Humanity have really contributed greatly to the development of the world. Without doubt, it seem we humans have actually come to continue the work of creation. We have tried so much to make our world a better place, make it conducive and a liveable sphere free from all limitations. Although we wouldn't say we need anyone to give us much credits, because this is our world and it is our duty to make it right. But to a larger extent it is necessary if we acknowledged what we've been able to achieve so far.
Despite several breakthroughs we have experienced in many fields of life, there is still one particular aspect we really have not been able to contain. "Pollution" is still that one thing that is giving the whole world a pain in the neck. No country have been able to resolve it and it seem having a pollution free world is actually a farfetched dream highly unlikely to come true.
However, it is necessary to say that there is good news, and the good news is that the issue of pollution can be resolved. If not totally eradicated, it can perhaps, be curtailed to it barest minimum. Some couple of research have actually shown that we can live in world free from pollution and waste if only we can reuse materials in a way that will not only remove waste and pollution from the environment but will also improve the world at large.
Waste Corncobs
Dry corncobs without kernels is actually something the seem completely useless to anyone, It is a waste the don't seem to have any usefulness. It looks so useless to the extent that even animals don't often regard them as food. However, in a crazy kind of way it seem this terrible garbage has something wonderful to contribute to the world. It may actually be a very useful tool that will be effective in order to achieve a pollution and a waste free society.
Back in 2015, Lalita Prasida Srisai, a 14 years old girl from India, developed a cheap method of cleaning waste water using corncobs as a key ingredient. The purifier cleans waste water by flowing through different layers of
corncobs. This is actually a cost-effective and simple technique, which can be used to purify water from domestic and industrial waste using adsorption principles and may be a good panacea to environmental pollution. She actually won a $10,000 as a cash prize and the Community Impact Award at the prestigious Google Science Fair 2015 held in California.
Wood Waste
Wood waste is another garbage that most people don't often regard as important except when it comes to making fires. But a research have shown that wood waste may be a waste but it can be very useful in making the world pollution free. Researchers have developed a process called 'pyrolysis', This process heats the wood waste in the absence of oxygen and turns it into crude biofuel and gas. The biofuel just like fossil fuel can actually be used in transportation, chemicals, and the manufacturing of plastics. But unlike fossil fuel, bio-fuel is more environmental friendly and do not cause pollution in the surrounding.
Brewery Wastewater
Beer is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Producing such a beverage as one would guess, would require lots of water and other ingredients. During the production, there are lots of waste that are produced in the process. The waste contains water, yeast, wasted beer, and barley juice. This waste in the past is often seen as useless and valueless until recent research found that they can be harnessed and converted into something more useful and environmentally friendly.
Cigarette Filters
"Smokers are liable to die young" is one of the most popular warning you can hear anywhere in the world. But despite this fact, it seem that the population of smokers is increasing daily. It is estimated that 15 billion cigarettes are sold everyday throughout the world. Which actually means that there are trillions of disgusting, used cigarette filters littering around and polluting everywhere. The pollution caused by this terrible garbage is actually affecting everyone whether smokers or non smokers and the effects are quite lethal.
Fortunately, scientists from Seoul National University in South Korea have actually discovered an innovative step into making this waste a valuable asset. They found that cigarette filters can be recycled and used for producing batteries after undergoing pyrolysis. It is said that the batteries produced with them are very effective and can last longer than the regular ones we see around.
Plastic Bottles
Plastic bottles are a very common waste one can find in any urban society. Just to make sure that this waste are reduced to it barest minimum, some schools around the world most especially Morit International School in Lagos Nigeria, now receives plastic bottles as option for tuition fee for parents who cannot afford to pay their children's school fee. The practice is not for any other thing but to make sure that plastic bottles littering the environment is reduced drastically.
However, lots of credits must go to researchers at University College Dublin, who discovered how PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic can be converted into a high-grade, valuable plastic called PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate). With the application of pyrolysis and some bacteria called Pseudomonas, PET can be successfully converted into PHA which are less harmful to the surrounding. It has been shown that PHA have lots of application in the medical industry.
Air Pollution
Air pollution is the most dangerous pollution facing the society. It can lead to serious health complications like lung cancer, strokes, heart problems etc. In order to cope with such a pollution devastating humankind, Anirudh Sharma from Massachusetts institute of technology MIT, developed and innovative technology that can clean polluted air and make it less toxic. He developed the Kaala-printer which takes up soot particles from the air and convert them into powdered ink and with the application of oil and alcohol, the ink could be used for printing. A lot of scientist have actually gave credits to this invention and not only will Sharma’s printer help clean the air, it may also reduce the high cost of printer ink.
