Pollution-fighting algae: Algae species holds potential for dual role as pollution reducer, biofuel source

A hardy algae species is showing promise in both reducing power plant pollution and making biofuel, based on new research at the University of Delaware.

The microscopic algae Heterosigma akashiwo grows rapidly on a gas mixture that has the same carbon dioxide and nitric oxide content as emissions released from a power plant.

"The algae thrive on the gas," said Kathryn Coyne, associate professor of marine biosciences in UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. "They grow twice as fast and the cells are much larger in size compared to when growing without gas treatment."

The algae also make large amounts of carbohydrates, which can be converted into bioethanol to fuel vehicles. The findings could have industrial applications as a cost-effective way to cut greenhouse gas pollution when paired with biofuel production.

Heterosigma akashiwo is found worldwide in the natural environment. Coyne, an expert in algal blooms, discovered that the species may have a special ability to neutralize nitric oxide—a harmful gas that poses threats to environmental and human health.

That characteristic prompted Coyne and her team to investigate whether the algae could grow on carbon dioxide without getting killed off by the high nitric oxide content in power plants' flue gas, which had foiled similar attempts by other scientists using different types of algae.

A yearlong laboratory experiment shows that Heterosigma akashiwo not only tolerates flue gas, but flourishes in its presence. The algae also do not need any additional nitrogen sources beyond nitric oxide to grow, which could reduce costs for raising algae for biofuel production.
"This alone could save up to 45 percent of the required energy input to grow algae for biofuels," Coyne said.

Funded by the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, Coyne and her collaborator, Jennifer Stewart, plan to further study how changes in conditions can enhance the growth of Heterosigma akashiwo. So far, they found a large increase in carbohydrates when grown on flue gas compared to air. They also see correlations between the levels of light given to the algae and the quantity of carbohydrates and lipids present in the organisms.

The researchers are exploring opportunities for partnerships with companies to scale up the growth process and more closely examine Heterosigma akashiwo as a biofuel producer.
The prospects could support a national focus on carbon pollution reduction following President Barack Obama's major speech this week on climate change.

"Our approach to the issue is to not just produce biofuels, but to also use this species for bioremediation of industrial flue gas to reduce harmful effects even further," Coyne said.

Source: University of Delaware

Bt Brinjal poses a risk to health, environment: Greenpeace report

Spread of the Bt gene could make the brinjal a problematic weed'

An independent enquiry has revealed that the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE, also called genetically modified, or GM) Bt brinjal poses risks to the environment and possibly to human health. The occurrence of wild, weedy and also cultivated relatives presents a likelihood that the GE Bt gene will spread to these relatives but, so far, this has largely been overlooked in the risk assessments for GE Bt brinjal, it says.

Genetically engineered Bt brinjal and the implications for plant biodiversity – revisited, an independent study commissioned by Greenpeace International, finds that brinjal relatives do occur in the regions where cultivation of GE Btbrinjal is proposed, and that GE Bt brinjal may mate with these relatives to spread the GE Bt gene. Spread of the GE Bt gene would have considerable ecological implications, as well as implications for future crop contamination and farmers' rights.

Importantly, the spread of the GE Bt gene could result in the brinjal becoming an aggressive and problematic weed, the Greenpeace report suggests, while impressing upon the governments the need to employ the precautionary principle and not permit any authorisation of the outdoor cultivation of GE Btbrinjal, including field trials

The cultivation of GE Bt brinjal is proposed in some countries across Asia, including India, where there is currently a moratorium on commercialisation, and the Philippines, where field trials are going on. “There are many concerns with GE brinjal, which has been engineered to be resistant to certain insect pests using Bt genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. These concerns include food safety and possible effects on organisms other than the pest insect (non-target organisms), such as beneficial insects and butterflies.”

One of the least known aspects of the GE Bt brinjal is its ability to cross with wild relatives or cultivated varieties. This is because there are no recent reviews in the scientific literature concerning species related to brinjal, and where they grow across Asia. This information is vital when addressing concerns regarding cultivation of GE Bt brinjal, because insect-resistance gives a selective advantage to the plant, increasing its ability to survive and reproduce. If the GE Bt brinjal cross-pollinates wild, weedy or cultivated relatives, the result is a hybrid offspring, which may grow more aggressively and thus become a problem weed, the report says.

