Pacific Northwest National Laboratory plans transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions

PNNL to be one of four national labs to participate in DOE’s NZL Pilot Initiative

Business Announcement

DOE/PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

 

IMAGE: THE PNNL CAMPUS IN RICHLAND, WASHINGTON. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

By Greg Koller

RICHLAND, Wash.—From buildings, to transportation, to electricity generation and energy storage, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has long been a leader in providing clean energy solutions. Now, as one of four national laboratories in the Department of Energy’s Net Zero Labs (NZL) Pilot Initiative, announced earlier today, the laboratory is aiming to be among the first federal facilities to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions—including carbon dioxide—is a key step towards addressing climate change. As part of NZL, PNNL will demonstrate how new technologies, innovative approaches and partnering with industry and communities can lead to net-zero emissions and decarbonization of operations.

Other laboratories participating in the NZL Pilot Initiative are Idaho National Laboratory, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Together, with PNNL, their collaborative efforts are expected to lead to new knowledge and net-zero solutions that can be replicated across the national laboratory system and the nation.

PNNL’s role in NZL aligns with the laboratory’s own Net-Zero Emissions and Resilient Operations (NZERO) initiative, which seeks to fully transition to a net-zero campus by 2030. NZERO is focused on replacing current energy sources with low-impact sources, such as renewables, reducing energy use in buildings and fleet vehicles, and enhancing resilience to protect against power disruptions.

The effort includes striving for 24/7 carbon-free energy operations, meaning that all of PNNL’s energy would come from clean sources around the clock. The initiative also leverages PNNL’s research capabilities to demonstrate and evaluate technologies and approaches under realistic operating conditions, with PNNL’s Richland and Sequim campuses serving as living laboratories.

“PNNL is ideally suited to help the nation meet its ambitious climate and energy goals,” said PNNL Director Steven Ashby. “The DOE and PNNL initiatives integrate our research strengths in clean energy systems with our focus on efficient and sustainable campus operations and key partnerships with local communities, utilities and other stakeholders.”

To achieve its NZERO goals, PNNL will move away from using energy provided by carbon-intensive sources, such as natural gas, and transition to electrifying its buildings, vehicles and equipment in partnership with local electric utilities, which also are committed to clean energy sources.

The laboratory also will reduce energy use and emissions through efficiency upgrades and operational changes. For example, PNNL will use waste heat captured from supercomputers to heat other buildings on its Richland campus and is taking steps to address potential emissions of gases when research equipment is serviced.

To improve the energy resilience of PNNL’s operations while making progress toward net-zero goals, PNNL will update building design standards and model campus buildings. These efforts will inform and test new designs and operating approaches to optimize performance in a way that reduces emissions and protects against disruptions in electric utility service.

PNNL will draw upon its expertise in energy efficiency, power grid architecture, energy storage and other research areas to develop, demonstrate and deploy innovative technologies toward net-zero carbon emissions.

“Regional stakeholder engagement will be key to accelerating adoption,” Ashby noted. “PNNL will be partnering with local and regional utilities, city and state governments, research institutions and community organizations to both contribute to NZERO demonstrations and to share in our learning.”

The State of Washington has already invested in a renewable energy demonstration that will help begin the transition to net-zero emissions at the PNNL-Sequim campus on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

“Achieving 24/7 net-zero emissions and energy resilient operations at PNNL by 2030 is an ambitious goal,” Ashby acknowledged. “But, with DOE’s investment in the NZL Pilot Initiative—along with our innovation and commitment,  ongoing campus modernization, and robust collaborations and community partnerships—we can get there.”

For more about PNNL’s NZERO initiative, see https://www.pnnl.gov/net-zero.

CAPTION

PNNL’s Heat Transfer Building is part of the Energy Sciences Center, which opened in Spring 2022. The Heat Transfer Building will allow PNNL to use waste heat captured from supercomputers to heat other buildings on its Richland campus.

CREDIT

Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science. For more information on PNNL, visit PNNL's News Center. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

EPA-funded study will measure soil and dust ingestion levels in US children

Researchers in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health will examine how much soil and dust kids inadvertently swallow and use the data to protect children from exposure to harmful chemicals.

