corn is cool

Corn is used as a chemical feedstock. It is clear that fossil fuels have a limitation. There is not an endless supply that will bring the world energy forever. So about 30 or 40 years ago scientists looked further into renewable sources of energy and for products, that is when they found corn.

Through advances in biotechnology corn can be used to in many ways and for multiple products:

-Ethanol which is an additive to gasoline for vehicles

-Acetone and butanol which is a solvent (a liquid, gas, or solid that dissolves another liquid solid or gas)

-Lactic Acid which is used in moisturizers as well as helps fabric accept dyes, and more commonly in the dairy industry

-Acetic acid which is used in the textile industry for neutralization in dying, IT is also used when producing vitamins, antibiotics, and hormones. The acid is also the main chemical in vinegar

-Citric Acid which is used for flavoring foods

   

 With everything in life nothing is perfect. Making these products from corn is can be very time consuming and going along with that isn’t always cost effective.

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mcheryan/www/feedstoc.htm

http://science.jrank.org/pages/3782/Lactic-Acid-Uses-lactic-acid.html

making UNH the first

 In operation since 2006, the UNH Durham cogeneration plant brings the campus 85% of their electricity and heat. First the plant preserves waste heat that would be lost during the production of electricity and uses it to heat the campus’s building. Incredibly the plant would pay for itself within 20 years.

Later in 2009 UNH joined with Waste Management's Turnkey Recycling and Environmental Enterprise in Rochester and developed the ECOline which brings from purified methane gas.  The pipeline is almost 13 miles long. The ECOline would be paid by within 10 years.

UNH is the first university to have this much of their total energy be produced from recycled resources. It is also amazing that this can be said for a campus that is 5 million square feet.

"making UNH the first"

Pesticide Free

Pesticides used for agricultural purposes are extremely harmful to the environment. A pesticide it used to get rid of or prevent "pests" whether that be insects, rodents, birds, or bacteria on a agricultural product.
But many pesticides are toxic and when used pollutes the soil, air, and water. The United States has some regulations for pesticides to lessen the affect they have on the environment. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is used to to this. This agency studies and tests the pesticide's toxicity to mammals, birds, and fish. As well as the pesticide's environmental impact on non target plants, water sources, and animals.

In my research looking at pesticides I found a company that is trying to do their part greening their pesticide process. Go Green Agricultural is a company that prides itself in doing everything in the greenest way they can find. Their speciality product is lettuce or what they call it Happy Lettuce. It is grown in a greenhouse. They use hydroponic  farming where the plants aren't grown in soil but in nutrient-rich water (that they recycle). When ready they are picked and packaged living (with the roots still attached) to maximize the self life and the amount of nutrients in the lettuce. Packaging for them is also green. They use a recyclable plastic and the packaging also acts like a mini greenhouse to help keep the lettuce fresh.

All of this is very impressive but what I found particular interesting was that they don't use a pesticide! They use ladybugs! They ladybugs eat the insects that traditional pesticides on other farms kill. Lady bugs are a predatory insect that keeps the lettuce pest free and the plants and environment pesticide free.

http://www.gogreenagriculture.com/Technology/index2.php
http://www.pollutionissues.com/Na-Ph/Pesticides.html