Op-Ed: Releasing Fukushima's Radioactive Water Won't Cause Harm

Tank storage for water contaminated with radioactive tritium at Fukushima Daiichi (Tepco file image)

PUBLISHED MAR 5, 2023 9:38 PM BY NIGEL MARKS, BRENDAN KENNEDY AND TONY IRWIN

 

Japanese authorities are preparing to release treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, nearly 12 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. This will relieve pressure on more than 1,000 storage tanks, creating much-needed space for other vital remediation works. But the plan has attracted controversy.

At first glance, releasing radioactive water into the ocean does sound like a terrible idea. Greenpeace feared the radioactivity released might change human DNA, China and South Korea expressed disquiet, while Pacific Island nations were concerned about further nuclear contamination of the Blue Pacific. One academic publication claimed the total global social welfare cost could exceed US$200 billion.

But the Japanese government, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and independent scientists have declared the planned release to be reasonable and safe.

Based on our collective professional experience in nuclear science and nuclear power, we have reached the same conclusion. Our assessment is based on the type of radioactivity to be released, the amount of radioactivity already present in the ocean, and the high level of independent oversight from the IAEA.

How much water is there, and what’s in it?

The storage tanks at Fukushima contain 1.3 million tonnes of water, equivalent to around 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Contaminated water is produced daily by ongoing reactor cooling. Contaminated groundwater also collects in the basements of the damaged reactor buildings.

The water is being cleaned by a technology called ALPS, or Advanced Liquid Processing System. This removes the vast majority of the problematic elements.

The ALPS treatment can be repeated until concentrations are below regulatory limits. Independent monitoring by the IAEA will ensure all requirements are met before discharge.

The main radioactive contaminant remaining after treatment is tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen (H) that is difficult to remove from water (H?O). There is no technology to remove trace levels of tritium from this volume of water.

Tritium has a half-life of 12.3 years, meaning 100 years passes before the radioactivity is negligible. It is unrealistic to store the water for such a long time as the volumes are too great. Extended storage also increases the risk of accidental uncontrolled release.

Like all radioactive elements, international standards exist for safe levels of tritium. For liquids, these are measured in Bq per litre, where one Bq (becquerel) is defined as one radioactive decay per second. At the point of release, the Japanese authorities have chosen a conservative concentration limit of 1,500Bq per litre, seven times smaller than the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 10,000Bq per litre for drinking water.

Why is it acceptable to release tritium into the ocean?

One surprising thing about radiation is how common it is. Almost everything is radioactive to some degree, including air, water, plants, basements and granite benchtops. Even a long-haul airline flight supplies a few chest X-rays worth of radiation to everyone on board.

In the case of tritium, natural processes in the atmosphere generate 50-70 peta-becquerels (PBq) of tritium every year. This number is difficult to grasp, so it’s helpful to think of it as grams of pure tritium. Using the conversion factor of 1PBq = 2.79g, we see that 150-200g of tritium is created naturally each year.

Looking at the Pacific Ocean, around 8.4kg (3,000PBq) of tritium is already in the water. By comparison, the total amount of tritium in the Fukushima wastewater is vastly smaller, at around 3g (1PBq).

Japanese authorities are not planning to release the water all at once. Instead, just 0.06g (22TBq) of tritium is scheduled for release each year. Compared with the radioactivity already present in the Pacific, the planned annual release is a literal drop in the ocean.

The current levels of tritium radioactivity in the Pacific are not of concern, and so the small amount to be added by the Fukushima water won’t cause any harm.

What’s more, tritium only makes a tiny contribution to the total radioactivity of the oceans. Ocean radioactivity is mostly due to potassium, an element essential for life and present in all cells. In the Pacific Ocean there is 7.4 million PBq of radioactivity from potassium, more than 1,000 times greater than the amount due to tritium.

How do other countries manage the discharge of tritium?

All nuclear power plants produce some tritium, which is routinely discharged into the ocean and other waterways. The amount generated depends on the type of reactor.

Boiling water reactors, such as at Fukushima, produce relatively low quantities. When Fukushima was operating, the tritium discharge limit was set at 22TBq per year. That figure is far below a level that could cause harm, but is reasonably achievable for this type of power plant.

In contrast, the UK Heysham nuclear power plant has a limit of 1300TBq per year because this type of gas-cooled reactor produces a lot of tritium. Heysham has been discharging tritium for 40 years without harm to people or the environment.

Annual tritium discharge at nearby nuclear power plants far exceeds what is proposed for Fukushima. The Fuqing plant in China discharged 52TBq in 2020, while the Kori plant in South Korea discharged 50TBq in 2018.