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HEALTH SCIENCES

TUCSON, Arizona — How much dust do children swallow? Researchers at theUniversity of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health will try to answer that question in Arizona as part of the Dust Ingestion Children Study, or DIRT, a national project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Young children may ingest significant quantities of soil and dust as they often play on the ground and put their hands and objects that may have dust or soil on them into their mouths. Soil and dust ingestion can be a major route of exposure to chemicals such as lead, arsenic, pesticides, flame retardants and perfluoroalkyl substances. As a result, the benchmark data for child dust and soil ingestion levels is vital for public health research and policy. “The more we know about typical dirt and dust ingestion levels for children, the more we can do to protect them inside and outside the home,” said Paloma Beamer, PhD, Arizona DIRT research site lead and professor in the Zuckerman College of Public Health. “This new data will enable the EPA to make better risk estimates that can inform reduction and prevention measures.” The project looks at inadvertent soil and dust ingestion levels in children across a range of environments both inside and outside the home. The goal is to establish new data benchmarks for the EPA’s Exposure Factors Handbook, which informs child health guidelines and regulations related to consumer products such as toys, pesticide registration and clean-up requirements for hazardous waste sites. The study will use a combination of videotaping, dust sampling and behavior modeling to quantify how much dust winds up on the hands – and in the mouths – of children during their daily activities. Research teams will recruit families with children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years in different neighborhoods and communities. Additional families will participate in a survey about their children’s and household behaviors. The grant, part of a larger national EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) study, has three research sites coordinated by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University under the leadership of Alesia Ferguson, PhD, chair of the Built Environment Department and head of the Geomatics, Construction Management, and Environmental Health and Safety programs. Helena Solo-Gabriele, PhD, MS, professor of environmental engineering at the University of Miami, leads a Florida research site. Dr. Beamer will receive $435,000 in funding over three years to lead the Arizona site.  The EPA STAR program aims to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. The STAR program funds research on the environmental and public health effects of air quality, climate change, environmental justice, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances and pesticides. “We are very pleased to be part of this EPA STAR grant,” said Zuckerman College of Public Health Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH. “Dr. Beamer brings exceptional knowledge and experience in this area of exposure science and this new research will inform the EPA’s national public health measures to help protect children. This work that will benefit millions of lives.” The Dust Ingestion Children Study is currently recruiting families to participate. Information is available on the study website or via email at dirt@arizona.edu. # # #

 

About the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health Established in 2000, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona Health Sciences is the first nationally accredited college of public health in the Southwest. Today the college remains the only accredited college of public health in the state of Arizona, with campuses in Tucson and Phoenix. The college enrolls more than 1,100 students per year across degree programs at the bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctoral levels. Through research, education and community engagement, the UArizona Zuckerman College of Public Health continues to find solutions to public health problems in Arizona, the Southwest and globally. For more information: publichealth.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram).

Researchers simulate COVID-19 classroom transmission

Model predictions show that universal mask usage can reduce new infections by up to 72% and high vaccination rates successfully curb transmission for more contagious variants.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

With coronavirus cases rising again in nearly every US state, the big question is: how can we stay safe while resuming normal life, particularly in crowded spaces such as college campuses? Over the past two years, decision-makers have been forced to make choices about everything from vaccination and mask mandates to occupancy limits, based on ever-changing assumptions about COVID-19.

Now, USC researchers have helped quantify the effectiveness of some of the most debated mitigation strategies by simulating the spread of COVID-19 on a university campus, specifically by modeling airborne transmission risks associated with in-person classes.

The new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that during the highly transmissible Delta variant outbreak, at least 93% of students should be vaccinated, with everyone wearing masks indoors, to prevent an uptick in cases. For the original COVID-19 strain, 23% of students should be vaccinated, with everyone wearing masks indoors (or 64% of students without mask usage).

These findings will help decision-makers in the event of ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks or an outbreak of a similar infectious disease. The simulation model also allows decision-makers to explore “what-if” scenarios relating to the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms by varying parameters to see the outcome under different scenarios, such as hybrid classes, current vaccination rates, masking protocols, community infection levels, and varying levels of virus infectiousness.

“I think the hardest thing about the pandemic has been finding the right balance—there is a tension between having some sort of normalcy to go about our lives, and also keeping ourselves safe,” said study co-author Bhaskar Krishnamachari, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science.