Pollution and Mutation!!!

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BP OIL SPILL

BY CASEY CHAN

APR 18, 2012 11:12 AM

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BP Oil Spill Aftermath: Eyeless Shrimp, Clawless Crabs and Fish with Oozing Sores

Al Jazeera just published an astonishing report on the after-effects of the BP oil disaster, and it's not pretty. There are an alarming number of deformities in sea creatures: mutated shrimp, fish with sores and lesions, eyeless crabs and more. It's unlike anything local fisherman have ever seen.

How bad is it?

The effect that the oil spill and its reckless cleanup has on sea life is frightening, damning and sad. Here's a list of deformities that Al Jazeera found in its report:

• Shrimp with tumors on their heads
• Shrimp with defects on their gills and "shells missing around their gills and head"
• Shrimp without eyes
• Shrimp with babies still attached to them
• Eyeless fish
• Fish without eye-sockets
• Fish without covers on their gills
• Fish with large pink masses hanging off their eyes and gills
• Crates of blue crabs, all of which were lacking at least one claw
• Crabs with holes in their shells
• Crabs with shells that have no spikes or claws or misshapen claws
• Crabs that are dying from within
• The fishermen, scientists, and seafood processors who talked to Al Jazeera are all in unison: They've never seen this before. Some have worked in and around the Gulf for over 20 years, and most have seen thousands and thousands of fish. This is the first time they're seeing the mass mutation and destruction of seafood.
  And it's not just the obvious deformities. Tests of the oysters that wind up on our plates have shown elevated levels of nickel and vanadium according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. And the jury's still out on arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury levels.

  When did this start?

  Scientists and fishermen are pointing to the 2010 BP oil disaster—and the dispersants and chemicals used in its cleanup—for creating these deformities. Specifically, the solvents used to clean up the spill are powerful enough to dissolve oil, grease and rubber. That's great for cleaning up an oil disaster, but terrible for the environment and worse for humans, not to mention the toll taken on anything that lives in the Gulf. And the thing is, these dispersants have always been known to be mutagenic. The chemicals very probably altered the genome of sea life.
  Prior to the spill, only one tenth of one percent of Gulf fish had lesions or sores on them. After the spill, according to the University of South Florida, many locations showed 20 percent of fish having lesions with as much as 50 percent in other areas.

  What exactly is the cause?

  Dr. Jim Cowan of Louisiana State University believes that chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which the EPA terms as "a group of semi-volatile organic compounds that are present in crude oil that has spent time in the ocean," are causing the majority of problems. Fish and other sea creatures are being exposed to PAHs, which affect both the immediate health of the fish itself and the victim's genome.
  On top of that, the dispersants used to clean up the oil spill are known to be toxic to humans. Symptoms of exposure include "headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, chest pains, respiratory system damage, skin sensitization, hypertension, central nervous system depression, neurotoxic effects, cardiac arrhythmia and cardiovascular damage." Even more damningly, it can disturb the growth and development of a fetus.
  Essentially: BP is cleaning up a spill with acid, and acting surprised when the floor disappears.

  The government has lost control

  The FDA, EPA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) all refused to comment on the awfulness that's happening in the Gulf. BP, the company who created this mess in the first place, refuse to take the blame, saying the seafood in the Gulf is "as safe now as it was before the accident." The evidence, of course, indicates otherwise.

  What happens next?

  The Gulf of Mexico provides nearly half of the seafood caught in the US (40%). With its inhabitants dying or suffering mutations before they're caught, it looks like seafood shortages are inevitable. According to various fishermen, brown shrimp catch has dropped by two-thirds, white shrimp have been wiped out and some fishermen's seafood catch are ten percent of what they normally are. Seafood, as America knows it, has changed. And without the proper funding or commitment or BP accepting the blame, these effects might last longer than anyone thinks.
  Darla Rooks, a lifelong fisherperson from the Gulf, says it best:

  "We're continuing to pull up oil in our nets. Think about losing everything that makes you happy, because that is exactly what happens when someone spills oil and sprays dispersants on it. People who live here know better than to swim in or eat what comes out of our waters."

'Ozone-related deaths to increase in next 60 years'

Climate change may be worse for the lungs, as ozone pollution-related deaths are likely to increase in certain regions in the next 60 years, scientists have warned.