Each of these power plants releases more than twice the amount to be released from Fukushima.

Are there other reasons for not releasing the water?

Objections to the planned release have been the subject of widespread media coverage. TIME magazine recently explained how Pacific Island nations have been grappling for decades with the legacy of Cold War nuclear testing. The Guardian ran an opinion piece from Pacific activists, who argued if the waste was safe, then “dump it in Tokyo, test it in Paris, and store it in Washington, but keep our Pacific nuclear-free”.

But the Pacific has always contained radioactivity, from potassium in particular. The extra radioactivity to be added from the Fukushima water will make the most miniscule of differences.

Striking a different tone, The Pacific Island Forum commissioned a panel of experts to provide independent technical advice and guidance, and help address concerns on the wastewater. The panel was critical of the quantity and quality of data from the Japanese authorities, and advised that Japan should defer the impending discharge.

While we are sympathetic to the view that the scientific data could be improved, our assessment is the panel is unfairly critical of ocean release.

The main thing missing from the report is a sense of perspective. The public seminar from the expert panel, available on YouTube, presents only a portion of the context we provide above. Existing tritium in the ocean isn’t discussed, and the dominance of potassium is glossed over.

The most reasonable comments regard the performance of ALPS. This is largely in the context of strontium-90 and cesium-137, both of which are legitimate isotopes of concern.

However, the panel implies that the authorities don’t know what is in the tanks, and that ALPS doesn’t work properly. There actually is a lot of public information on both topics. Perhaps it could be repackaged in a clearer way for others to understand. But the inferences made by the panel give the wrong impression.

The most important thing the panel overlooks is that the contaminated water can be repeatedly passed through ALPS until it is safe for release. For some tanks a single pass will suffice, while for others additional cycles are required.

The big picture

The earthquake was the primary environmental disaster, and the planet will be dealing with the consequences for decades. In our view, the release of Fukushima wastewater does not add to the disaster.

It’s easy to understand why people are concerned about the prospect of radioactive liquid waste being released into the ocean. But the water is not dangerous. The nastiest elements have been removed, and what remains is modest compared with natural radioactivity.

We hope science will prevail and Japan will be allowed to continue the recovery process.

Nigel Marks is an Associate Professor of Physics at Curtin University.

Brendan Kennedy is a Professor of Chemistry at University of Sydney.

Tony Irwin is an Honorary Associate Professor in Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Fuel Cycle at Australian National University.

This article appears courtesy of The Conversation and may be found in its original form here.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 ECOCIDE

Spill From Sunken Tanker Spreads Through Central Philippine Islands

Image courtesy DENR

PUBLISHED MAR 6, 2023 9:18 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

According to local officials, the wreck of the tanker Princess Empress has been located, aiding the effort to contain her cargo of fuel oil and potentially stop the leakage. 

The product tanker Princess Empress sank off Balingawan Point on Feb. 28 after losing power in rough seas. The 20 members of her crew were all safely rescued by a good samaritan vessel, and no injuries were reported. However, the vessel was carrying a cargo of about 210,000 gallons of fuel oil, and she began spilling petroleum into the water. By Wednesday, the spill had reached the shoreline near the towns of Pola, Pinamalayan, Barangay Aplaya and Bongabong on Mindoro's eastern coast. 

The Philippine Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported Monday that it has found the wreck. The survey ship BRP Hydrographer Ventura found the remains of the tanker in about 1200 feet of water off the coast of Mindoro, northeast of Pola. According to the governor of Oriental Mindoro, Bonz Dolor, the tanker's final resting place is located about 7.5 nautical miles off Balingawan Point. The reported wreck location will help guide ROV inspection efforts, and DENR said that it is working to gain access to an ROV. 

The shipowner, identified as RDC Reield Marine Services, has hired two response companies to attempt to control the spill. Harbor Star Shipping Services will provide oil containment and ROV services, while Malayan Towing and Salvage will provide additional support. The ROV equipment should be on scene and operational by the end of the week, according to Rappler. 

In the meantime, Philippine officials are concerned at the growing extent of the spill, which has spread into a slick of about 500 yards wide by 15 nm long. Over the weekend, drifting oil pollution reached the Caluya Islands, some 75 nm to the south of the wreck site. The area is just 20 nm west of Boracay, a popular island resort hub known for its white sand beaches. 

"If the oil reaches Boracay, the consequences for the island are unpredictable," a regional tourism official told EFE. 

The long-term rehabilitation of the affected shoreline on Mindoro will take longer than the immediate spill response, and the damage has not yet been calculated. Dozens of designated marine sanctuaries are at risk of pollution, including mangroves, reefs and seagrass beds, and at least seven named protected areas have already been affected by oil. 