“This paper contributes to more clear-headed thinking about when we can be in a mode of operating in person, with or without masks, and when we need to mandate vaccines. We have felt our way around many of these things over the past two years, but this gives us a more concrete, data-driven process to go by. It doesn’t have to be an arbitrary or political decision. This tells us that scientifically, there is nuance.”

Titled “Simulating COVID-19 Classroom Transmission on a University Campus,” the study is authored by Arvin Hekmati, a computer science Ph.D. student; Mitul Luhar, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering; Bhaskar Krishnamachari, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science; and Maja Matarić, a professor of computer science, neuroscience and pediatrics.

Highly granular data

The research is particularly relevant during the early days of an infectious disease outbreak when policymakers face the difficult decision of decreeing school closures. Using a simulation of COVID-19 spread based on real anonymized data from a large university, the researchers projected the impact of various school reopening strategies: complete closure, hybrid, in-person; vaccinated and unvaccinated; masked and unmasked.

In a first-of-its-kind study, the model accounts for highly granular data such as class schedules, classroom sizes, occupancy, ventilation rates, as well as vaccine rate and efficacy, and even information specific to classroom interactions, such as the role of speech and disease transmission in an enclosed space.

The results showed that without vaccination, moving 90% of classes online can reduce new infections by as much as 94%, while universal mask usage can reduce new infections by up to 72%.

“With this tool, universities do not need to make these decisions without knowledge – they can make informed decisions for university policies to keep it safe for students, faculty, and staff,” said Hekmati. “Nothing needs to be made by assumptions; we can quantify every aspect of this epidemic and come up with the best decision.”

Opportunity and responsibility

Researchers from computer science, electrical engineering and aerospace engineering fields teamed up to work on this paper, which draws on expertise in both large-scale computer modeling and the mechanistic transmission modeling of COVID-19.

“As a university, we have an opportunity and responsibility to study our own community in order to gain insights to inform the broader public,” said Matarić.

“This project was tremendously satisfying because it brought together colleagues from multiple Viterbi School departments who enabled the analysis and modeling, which in turn provided insights into safety policies for university campuses during pandemic conditions.”

To inform the model, Professor Luhar, an expert on modeling indoor airborne dispersion, analyzed the mechanisms of COVID-19 transmission, considering everything from room size to the number of people present, and how much they speak—all of which can result in variability in virus emission rates from instructors and students.

During lectures, for instance, instructors will tend to speak significantly more often than students, which could influence transmission rates. “Providing those facts in the model made it very compatible in the cases of universities and classrooms,” said Hekmati.

In future work, the team hopes to expand their research to include a tool that could be used by campus administrators at large universities and workplace campuses. While this model is specifically designed for classrooms, there are many modular aspects that could be tweaked to extend to other types of environments, said the researchers.

“Nothing gives us more satisfaction as researchers in engineering than to have a positive impact on society,” said Krishnamachari, who also serves as Hekmati’s advisor. “Most of us, when we started engineering school, we had this dream that we do work that is meaningful, that helps others, and I'm very happy for Arvin that he has worked on a project where he can see that kind of positive impact."

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

ARTICLE TITLE

Simulating COVID-19 classroom transmission on a university campus

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

24-May-2022

Rising rates of people experiencing homelessness in rural areas call for increased WASH-access, particularly among women

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EMORY HEALTH SCIENCES

In the United States, 2.3 to 3.5 million people experience homelessness every year. While homelessness is often considered an urban issue, it’s a problem that is growing in rural areas, where substance use can serve as a catalyst for homelessness. New research led by investigators at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University highlights the substantial barriers to accessing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services among people experiencing homelessness in rural areas.

To help combat this significant—and growing—public health issue, the authors call for developing place-based, stigma-free access to WASH facilities in rural areas, with specific focus placed on meeting the sanitary needs of women and people who inject drugs. April M. Ballard, MPH, was lead author on the article. Additional authors include Hannah L. F. Cooper, ScD, and Bethany A. Caruso, PhD, MPH, both from Rollins; and April M. Young, PhD, from University of Kentucky. 

“Limited WASH access is not only concerning from an infectious disease transmission standpoint, but also from a dignity and human rights standpoint,” says Ballard. “WASH, when sufficient, provides us the space to care for ourselves and have dignity, to feel human. This is acutely true during a global pandemic and as many Americans are newly experiencing homelessness.”