Researchers have predicted that certain countries such as Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal may witness an increase in ozone pollution deaths between 10 and 14 per cent during the period.

However, Nordic and Baltic countries are expected to see a drop in such deaths, they said at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Amsterdam, LiveScience reported.

Ozone is a two-faced gas. High in the stratosphere, it forms a protective layer that blocks ultraviolet radiation, which is potentially harmful to life, keeping it from reaching the surface of the planet.

This happens at roughly 12.4 miles (20 km) above the Earth's surface. Closer to the surface of the planet, ozone is a pollutant that can act as a greenhouse gas, trapping energy and warming the planet.

Breathing ozone can also cause health problems, including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation and congestion, said the researchers. It can aggravate conditions like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma, as well as reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs, and repeated exposure to ozone may permanently scar lung tissue, they said.

The researchers led by Bertil Forsberg at Umea University of Sweden made the ozone-related death projections as part of work the Climate-TRAP project to prepare for the changing public health needs expected to accompany human-caused climate change.

They used two emissions scenarios, one for high growth, the other moderate and two climate models to simulate how future ozone levels would be affected by climate change.

Scientists worried as Arctic has record ozone loss

Image released by NASA shows Ozone at about 20 km altitude, near the peak of the ozone layer in the lower stratosphere - AFP

An ozone hole five times the size of California opened over the Arctic this spring, matching ozone loss over Antarctica for the first time on record, scientists said on Sunday.

Formed by a deep chill over the North Pole, the unprecedented hole at one point shifted over eastern Europe, Russia and Mongolia, exposing populations to higher, but unsustained, levels of ultra-violet light.

Ozone, a molecule of oxygen, forms in the stratosphere, filtering out ultraviolet rays that damage vegetation and can cause skin cancer and cataracts.

The shield comes under seasonal attack in both polar regions in the local winter-spring.

Part of the source comes from man-made chlorine-based compounds, once widely used in refrigerants and consumer aerosols, that are being phased out under the UN's Montreal Protocol.

But the loss itself is driven by deep cold, which causes water vapour and molecules of nitric acid to condense into clouds in the lower stratosphere.

These clouds in turn become a ‘bed’ where atmospheric chlorine molecules convert into reactive compounds that gobble up ozone.

Ozone loss over the Antarctic is traditionally much bigger than over the Arctic because of the far colder temperatures there.

In the Arctic, records have until now suggested that the loss, while variable, is far more limited.

Satellite measurements conducted in the 2010-2011 Arctic winter-spring found ozone badly depleted at a height of between 15 and 23 kilometres (9.3 and 14.3 miles).

The biggest loss of more than 80 per cent occurred between 18 and 20 kms (11.25 and 12.5 miles).

"For the first time, sufficient loss occurred to be reasonably be described as an Arctic ozone hole," says the study, appearing in the British science journal Nature.

The trigger was the polar vortex, a large-scale cyclone that forms every winter in the Arctic stratosphere but which last winter was born in extremely cold conditions, Gloria Manney, of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told the media in email.

"The ozone destruction began in January, then accelerated in late February and March, so that ozone values in the polar vortex region were much lower than usual from early March through late April, after which the polar vortex dissipated.

"Especially low total column ozone values (below 250 Dobson Units) were observed for about 27 days in March and early April.

"The maximum area with values below 250 Dobson Units was about two million square kilometres (772,000 square miles), roughly five times the area of Germany or California."

This was similar in size to ozone loss in Antarctica in the mid-1980s.

In April, the vortex shifted over more densely populated parts of Russia, Mongolia and eastern Europe for about two weeks.

Measurements on the ground showed ‘unusually high values’ of ultra-violet, although human exposure was not constant as the vortex shifted location daily before eventually fading, said Manney.

The study, published by the journal Nature, challenges conventional thinking about the Arctic's susceptibility to ozone holes. This thinking is based on only a few decades of satellite observations.

Stratospheric temperatures in the Arctic have been extraordinarily varied in the past decade, the paper notes. Four out of the last 10 years have been amongst the warmest in the past 32 years, and two are the coldest.

In the stratosphere, ozone is protective. At ground level, where it is produced in a reaction between traffic exhaust and sunlight, it is a dangerous irritant for the airways.