Study Sheds New Light on How Reflagging Helps Hide Illegal Fishing

EJF file image

PUBLISHED MAR 5, 2023 6:07 PM BY CHINA DIALOGUE OCEAN

 

[By David Adam]

Originally a way for fighting ships to communicate, maritime flags have evolved into a complex international language. There exist flags to indicate to other seafarers which way a ship will turn, to appeal for medical assistance and even to warn that a vessel is on fire.

The most significant flag tends to be flown at the stern. Called an ensign, this shows which country the ship is registered in. Like all allegiances, ships can make, break and change their link to individual countries. And it often suits them to, because it changes the rules they must abide by.

This was a popular tactic during the prohibition period in the US. American operators who wanted to serve alcohol onboard realized they could re-register their vessels as operating from Panama to avoid the unpopular US law. Since then, shipowners have selected which country’s flag to fly based on everything from which regime offered the lowest taxes to which allowed cruise lines to perform weddings at sea. It’s not unusual for a ship to leave port flying one nation’s flag and to return proudly displaying the colors of another.

Fisheries

Fishing vessels are no exception to such reflagging. And this can cause a problem for international efforts to regulate the industry and what its sailors are allowed to catch. While fishing boats are officially allowed to reflag, the rules say a vessel should have a genuine link with the country it selects. But unscrupulous operators often select a flag-of-convenience, choosing to register with a country with more relaxed rules. This can allow them to access new fishing grounds or avoid restrictions and penalties. 

“Reflagging is a problem because it allows rogue operators to fly under the radar,” says Gilles Hosch, a fisheries expert at Diatom Consulting in Luxembourg. “It reduces the costs associated with illegal fishing and makes it difficult to identify and penalize the real owners of vessels that fish illegally.”

Research from the international maritime intelligence organization TMT has shown that African coastal states are frequently chosen as flags of convenience by foreign fishing fleets.

Reflagging also makes it harder for the authorities to keep track of a vessel’s identity, especially if it switches often. Vessels that recurrently change their name, flag state or owner are more likely to be involved in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. New research now goes some way to addressing this problem. A study led by Global Fishing Watch and published in the journal Science Advances reveals details of how often some fishing vessels change their flags, and offers some clues to their true histories and beneficial owners.

“When an operator or owner sells and buys a vessel, they need to change identity or flags. So that’s quite common. But abusive use of this practice might indicate IUU fishing,” says Jaeyoon Park, a researcher with Global Fishing Watch who led the new study.

The researchers used GPS coordinates beamed from boats fitted with a transponder. Collectively known as the automatic identification system (AIS), these transponders are designed to prevent collisions. They track the locations of some 70,000 vessels, including most fishing boats. The researchers could then work out where and when ships were fishing and visiting ports.

Publicly available AIS data provides some ship details but these are open to manipulation. So the study turned to some 40 different public registries that hold details on vessels including name and call sign, dimensions, tonnage, and fishing authorizations.

Then the researchers used machine learning to link the two data sources together, enabling them to compare identifying information on the AIS (who and what the ship claimed to be) with formal details recorded in the registries. This allowed them to track vessels over their lifetimes, and to map how often fishing boats reflagged.

That number was relatively small, with just 3% of identified fishing boats changing their flag in the last decade. But the same was not true for the support vessels that accompany fishing expeditions to carry away the catch or supply fuel. Some 28% of such ships, the study found, had been reflagged in the previous ten years. And while reflagging involved 116 different flag states, some 20% of these countries took part in 80% of flag-switching. Most occurred in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific Islands – with Panama the most active.

“This kind of information is useful because it allows us to gain a much better understanding of where global fleets are operating,” says Hosch.

How will this information help?

There are several overlapping initiatives already set up that try to make shipping identities and ownership more transparent. These include the Port State Measures Agreement and the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels. Both of these require countries to more rigorously scrutinize ship movements and identities, and are regulated by the UN FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization).

The new study results can help these efforts because they can show which ships are known to be playing fair, Park says, which allows the authorities to focus their resources elsewhere.

“Suspicious or illegal activity should be verified by countries and authorities,” he says. “But we can provide some indications so they don’t have to look at everything.”

One possible solution to tracking changes in identity would be to force fishing vessels to carry a unique serial number on their hull, which could be checked and verified. That’s a big step though, and Park says a more practical first step would be to consolidate all the already-available information into a comprehensive and transparent database.

“Only a small portion of fishing activity is suspicious,” he says. “More transparency helps this suspicious behavior stand out and makes it easier to tackle the problem.”