The investigators conducted exploratory research on people experiencing homelessness in five counties in rural Appalachian Kentucky to better understand barriers to WASH resources and unique challenges facing this population, particularly in relation to substance use. Interviews with research participants revealed the complex and interrelated impacts of unmet WASH needs on self-esteem, self-worth, and drug usage.

“The important link between WASH and substance use is rarely recognized, despite the fact that harm reduction approaches to injection drug use ask people to use clean water to mix or dilute drugs and clean their skin and hands prior to injecting,” says Ballard. “Our findings reveal nuances that researchers and practitioners should consider. For example, how can we ask people to perform these behaviors when they may not even have access to clean drinking water or a shower to clean their body?”

The authors recommend that rural areas build onto the new public WASH infrastructure established during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide public sanitation facilities equipped with showers, restrooms, and laundry access, as well as free hygiene and menstrual products. They also recommend that these services be spread throughout rural communities and for access to facilities to be made available unconditionally (i.e. no ID requirements or felony or drug background checks) alongside harm reduction services.

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JOURNAL

PLOS Water

DOI

10.1371/journal.pwat.0000019 

ARTICLE TITLE

‘You feel how you look’: Exploring the impacts of unmet water, sanitation, and hygiene needs among rural people experiencing homelessness and their intersection with drug use

Social dissatisfaction predicts vulnerability to financial exploitation in older adults

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC led the first study linking interpersonal problems to financial vulnerability over time.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USC

 

IMAGE: DUKE HAN, PHD, DIRECTOR OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE, KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USC view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO CREDIT: RICARDO CARRASCO III

Researchers who study elder abuse have long believed that when older adults face loneliness or relationship problems, they are more likely to fall victim to monetary scams and exploitation. But the field has only studied the link retrospectively, looking back in time to see whether a connection exists, and has yet to establish a firm link.

Now, a team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has collected longitudinal data showing that an increase in interpersonal dysfunction, defined as loneliness or dissatisfaction with relationships, predicts subsequent vulnerability to financial exploitation. The results were just published in the journal Aging & Mental Health.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that the quality of older adults’ interpersonal relationships has an impact on their financial vulnerability at a later time,” said the study’s senior author, Duke Han, PhD, director of neuropsychology in the Department of Family Medicine and a professor of family medicine, neurology, psychology and gerontology at the Keck School of Medicine.

The findings underscore that social connectedness, which is already known to enhance physical health and psychological wellbeing among older adults, may also be a key protector against financial abuse.

“This study points to a specific factor—social functioning—that could allow us to predict, and ultimately prevent, vulnerability to financial exploitation before it happens,” said Aaron Lim, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Han’s research lab and first author of the study.

A spike in vulnerability

The participants included 26 adults, aged 50 and older, with an average age of 65. At the beginning of the study, researchers evaluated each participant’s overall health, cognitive functioning, depression and anxiety symptoms and prior history of financial exploitation and controlled for these factors in their statistical analyses.

Then, for six months, the researchers collected data at two-week intervals. They measured each participant’s interpersonal dysfunction by asking how frequently they had argued with someone, felt rejected, felt lonely, wished their relationships were better and wished they had more friends. They also assessed participants’ vulnerability to financial exploitation during the past two weeks with questions such as “how confident are you in making big financial decisions?” and “how often has someone talked you into a decision to spend or donate money that you did not initially want to do?”

“When a person reported a spike in problems within their social circle or increased feelings of loneliness, we were much more likely to see a corresponding spike in their psychological vulnerability to being financially exploited two weeks later,” Lim said.

In addition to the effects within individuals, there was also a significant effect between participants: Those who had higher interpersonal dysfunction compared to other participants tended to report greater vulnerability to financial exploitation.

Preventing exploitation

The study’s results offer insight into how to counteract common financial scams that target older adults, including phishing emails, investment schemes and the “grandparent scam,” where an older adult receives a call from someone about a grandchild in urgent need of money.

At the individual level, Lim suggests that people watch for social upsets in their parents’ and grandparents’ lives—such as the death of a close friend or an argument with a family member—as risk factors for financial vulnerability in the immediate future. At the community level, organizations that support seniors can also provide additional opportunities for social connection.

