel or raw materials. However, experts caution that this technology is not a complete solution. Reducing plastic use and improving existing recycling methods are also essential.

As Environment Energy prepares to bring its first commercial plant online in 2025, the success of this venture could inspire global shifts in plastic waste management. Japan’s plastic-to-oil technology is a crucial piece of data that could have a massive effect.

“Our core purpose is to create a circular economy where waste becomes the source of new materials,” explained Environment Energy CEO Suji Noda.

Art Historian Finds Hidden Henry VIII Portrait in Social Media Post

Daily Upsider on August 9, 2024

Social media can lead to surprising discoveries, like a recent one in the UK where an art consultant and historian noticed a lost work of art in the background of a photo posted on X.

The discovery happened in the judge’s room of the Shire Court in Warwickshire, England, during a soiree hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire.

Dr. Adam Busiakiewicz, an art historian and consultant for Sotheby’s, came across the post on X by Warwickshire Lieutenancy by chance. He noticed a portrait with a distinctive arched top depicting Henry VIII. The painting, showing the king holding a sword and wearing golden chains, reminded Dr. Busiakiewicz of a set of portraits from centuries ago that depicted European royals like Henry, Richard III, and Catherine de Medici.

The painting was created by an anonymous artist known as the Sheldon Master. Ralph Sheldon, either an associate, relative, or descendant, incorporated the works into an architectural frieze at his Warwickshire estate, Weston House, where they were displayed until at least the 18th century.

Today, only a few of these paintings survive in public and private collections, with most disappearing after a 1781 auction. Busiakiewicz visited Warwickshire to inspect the work and noted that it matched the size and style of other known paintings in the set, suggesting it was the work of a skilled artist.

Titanium Heart

Daily Upsider on August 9, 2024

The Texas Heart Institute has successfully implanted an artificial titanium heart using the same technology as bullet trains to pump blood mechanically throughout the body. Called the Total Artificial Heart (TAH), this development represents a significant advancement in extending patients’ lives while they wait for heart transplants.

In collaboration with medical tech company BiVACOR, Texas Heart developed the TAH. It’s a titanium biventricular rotary blood pump with a single moving part, utilizing a magnetically levitated rotor to pump blood and replace both ventricles of a failing heart.

Magnetic levitation reduces friction by preventing moving parts from scraping or sliding against each other, greatly increasing the device’s lifespan. The TAH can pump blood at a rate of 12 liters per minute, sufficient for an adult male to engage in exercise.

The first-in-human clinical study, closely monitored by the FDA, aims to evaluate the safety and performance of the BiVACOR TAH as a bridge-to-transplant solution for patients with severe bi or univentricular heart failure. Following the first implantation at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center, four more patients will be enrolled in the study.

Dr. Joseph Rogers, President and CEO of The Texas Heart Institute, stated, “With heart failure as a leading cause of death worldwide, the BiVACOR TAH offers hope for many patients awaiting a heart transplant. We are proud to be leading this medical breakthrough with BiVACOR, Baylor College of Medicine, and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.”

Heart failure affects at least 26 million people worldwide, including 6.2 million adults in the US, and is on the rise. Heart transplants are limited to fewer than 6,000 procedures annually, despite an estimated 100,000 patients in the US alone who could benefit from mechanical alternatives.

The successful implantation of BiVACOR’s TAH underscores the potential of new technologies to address critical challenges in cardiac care, such as long transplant waitlists.

Daniel Timms, founder and CTO of BiVACOR, acknowledged the courage of the first patient and their family, the dedication of the team, and the expertise of collaborators at The Texas Heart Institute in making this achievement possible.

The Restaurant at the End of the World

Daily Upsider on August 8, 2024

The Svalbard archipelago, where Longyearbyen is the main settlement, sits at the edge of the polar ice. Originally a coal mining town, Longyearbyen is now transitioning to offer unique experiences as its last mine closes next year.

One such experience is dining at Huset, where the tasting menu features dishes served on reindeer antlers and ivory bones. For example, cured reindeer heart is presented as a slice of ruby ribbon, while preserved neck meat is served with a smoky, leathery texture. The heart reportedly has a subtle campfire flavor with a delicate jelly-like texture.

In this polar region with four months of darkness, wildlife thrives despite the harsh conditions. Seals, walruses, reindeer, polar bears, and white ptarmigan are common. All are protected, though hunting permits are available for certain species during specific times of the year.

Local hunters provide Huset’s head chef, Alberto Lozano, with ingredients. For a dish featuring waffle, seal meat, béarnaise sauce, and pickled blueberry, the seal meat comes from seals hunted by a dog-sledding company. Huset’s Instagram shows Lozano and his team foraging for local mushrooms and mountain sorrel, which appear briefly in late summer. These foraged items are used in dishes like pickled mushrooms and sorrel marshmallows.

While many ingredients are sourced from Norway or beyond, such as plankton powder from the Netherlands, Huset’s emphasis on local ingredients is notable. In a place where most food traditionally arrives by boat from warmer regions, incorporating local elements reflects significant effort and planning.

Lightning: The Origin of Life?

Daily Upsider on August 8, 2024

Scientists have long investigated the origins of life on Earth, with many theories pointing to asteroids or comets as sources of life’s building blocks. However, a team of chemists at Harvard University has uncovered evidence suggesting that cloud-to-ground lightning strikes might have played a role in generating these essential components.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Harvard team detailed an experiment designed to replicate early Earth conditions and observe the chemical reactions resulting from simulated lightning strikes. While previous theories focused on comets, asteroids, and cloud-to-cloud lightning as sources of these building blocks, the team found these explanations less convincing. For instance, space collisions became less frequent after Earth’s formation, and cloud-to-cloud lightning is less effective in producing useful materials.

The Harvard researchers propose a more plausible scenario involving cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. They recreated early Earth conditions in a lab and simulated lightning strikes across models of air, water, and land. They analyzed the products of these simulations, particularly focusing on substances that ended up in the water.

The results showed that carbon and nitrogen transformed into molecules potentially crucial for early life, such as carbon monoxide, formic acid, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium. Adding minerals similar to those on early Earth, they repeated the simulations and found the formation of sulfide minerals, like those near volcanic eruptions, and increased ammonia production, which is essential for life.

Their findings suggest that cloud-to-ground lightning strikes might be a more likely source of life’s building blocks than comets, asteroids, or cloud-to-cloud lightning.