David Adam is a freelance journalist based near London.

This article appears courtesy of China Dialogue Ocean and may be found in its original form here. 

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

YOGIS KNOW THIS

Study finds perception of time linked to heartbeat

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

ITHACA, N.Y. – How long is the present? The answer, Cornell University researchers suggest in a new study, depends on your heart. They found that our momentary perception of time is not continuous but may stretch or shrink with each heartbeat.

The research builds evidence that the heart is one of the brain’s important timekeepers and plays a fundamental role in our sense of time passing – an idea contemplated since ancient times, said Adam K. Anderson, professor of psychology.

“Time is a dimension of the universe and a core basis for our experience of self,” Anderson said. “Our research shows that the moment-to-moment experience of time is synchronized with, and changes with, the length of a heartbeat.”

The study, “Wrinkles in Subsecond Time Perception are Synchronized to the Heart,” published in the journal Psychophysiology.

Time perception typically has been tested over longer intervals, when research has shown that thoughts and emotions may distort our sense time, perhaps making it fly or crawl. Such findings, Anderson said, tend to reflect how we think about or estimate time, rather than our direct experience of it in the present moment.

To investigate that more direct experience, the researchers asked if our perception of time is related to physiological rhythms, focusing on natural variability in heart rates. The cardiac pacemaker “ticks” steadily on average, but each interval between beats is a tiny bit longer or shorter than the preceding one, like a second hand clicking at different intervals.

The team harnessed that variability in a novel experiment. Forty-five study participants – ages 18 to 21, with no history of heart trouble – were monitored with electrocardiography, or ECG, measuring heart electrical activity at millisecond resolution. The ECG was linked to a computer, which enabled brief tones lasting 80-180 milliseconds to be triggered by heartbeats. Study participants reported whether tones were longer or shorter relative to others.

The results revealed what the researchers called “temporal wrinkles.” When the heartbeat preceding a tone was shorter, the tone was perceived as longer. When the preceding heartbeat was longer, the sound’s duration seemed shorter.

“These observations systematically demonstrate that the cardiac dynamics, even within a few heartbeats, is related to the temporal decision-making process,” the authors wrote.

The study also showed the brain influencing the heart. After hearing tones, study participants focused attention on the sounds. That “orienting response” changed their heart rate, affecting their experience of time.

“The heartbeat is a rhythm that our brain is using to give us our sense of time passing,” Anderson said. “And that is not linear – it is constantly contracting and expanding.”

The scholars said the connection between time perception and the heart suggests our momentary perception of time is rooted in bioenergetics, helping the brain manage effort and resources based on changing body states including heart rate.

The research shows, Anderson said, that in subsecond intervals too brief for conscious thoughts or feelings, the heart regulates our experience of the present.

“Even at these moment-to-moment intervals, our sense of time is fluctuating,” he said. “A pure influence of the heart, from beat to beat, helps create a sense of time.”

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

Cornell University has dedicated television and audio studios available for media interviews.

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JOURNAL

Psychophysiology

DOI

10.1111/psyp.14270 

Disclaimer: AAAS and Eurek

Plastic containers can contain PFAS — and it’s getting into food

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

 

IMAGE: IN A NEW STUDY PUBLISHED IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, FLUORINATED HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE) PLASTIC CONTAINERS — USED FOR HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS, PESTICIDES, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS AND, POTENTIALLY, FOOD PACKAGING — TESTED POSITIVE FOR PFAS. view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are adding to their list of consumer products that contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a toxic class of fluorine compounds known as “forever chemicals.”

In a new study published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic containers — used for household cleaners, pesticides, personal care products and, potentially, food packaging — tested positive for PFAS. Following a report conducted by the EPA that demonstrated this type of container contributed high levels of PFAS to a pesticide, this research demonstrates the first measurement of the ability of PFAS to leach from the containers into food as well as the effect of temperature on the leaching process.

Results also showed the PFAS were capable of migrating from the fluorinated containers into food, resulting in a direct route of significant exposure to the hazardous chemicals, which have been linked to several health issues including prostate, kidney and testicular cancers, low birth weight, immunotoxicity and thyroid disease.

“Not only did we measure significant concentrations of PFAS in these containers, we can estimate the PFAS that were leaching off creating a direct path of exposure,” said Graham Peaslee, professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Notre Dame and an author of the study.

It’s important to note that these types of containers are not intended for food storage, but there is nothing preventing them from being used for food storage at the moment. Although not all HDPE plastic is fluorinated, the researchers noted, it’s often impossible for a consumer to know whether a container has had that treatment. And indeed, Peaslee added, if substances like pesticides are stored in these containers, and then are used on agricultural crops, these same PFAS will get into human food sources that way.