Because the study’s sample was small, the results need to be replicated in larger and more diverse samples, Han said. The research team also plans to build on the findings with a follow-up study to investigate the connection between social dysfunction and actual incidents of financial exploitation, not just vulnerability.

About this study

In addition to Han and Lim, the study’s other authors are Laura Mosqueda and Annie L. Nguyen from the Department of Family Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC; Tyler B. Mason from the Department of Population and Public Health Science, Keck School of Medicine of USC; Laura Fenton from the Department of Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Gali H. Weissberger from the Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University; and Peter Lichtenberg from the Department of Psychology, Wayne State University.

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging [1RF1AG068166, T32AG000037, K01AG064986] and the Elder Justice Foundation.

About Keck School of Medicine of USC

Founded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine of USC is one of the nation’s leading medical institutions, known for innovative patient care, scientific discovery, education and community service. Medical and graduate students work closely with world-renowned faculty and receive hands-on training in one of the nation’s most diverse communities. They participate in cutting-edge research as they develop into tomorrow’s health leaders. The Keck School faculty are key participants in training of 1200 resident physicians across 70 specialty and subspecialty programs, thus playing a major role in the education of physicians practicing in Southern California.

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JOURNAL

Aging & Mental Health

DOI

10.1080/13607863.2022.2076210 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Interpersonal dysfunction predicts subsequent financial exploitation vulnerability in a sample of adults over 50: a prospective observational study

Does the size of air pollution particles affect a person’s risk of death from stroke?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY

 

MINNEAPOLIS – Living in areas with higher air pollution is associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death from stroke, and the risk varies depending on the size of the air pollution particles, according to a new study published in the May 25, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study looked at three sizes of air pollution particulate matter. Particulate matter consists of liquids or solids suspended in air. Submicron particulate matter, PM1, is less than one micron in diameter and includes soot and smog. Fine particulate matter, PM2.5, is less than 2.5 microns in diameter and includes fly ash from coal combustion. Respirable particulate matter, PM10, is less than 10 microns in diameter and includes cement dust.

“Air pollution has been previously linked to a greater risk of stroke, and stroke is a leading cause of death worldwide,” said study author Hualiang Lin, PhD, of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. “What is lesser known is how the different sizes of particulate matter affect that risk. Our research found that the size of air pollution particles may affect a person’s risk of dying from stroke.”

For the study, researchers examined electronic medical records in China to identify over 3.1 million hospitalizations for stroke, both ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot, and hemorrhagic stroke caused by bleeding in the brain. Participants had an average age of 67. Of this group, 32,140 people, or 1%, died of stroke while hospitalized.

Researchers identified individual levels of air pollution exposure for each participant by using their home addresses and an air pollution data source that records daily concentrations of different types of particulate matter. Researchers then calculated seven-day air pollution exposure immediately before hospitalization for stroke, which was 31.38 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) of PM1, 45.43 µg/m3 of PM2.5 and 78.75 µg/m3 of PM10. They also calculated a person’s average daily exposure to pollution particles in the year before hospitalization, which was 32.98 µg/m3 of PM1, 49.08 µg/m3 of PM2.5 and 87.32 µg/m3 of PM10.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, diabetes and high blood pressure, researchers found each 10 μg/m3 increase in annual average exposure to particulate matter was associated with increased risk of dying of stroke while hospitalized, with a 24% greater risk for exposure to PM1, a 11% greater risk for exposure to PM2.5, and a 9% greater risk for exposure to PM10. The seven-day average exposure to particulate matter included a 6% increased risk for exposure to PM1, a 4% increased risk for exposure to PM2.5, and a 3% increased risk for exposure to PM10.

The risks were stronger in people with ischemic stroke than in people with hemorrhagic stroke. The greatest risk of death from stroke was in people with ischemic stroke and exposure to the smallest air pollution particles, PM1.

Yet researchers also found that a reduction in PM10 would have the largest impact on reducing overall deaths from stroke, reducing the number of hospital deaths by 10% for short-term exposure and 21% for long-term exposure.

Lin said it is important to note that the study results do not prove that air pollution causes stroke deaths, they only show an association.