In 2021 the EPA announced its PFAS Strategic Roadmap — promising to act on widespread exposure to PFAS. The plan includes developing a more comprehensive understanding of the health and environmental effects of PFAS exposure, preventing further contamination of air, land and water and addressing the need for cleanup of PFAS already in the environment.

PFAS is often used in association with stain- or water-resistant products. For the study, Peaslee and graduate student Heather Whitehead tested HDPE containers that were treated with fluorine to create a thin layer of a fluoropolymer, as a means to impart chemical resistance and improve container performance over long storage periods. While these materials generally stay in the container wall, the manufacturing process can generate lots of smaller PFAS molecules, which are not polymers. Experiments were designed to measure the ability of these chemicals to migrate from the container to samples of different foods and solvents.

Analysis of the containers found parts-per-billion levels of PFAS that could migrate into both solvents and food matrices in as little as one week.

“We measured concentrations of PFOA that significantly exceeded the limit set by the EPA’s 2022 Health Advisory Limits,” said Peaslee. “Now, consider that not only do we know that the chemicals are migrating into the substances stored in them, but that the containers themselves work their way back into the environment through landfills. PFAS doesn’t biodegrade. It doesn’t go away. Once these chemicals are used, they get into the groundwater, they get into our biological systems, and they cause significant health problems.”

Peaslee and Whitehead measured PFAS concentrations in olive oil, ketchup and mayonnaise that had been in contact with the fluorinated containers for seven days at various temperatures. Based on the amount found in the different food samples, the study estimates enough PFAS could be ingested through food stored in the containers to be a significant risk of exposure.

The containers are the latest products in a long list of those tested by Peaslee and his lab at Notre Dame, including cosmetics, firefighting gear, school uniforms and fast food wrappers.

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science & Technology Letters

DOI

10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00083 

ARTICLE TITLE

Directly Fluorinated Containers as a Source of Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylic Acids

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Mar-2023

New study to explore how the Gulf Stream affects climate change and the carbon cycle

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL

The University of Liverpool is leading a new collaborative research project to explore how the Gulf Stream affects the climate system through the transport of nutrients and carbon.

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and US National Science Foundation (NSF), the £3.7 million project will use sensors located in the fast-flowing waters moving through Florida Straits and autonomous vehicles roaming the upper 2000m of the Atlantic basin to measure nutrient and carbon levels, and the amount of turbulence in the Gulf Stream.

This data will be used alongside the latest state-of-the-art ocean and climate models to find out more about how the Gulf Stream current affects the transport of nutrients and carbon and if it enhances or inhibits the uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean.

Originating at the tip of Florida, the Gulf Stream is generally viewed to lead to milder winters in Europe through its role in transporting heat over the Atlantic basin. However, less is known about the role it plays in the strength and pattern of carbon uptake over the North Atlantic.

Professor Ric Williams, Chair in Ocean and Climate Sciences at the University of Liverpool and co-lead of the University of Liverpool’s Climate Futures research theme, will lead the programme.

He said: “We know that the Gulf Stream is important for supplying heat to higher latitudes, leading to a warmer European climate. However, we need to better understand the role of the Gulf Stream on the carbon cycle given that the ocean takes up nearly 25% of the extra carbon emitted to the atmosphere.

The prevailing view of how the ocean affects the uptake of carbon dioxide is often outdated and generally ignores the three-dimensional aspect of the ocean circulation. In contrast, we aim to test the viewpoint that the Gulf Stream helps determine the strength and pattern of carbon uptake over the North Atlantic.

“The natural carbon sinks in the ocean and land are thought to be becoming less effective in taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a key finding of the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) report.  This ocean and land carbon uptake then ultimately affects how much carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere and so affects how much our climate system continues to warm, including determining whether there is continued warming when we reach net zero.”

The four year programme supports a team of experienced and early career researchers from the University of Liverpool, the National Oceanography Centre, the University of Southampton, the British Antarctic Survey, the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the University of Miami augmented by project partners at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Rhode Island and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the USA, and from research institutes in Bergen in Norway, Brest in France and Texel in the Netherlands.

Novel porous materials are ideal for metal-air batteries, researchers report

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

 

IMAGE: IN A REVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF STRUCTURALLY DIVERSE METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS AND COVALENT ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS WITH UNIQUE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES, RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND THEY OFFER “GREAT POTENTIAL” FOR FACILITATING THE NECESSARY REACTIONS FOR METAL-AIR BATTERIES. view more 

CREDIT: NANO RESEARCH ENERGY, TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

Sustainable energy solutions cannot be pulled out of thin air. However, combining air with metal and other frameworks may pave the way for environmentally friendly energy conversion and storage, according to a research team based in China.

 

They published their review of novel porous materials — called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) — and their potential to advance metal-air batteries on 03 March in Nano Research Energy.

 

The porous crystal material frameworks comprise various arrangements of bonded materials that can induce desired properties, including the ability to accelerate reactions between oxygen and metals for energy conversion and storage. Their diverse arrangements facilitate flexibility, with high porosity and surface area, allowing for the best chance of the necessary reactions. Their derivates, or products derived from the frameworks, also enhance previously insufficient electronic conductivity and improve chemical stability.

 

But their advancement has been limited by inadequate conductivity and stability, according to co-corresponding author Tao Wang, professor, Centre for Hydrogenergy, College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

 

“Metal-air batteries, with high specific energy, moderate pricing, high safety and environmental friendliness, are the most promising candidate for energy storage and conversion,” Wang said. “At present, however, metal-air batteries involve a complex catalytic process of gas-liquid-solid phases, making it difficult to deeply understand the mechanism of discharge and recharge processes.”

 

Wang also noted that some of the MOF and COF arrangements have slow reaction kinetics, meaning an efficient catalyst is needed both to reduce potential conversion challenges and improve the battery’s life cycle.

 

To better understand how to control benefits — and mitigate the challenges — of the frameworks and their derivates, the researchers reviewed the current available scientific literature. Among other insights, they found that the frameworks exhibit a unique molecular structure that enables high porosity with uniform distribution of catalytic sites, meaning their reactions can be more predictable than with other porous materials.

 

“By systematically studying the effects between organic components and catalytic active centers of MOFs and COFs, we can gain a theoretical basis for us to select and synthesize the desired framework catalysts in the future,” Wang said. “We can also better understand the local microenvironment in MOFs and COFs and how it impacts the overall catalytic effect.”

 

Wang and the team recommend further study of how to better prepare functionalized MOFs and COFs based on their reaction mechanism; of hybrid MOFs and COFs; and of the composition control and morphology of MOF and COF derivates. They also recommend developing more advanced techniques to detect the vibration signals of molecules on the electrode surface and observe the conversion process to fully elucidate the relationship between the structure and the performance.

 

“By comprehensively reviewing the advantages, challenges and prospects of MOFs and COFs, we hope that the organic framework materials will shed more profound insights into the development of electrocatalysis and energy storage in the future,” Wang said.

 

Contributors from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics include co-corresponding authors Hairong Xue and Jianping He and co-authors Yunyun Xu, Xijuan Li, Peng Li, Tengfei Zhang, and Kun Chang. Xiaoli Fan from Nanjing Institute of Technology’s School of Materials Science and Engineering is also a co-author.

 

The National Defense Technology Innovation Special Zone Spark Project, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province and a Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions funded this research.

 

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About Nano Research Energy 

 

Nano Research Energy is launched by Tsinghua University Press, aiming at being an international, open-access and interdisciplinary journal. We will publish research on cutting-edge advanced nanomaterials and nanotechnology for energy. It is dedicated to exploring various aspects of energy-related research that utilizes nanomaterials and nanotechnology, including but not limited to energy generation, conversion, storage, conservation, clean energy, etc. Nano Research Energy will publish four types of manuscripts, that is, Communications, Research Articles, Reviews, and Perspectives in an open-access form.

 

About SciOpen 

 

SciOpen is a professional open access resource for discovery of scientific and technical content published by the Tsinghua University Press and its publishing partners, providing the scholarly publishing community with innovative technology and market-leading capabilities. SciOpen provides end-to-end services across manuscript submission, peer review, content hosting, analytics, and identity management and expert advice to ensure each journal’s development by offering a range of options across all functions as Journal Layout, Production Services, Editorial Services, Marketing and Promotions, Online Functionality, etc. By digitalizing the publishing process, SciOpen widens the reach, deepens the impact, and accelerates the exchange of ideas.

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JOURNAL

Nano Research Energy

DOI

10.26599/NRE.2023.9120052 

ARTICLE TITLE

Application of Metal-Organic Frameworks, Covalent Organic Frameworks and their Derivates for the Metal-Air Batteries

Does current shellfish anti-predator gear curb ‘crunching’ rays?