“Our study includes measurements of PM1, which may be small enough to be inhaled deeply into lungs, pass through lung tissue, and circulate in the bloodstream,” said Lin. “Obtaining a deeper understanding of the risk factors of all particulate matter sizes and the magnitude of their possible effects may help reduce the number of deaths and improve the outcomes for people with stroke.”

A limitation of the study was that results were not adjusted for a person’s smoking status or the severity of stroke. Researchers also examined air pollution exposure only at a person’s current residence and not at previous residences.

Learn more about stroke at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology’s free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life® on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the hashtags #Neurology and #AANscience.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 38,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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JOURNAL

Neurology

Researchers use bacteria to enhance concrete resistance

Adding denitrifying bacteria to recycled coarse aggregate concrete could dramatically increase its freeze-thaw resistance

Peer-Reviewed Publication

XI'AN JIAOTONG-LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY

Concrete, with its low cost, good compressive strength, and manufacturing convenience, is one of the most widely used materials in construction. However, with accelerating urbanisation, natural aggregates for mixing with concrete, such as sand and gravel, are in short supply.

Although recycled substances can replace the natural mixture to produce recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RCAC), they may cause various problems – especially in cold regions, daily freeze-thaw cycles can damage concrete, leading to safety issues.

In a paper recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Department of Civil Engineering applied denitrifying bacteria to recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and enhanced the concrete’s strength and durability. The treated RCAC can withstand 225 freeze-thaw cycles, which is 75 more than those without treatment, making it suitable for widespread usage in cold areas.

 

TRADITIONAL METHODS

Professor Chee Seong Chin, the corresponding author of the paper, says the traditional ways to improve concrete’s freeze-thaw resistance are unsustainable in the long term.

“These methods, such as reducing the water-cement ratio and increasing the chemical admixtures, increase the usage of chemical substances, leaving adverse impacts on sustainability.

“In comparison, we offer an environmentally friendly solution. Our method uses denitrifying bacteria and doesn’t contain or create poisonous or polluting substances,” he says.

 

A DECREASE IN WATER ABSORPTION

Reducing water absorption is crucial to enhancing RCAC’s freeze-thaw resistance, explains Professor Chin.

During freeze-thaw cycles, water penetrates the concrete, creating cracks in the structure, and reducing its durability. When the water freezes, it expands. The more water, the more swelling, and the more swelling, the more damage.

“If not treated by bacteria, using RCA in concrete can increase water absorption due to its loose structure and high porosity, whereas denitrifying bacteria can block the holes where water gets in, effectively reducing the free water absorbed inside the concrete by 33%.

“It prevents the water absorption from outside, thus reducing the swelling from inside,” he says.

 

A STEADIER STRUCTURE

In addition, bacteria can also improve the capacity of concrete to resist water-freezing expansion by creating a steadier structure, says Professor Chin.

“The voids and pores of RCAC are filled with calcium carbonate crystals created by bacteria, making the structure denser and decreasing the expansion effect of frozen water.

“Based on our experiment, denitrifying bacteria can improve the compressive strength and tensile splitting strength by 30.3% and 20.3%, respectively.

“Moreover, bacteria consume excess calcium hydroxide during the biomineralisation process, making the concrete more frost-resistant. Calcium hydroxide between aggregates and the cement matrix are generally considered negative factors in terms of strength and durability,” he says.

Although this novel method has significantly increased the freeze-thaw resistance of RCAC, further research is needed to enhance the resistance by using nanomaterials or other cementitious materials with bio-mineralisation methods, says Professor Chin.

“Future research needs to investigate the economic cost and quantify the environmental impact with a life-cycle assessment,” he adds.

The research team consists of Zuowei Liu, Professor Chee Seong Chin and Dr Jun Xia from XJTLU’s Department of Civil Engineering.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Cleaner Production

DOI

10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131159 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Novel method for enhancing freeze–thaw resistance of recycled coarse aggregate concrete via two-stage introduction of denitrifying bacteria

Climate change threatens people's health dramatically but solutions are within reach, say the world’s academies in a new report

New global report of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE INTERACADEMY PARTNERSHIP (IAP)

Climate change is having a range of impacts on health today that will become more severe unless urgent action is taken. Vulnerable populations will see their health increasingly undermined by both direct impacts, such as from extreme heat, and indirect ones, e.g. from reduced food and nutrition security. To produce science-based analysis and recommendations on a global scale, outstanding scientists from around the world – brought together by the world’s science academies under the umbrella of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) – have teamed up to collect and evaluate relevant evidence. The three-year project involving well over 80 experts from all world regions also examined a number of climate mitigation and adaptation actions that could bring significant improvements to health and health equity.