Study assesses efficacy of clamming industry anti-predator materials on whitespotted eagle rays

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

 

VIDEO: WHITESPOTTED EAGLE RAYS “CRUNCHING” ON CLAMS IN A LARGE OUTDOOR TANK WITH CLAMS HOUSED WITHIN A VARIETY OF ANTI-PREDATOR MATERIALS. view more 

CREDIT: FAU HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE

According to NOAA Fisheries, more than 80 percent of marine aquaculture production in the United States consists of bivalve mollusks such as oysters, clams and mussels. However, it’s not just humans who enjoy eating these shellfish, so do marine rays. They like to “crunch” on clams, which can sometimes take a big bite out of clammers’ profits.

Part of the process of culturing hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) involves deploying them in submerged bottom leases in the marine environment where clams can grow to market size. When deployed onto the clam lease, clammers incorporate a variety of anti-predator materials to protect their product, such as woven mesh netting and/or additional mesh, plastic or wire covers.

However, the effectiveness of these materials against highly mobile predators like rays has not been experimentally tested. Some rays, like the whitespotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari), are equipped with strong jaws, plate-like teeth and nimble pectoral fins, which make them formidable and highly maneuverable predators of clams.

Inspired by clammer reports of damaged grow-out gear presumably caused by rays, researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in collaboration with Mote Marine Laboratory, assessed the ability of the whitespotted eagle ray to interact with clams housed within a variety anti-predator materials.

Using aerial and underwater videos, researchers assessed the rays’ responses to anti-predator materials placed within a large outdoor tank. They examined their interactions with a control plot (unprotected clams), clams inside polyester mesh clam bags (dipped in a latex net coating), and with clams under high density polyethylene (HDPE) netting or chicken wire cover netting. After the completion of each trial, researchers assessed the number of crunched clams and frequency of visits to the various randomized patches.

Results, published in the journal Aquaculture Environment Interactions, showed that rays were capable of consuming clams through bags. However, anti-predator treatments reduced clam mortality four- to tenfold compared to control plots. Double-layered (bags with cover netting) treatments had the lowest clam mortality, highlighting the utility of this type of protection in limiting ray impacts.

“Based on our findings, many of the current anti-predator grow-out strategies used in the hard clam shellfish aquaculture industry appear capable of reducing predation by large predators like whitespotted eagle rays,” said Matt Ajemian, Ph.D., senior author, an associate research professor and director of the Fisheries Ecology and Conservation Lab at FAU Harbor Branch. “In par­ticular, bag treatments with cover nettings achieved the highest clam survival rates, although it is important to note that this did not appear to completely deter rays from interacting with the gear.”

Observations from the study suggest that rays appear capable of interacting with aquaculture gear for prolonged periods, potentially diverting them from other natural feeding habitats such as sand and mud flats.

“These habitat associations could expose these sensitive animals to other risks, although we are just beginning to understand them and admittedly have a lot more to learn,” said Brianna Cahill, corresponding author, an FAU Harbor Branch marine science and oceanography graduate, and a research technician at Stony Brook University.

Throughout the course of the study, researchers confirmed that rays are capable of uprooting and manipulating hard clam aquaculture gear, as they moved treat­ments and trays within the tank throughout the course of the experiments.

“Contrary to what we expected, rays did not prefer control plots (mimicking natural conditions) over treatment plots with anti-predator gear,” said Cahill. “This suggests a real possibility that these rays are interacting with shellfish aquaculture gear in the wild, as suggested by our clamming industry partners.”

Among the vari­ety of interactions researchers observed between rays and the treatments included using their lower dental plate to dig through sediment to access clams in the control plots and to move the gear (clam bags, cover netting and trays). In addition, because HDPE netting appeared to snag on the rays’ lower dental plate, it caused them to displace the HDPE cover net­ting more than chicken wire cover netting.

Chicken wire has been used in Florida to deter pre­dation from rays because of its strength. Research has suggested that the electric field of the metal can be detected by elasmobranchs such as rays and sharks, potentially acting as an over-stimu­lant and thus, a deterrent.

“Given the frequency of interactions we observed with chicken wire in our experiment, we question whether chicken wire is a deterrent, an attractant or neutral, as it may not have a powerful enough signal to influ­ence the rays,” said Ajemian. “Still, we have more questions than we started with, and look forward to investigating this further with other species and deterrent types.”

Study co-authors are Kayla L. McCulloch, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami; Breanna C. DeGroot, research coordinator, Fisheries Ecology and Conservation Lab at FAU Harbor Branch; and Kim Bassos-Hull, senior biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory.

Funding for these experiments was provided by the Aquaculture Specialty License Plate Fund (AWD-002112) administered by the Har­bor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation.