Trieste, 24 May 2022. Climate change threatens the health of billions of people, especially those who contribute least to climate change, but many strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions can improve health in the near-term. The new report 'Health in the climate emergency – a global perspective', launched today by the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), examines how the climate crisis is affecting health worldwide and calls for urgent action: "Billions of people are at risk, therefore we call for action against climate change to benefit health and also advance health equity", says Robin Fears, IAP project coordinator and co-author of the IAP report.

In a three-year global project, IAP has worked together with its regional networks in Africa (NASAC), Asia (AASSA), the Americas (IANAS) and Europe (EASAC) to capture diversity in evaluating evidence from their own regions to inform policy for collective and customised action at national, regional and global levels. A team of more than 80 scientists from all regions of the world has contributed to the project.

Analysing extensive scientific evidence, the recent report offers a global review of the current knowledge and examines how climate change and its drivers are acting through a range of direct and indirect pathways to impact, for example:

• heat-related mortality and morbidity
• extreme events such as floods and droughts
• decreases in crop yield in some regions
• changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases
• wildfires causing widespread exposure to air pollution

Generally, a wide range of health outcomes are affected including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, water and food-borne diseases, undernutrition and mental health. There is also growing risk of forced migration with its attendant adverse health consequences.

An article published in Nature Climate Change, summarised in the IAP report, shows for example that one third of heat related deaths over recent decades can be attributed to climate change according to analysis of data from over 700 sites in 43 countries (Vicedo-Cabrera et al, 2021). Moreover, other studies have found that extreme heat exposure reduces the ability to undertake physical labour, with a Lancet Planetary Health paper stating that approximately one billion people globally projected to be unable to work safely for part of the year (even in the shade) after an increase in the global temperature of about 2.5o C above pre-industrial (Andrews et al, 2018).

“Many policies and actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions also benefit health in the near term as well as reducing the risks of dangerous climate change", says Andrew Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and co-chair of the IAP project. Haines is the winner of the 2022 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement – often regarded as the ‘Nobel Prize for the Environment’.

For instance, fine particulate air pollution arises from many of the same sources as emissions of greenhouse gases. Fossil fuel- and biomass-related emissions account for a substantial proportion of the total health burden from ambient pollution. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), phasing out these anthropogenic sources of air pollution is projected to avert millions of premature deaths worldwide each year (Lelieveld et al, 2019).

Climate change is already reducing food and nutrition security and, unless tackled, will have ever greater impacts on undernutrition and deaths. IAP underlines that promoting dietary change – increasing consumption of fruit, vegetables and legumes and reducing red meat intake, where that is excessive – could have major health and environmental benefits. Such diets would enable significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from food systems as well as reducing water and land use demands. Furthermore, through the reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and other conditions, there would be major reductions in non-communicable disease burden.

Climate action could also avert a significant increase in the spread of infectious diseases. For example, a study published in the Lancet Planetary Health estimates that the population at risk of both dengue and malaria might increase by up to 4.7 billion additional people by 2070 relative to 1970-99, particularly in lowlands and urban areas (Colon-Gonzalez et al, 2021). Thus IAP calls for strengthening communicable disease surveillance and response systems that should be a priority for improving adaptation to climate change worldwide.

The IAP report stresses that climate change affects the health of all people, but the burden is not distributed evenly or fairly.

"Instead, it falls most heavily on those in low socio-economic conditions and marginalized people, and is influenced by intersecting factors such as health status, social, economic, and environmental conditions, and governance structures. Climate change impacts exacerbate inequities and injustices already experienced by vulnerable populations, many of which are founded in colonialism, racism, discrimination, oppression, and development challenges", says Sherilee Harper, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada and Co-author of the report.

"We emphasise that health-related adaptation efforts must prioritize Indigenous Peoples, ageing populations, children, women and girls, those living in challenging socioeconomic settings, and geographically vulnerable populations."

Globally, groups that are socially, politically and geographically excluded are at the highest risk of health impacts from climate change, yet they are not adequately represented in the evidence base.

"Therefore, equity at the local, regional and international scale must be at the forefront of research and policy responses", says Volker ter Meulen co-chair of the IAP project. "Equity is at the core of effective responses."

IAP calls all stakeholders to take action in building climate–health resilience that will limit future risks. The very wide geographical coverage of IAP is invaluable in helping to communicate the voices of those – from low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable populations – who are not always heard during the processes whereby evidence informs international policy.

"Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, healthcare systems, and policies will support adaptation and decrease future health risks from climate change", adds ter Meulen. "A 'health in all policies' response will support climate change adaptation and mitigation actions to help meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, will have co-benefits for health, and will support the achievement of key international initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals."

The report is available for download here: https://www.interacademies.org/publication/health-climate-emergency-global-perspective and will be discussed in an open public webinar on 25 May, 2-4 PM CEST. Registration here: https://tinyurl.com/CCHLAUNCH

For more information and interview requests please contact:

Giovanni Ortolani
IAP Communication Assistant
gortolani@twas.org

Johanna Mogwitz
IAP project assistant
+49 171 2156945

IAP representatives and experts from more than 50 countries are available for country-specific interviews.

About the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)

Under the umbrella of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), more than 140 national, regional and global member academies work together to support the vital role of science in seeking evidence-based solutions to the world’s most challenging problems. In particular, IAP harnesses the expertise of the world's scientific, medical and engineering leaders to advance sound policies, improve public health, promote excellence in science education, and achieve other critical development goals.

IAP’s four regional networks – AASSA, EASAC, IANAS and NASAC – are responsible for managing and implementing many IAP-funded projects and help make IAP’s work relevant around the world. More information about IAP can be found at https://www.interacademies.org, on Twitter at @IAPartnership, on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Notes for editors

There are about 600 research references discussed in the IAP global report. Studies referred to in this press release should not be taken to mean IAP endorsement but rather as exemplifying key points. The following studies were referred to:

• Andrews et al (2018). Implications for workability and survivability in populations exposed to extreme heat under climate change: a modelling study. Lancet Planetary Health 2, e540-547.
• Colón-González et al (2021). Projecting the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in a warmer and more populated world: a multi-model, multi-scenario intercomparison modelling study. Lancet Planetary Health 5, e404-414.
• Lelieveld et al (2019). Effects of fossil fuel and total anthropogenic emission removal on public health and climate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116, 7192-7197.
• Vicedo-Cabrera et al (2021). The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change. Nature Climate Change 11, 492-500.

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

Disclaimer: A

How to tie-dye cotton with acorns and rust

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

 

IMAGE: TIE-DYEING COTTON FABRIC WITH ACORN AND RUST SOLUTIONS TURNS IT BROWN, ORANGE, BLUE AND BLACK. view more 

CREDIT: ADAPTED FROM JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION 2022, DOI: 10.1021/ACS.JCHEMED.2C00086

Tie-dyeing is a fun activity that can spice up clothes with colorful patterns. Although kits are available in stores, nature provides dyes that can be extracted from items found in one’s yard — for example, acorns and rust. In ACS’ Journal of Chemical Education, researchers present a “green” process for tie-dyeing cotton with renewable resources and wastes that undergraduate students can easily do under minimal supervision. The activity links together science, art and sustainability.

For thousands of years, materials found in nature have been used as dyes and mordants, which are substances that help affix compounds to fibers. And brown-colored tannins from acorns can bind to orange-colored iron mordant, generating a dark blue, or almost black, color on fabrics. So, Julian Silverman and colleagues wanted to show how these natural dyes can be used in tie-dyeing to produce designs of white, brown, orange and bluish-black colors on cotton napkins. The resulting patterns depended on how the napkins were wrapped in rubber bands and the order in which they were soaked in an acorn dye bath and dipped in a rust and vinegar solution. Even though all of the dyeing solutions are safe to dump down the drain, the researchers say that gloves, lab coats and goggles will keep the dyes from staining skin or other clothing.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Manhattan College School of Science.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Chemical Education

DOI

10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00086 

ARTICLE TITLE

Tie-Dyeing with Foraged Acorns and Rust: A Workshop Connecting Green Chemistry and Environmental Science