- FAU -

About Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute:
Founded in 1971, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University is a research community of marine scientists, engineers, educators and other professionals focused on Ocean Science for a Better World. The institute drives innovation in ocean engineering, at-sea operations, drug discovery and biotechnology from the oceans, coastal ecology and conservation, marine mammal research and conservation, aquaculture, ocean observing systems and marine education. For more information, visit www.fau.edu/hboi.

 

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

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JOURNAL

Aquaculture Environment Interactions

DOI

10.3354/aei00452 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Breaking bags and crunching clams: assessing whitespotted eagle ray interactions with hard clam aquaculture gear

Drinking, drug use and driving increased in West Virginia during COVID-19, WVU study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: RESEARCH OUT OF THE WVU SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH FOUND THAT DRINKING, DRUG USE AND DRIVING INCREASED AMONG PATIENTS BEING TREATED FOR MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION INJURIES AT A WEST VIRGINIA TRAUMA CENTER DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. view more 

CREDIT: WVU ILLUSTRATION/AIRA BURKHART

One West Virginia trauma center saw an uptick in alcohol and drug use by patients treated for motor vehicle collision injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a West Virginia Universitystudy. More specifically, researchers found patients were using a greater number of drugs, including cannabinoids, opioids and stimulants during the pandemic than prior to its onset.

The study was published in Injury Epidemiology, an online peer-reviewed journal focusing on injury prevention and control. Toni Marie Rudisill, assistant professor in the WVU School of Public Health, led the research team that included pre-med student Lucie Steinmetz, of Moon, Pennsylvania, and Dr. James Bardes, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery’s Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care.

The patients were treated at Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center in Morgantown, one of two Level 1 trauma centers in West Virginia.

As stress levels increased at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, so did the use of alcohol and drugs among drivers in urban areas, according to several studies. That prompted Rudisill and her team to see if the same held true for rural areas, particularly the Mountain State.

“It was important to determine what was happening here in West Virginia and if we were following the same trend,” Rudisill said. “Our findings may be generalizable to West Virginia. However, we are unsure if our findings would be generalizable to other rural areas.”

With support from the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, housed at WVU, and funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the team set out to analyze and compare records of patients ages 18 and older who were treated for motor vehicle-related injuries during two time frames: pre-COVID-19 period — Sept. 1, 2018, to March 15, 2020, and COVID-19 period — March 16, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021.

Throughout the study period, 1,465 patients received treatment. Patients were given a blood test to determine whether they had been using alcohol, while a urine test was conducted to see if drugs were present in the patients’ systems. Drugs included in the testing panel were cannabinoids, opioids, stimulants and depressants.

Any amount of alcohol was considered a positive test. Patients were considered drug positive if one or more non-alcohol drugs were detected. The discovery of one or more non-alcohol drugs and any amount of alcohol was deemed drug and alcohol positive. Drugs received as part of pre-hospital care were excluded from analyses to avoid misclassification of an individual who may have received the medication as part of post-collision care.

“Given our state’s rurality, it can take quite a bit of time to transport severely injured patients from the scene of a crash to a trauma center,” Rudisill said. “Patients may receive medication from emergency medical services as part of their care during transport. However, drug and alcohol tests are performed on patients when they arrive at the trauma center. It is entirely possible that a patient may have consumed an opioid before the crash, but then received one as part of their care during transport to the trauma center. For that reason, those individuals’ results would be excluded from the analysis as we would not be able to determine if the opioids in their system were taken before the crash or administered by EMS on the way to the trauma center.”

The study found that the number of drugs patients tested positive for was 31% greater during the COVID-19 period. Stimulant and opioid use significantly increased among treated patients and cannabinoid use increased marginally, while depressant use decreased over the study period.

The majority of the patients, 57%, were male and between the ages of 20 and 45. Overall, 84% were drivers of the vehicles and 72% were wearing seatbelts. Most of the crashes occurred during weekdays.

Researchers concluded that, although further studies could investigate whether drug and alcohol use among drivers in West Virginia changed after September 2021, public health interventions may be needed in the state to curb the activity.

“Getting people to stop using drugs and/or alcohol and then driving is a complex issue,” Rudisill said. “Reducing this behavior in a population often requires a combination of educational, environmental, behavioral and policy approaches to be effective.”

WVCTSI Background

WVCTSI is funded by an IDeA Clinical and Translational grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U54GM104942) to support the mission of building clinical and translational research infrastructure and capacity to impact health disparities in West Virginia.

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JOURNAL

Injury Epidemiology

DOI

10.1186/s40621-023-00415-y 

ARTICLE TITLE

Substance use in rural trauma patients admitted for motor vehicle injuries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic