What is simple distillation?

What is simple distillation?

Author: chemical engineer

The water and energy crisis are not a newer threat to the world. Because of these water crises, the trend of using treated water is raising. The water is treated by several means including simple distillation, reverse osmosis etc. Nature has provided us the great resources of pure water, which are not only safe for human consumption, but also for the other creatures of this world. But unfortunately, because of the growing pollution rate, the environmental threats are the alarming situation for the world.

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These environmental threats are also related to the safe water resources depletion, like the melting of glaciers, acid rains, river water pollution etc. Because of this depletion of natural resources of pure water, the need and demand of treated water has raised with in some past decades, in order to meet the requirements of the world's pure water needs.

Although there are numbers of water treatment technologies, including the electro-dialysis, reverse osmosis, filtration, ultra filtration, simple distillation etc, but whenever we talk about the water treatment methods, then the first technique, which comes in the minds of a common person, is the distillation. Now what is distillation? Distillation definition is simply the purification or separation method, used not only for the purification of water, but also for the separation of individual components from the very complex mixtures on the industrial large scale.

This article is about what is distillation advantage for the water purification sector, so only the distillation definition and working criteria related to the purification of water will be discussed. Although there are number of different distillation techniques, but the driving principle (or working principle) of all of them is same, i.e. purification on the basis of the difference in boiling points of the components. The home water purification by boiling the water is the most common example of the simple distillation. On industrial scale, the water is boiled up to its boiling point; once the water reaches its boiling point, it starts evaporating and vaporizing, these evaporated water vapors are collected, and condensed with condensers, to get the pure water. The remaining slurry in the distillation column (including water and impurities) is drained under the environmental protection agency (EPA) rules and regulations.

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About the Author

I am a chemical engineer by profession. I like to be in touch with all the latest advancements and technologies in the field of process engineering, and love to share my knowledge and exeriences with other people. I hope that you people will like my articles.

What is Garbology?

What is Garbology?

By K. Cooper

One man's trash is another man's treasure, or so garbologists believe. The science of garbology was created back in the 1970s, when scientists began looking into how long it takes for our refuse to degrade. Since then, the spry science of garbology was born and more individuals are looking into the trash can, thinking, "just what treasures will I find?"

[caption id="attachment_993" align="aligncenter" width="500"] What is Garbology?[/caption]

What is Garbology?

First of all, yes, it is indeed a science. Back in the early 70s, a professor by the name of William Rathje at the University of Arizona decided to look into our trash and investigate the how our trash reflects modern life. From there, the science grew into looking at how long our trash takes to decompose or biodegrade, and what exactly is filling up our landfills. Garbologists sift through acres of refuse, in rank conditions, all in an effort to understand the culture of the population better. Yes, they are looking at our trash to understand us better. What we throw away says a lot about who we are as a people and as a culture, and now it has become so popular that law enforcement is utilizing the scientific means of the garbologists to track illegal activity through discarded waste. We are, in a sense, our own trash, and the garbologists want to know who we are by studying our trash.

Something smell fishy to you? It shouldn't. The average American will produce at least 102 tons of garbage during their lifetime, and that's fertile ground for understanding the dynamics of humanity. Every piece of trash does have a story to tell. It isn't just simply trash. It is your lunch, your sniffles, and your life in plastic bags, and garbologists look through trash cans to account for current trends in humanity.

While this isn't a cultural science, it is a blossoming science which manages to straddle many different scientific fields. Some garbologists focus on the recycling and biodegradable aspects of landfills, while others may focus on what the trash says about us, culturally. It is not a single focused field, but a multifaceted new scientific avenue that scientists and archeologists are using to better understand the world we live in.

The next time you throw something away, take a moment to think: what does this in fact say about me? We can be amateur garbologists by studying the contents of a garbage can, but you may want to just study your own trash or what may be found in public garbage cans. Peeking through your neighbor's garbage on trash day may look a tad suspicious. However, you can learn a lot about a person by the trash they throw out. Any garbologists will attest to that!

K. Cooper is CEO of GreenStar Waste. GreenStar Waste provides commercial and residential dumpster rental services in the metro Atlanta area. With competitive pricing and prompt delivery and pick up, GreenStar Waste can help to keep your project easy to clean up with an Atlanta roll off dumpster rental. Learn more about dumpster rental in Atlanta at http://www.atlantarolloffdumpsters.com/.

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What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

What is Corporate social responsibility (CSR)?

Author:Sandra

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an important aspect of businesses all across the globe. As globalization spreads its reach and businesses serve as global provider, these businesses have recognized the significance and benefits of CSR and have started incorporating it in their practices.

[caption id="attachment_938" align="aligncenter" width="450"] What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?[/caption]

What is Corporate Social Responsibility ?

Corporate Social Responsibility is a form of corporate self regulation amalgamated in a business infrastructure model. The CSR policy of any business works as a self regulating system which helps the business to ensure that it complies the global norms and ethical standards. The aim of CSR is to be accountable for the company's activities and promote an optimistic and constructive ideology through its actions on environment, communities, consumers and stakeholders.

Why is it important?

CSR helps a business to run in such a way that it leaves a positive impact on the environment and society. In other words, CSR implies a commitment by a business to integrate such responsible policies in its practices that benefit the society also and reporting the progress made towards executing these practices. Countries like India also are becoming aware of this phenomenon and Corporate social responsibility in India is also witnessing a boom. Some of the main advantages of CSR can be explained as follows:

Stakeholders' interest

Outside stakeholders have been taking a keen interest in the the social aspect of the company and its accomplishments on the social level. The way your business treats the workforce and the impact of the products and services on the society is a matter of interest for the stakeholders.

Sustainability

CSR puts emphasis on economic, social and environmental sustainability so that your business continues to meet the needs of the present without affecting the resources for future generations. Sustaining economic  prosperity with taking care of the employees and environments is one of the driving forces while making the blueprint of any policy.

Social accountability

Accountability makes a business reliable. Communication of environmental and social impacts of your business activities on the society at large can be referred as social accountability. Usually the public relations department of a business look after it. Sometimes businesses take the help of PR agencies to manage their public relations as it's a very important element of CSR.

Risk management

The reputation which you had built over an entire decade can be brought to ruins within seconds by any malpractices like environmental accidents, corruption scandals etc. within your business. They will tarnish your image in split seconds. The philosophy of ‘doing the right thing' within the work culture can be successfully incorporated by implementing CSR.

Customer loyalty

The ‘jam packed' market today demands individuality if you want your business to stand out amongst your competitors. Building customer loyalty based on unique ethical principles can definitely be achieved using CSR implemented policies. In countries like India where there is a neck to neck battle in the market, businesses are using Corporate social responsibility in India to its best to become the leader in their domain.

Human resources

Last but not the least, CSR policies can help your business when you recruit human resources. You can ask the candidate about the company's CSR policy. The perception of your business is bound to improve when the staffs are involved with payroll giving, fund-raising activities etc. this will only happen when your business implements CSR policies.

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CSR policy can certainly help your business reach new heights in times to come because with limited resources to use, sustainability is the the mantra to win in the long run. And CSR gives your business that outlook that can help you bloom with the perfect balance of economic profit and social responsibilities.

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About the Author

Sandra is a PR consultant and she also likes writing, reading, movies, hiking.

What is a Solar Tower?

What is a Solar Tower?

By Mark W. Medley

Energy is becoming the most important resources of this decade, and our societies are growing more anxious about what form of energy, replaces our fast depleting sources of fossil fuels. One solution could be a Solar Tower.

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Over half a millennium ago, Leonardo Di Vinci, worked with a feather, ink and parchment, dreaming of the future. Around 500 years later, one of his unique designs was of a "SolarTower."

The first solar tower was built in the late 17th century in Spain, and lately has become a viable alternative energy source. Already France, Israel and Spain benefit from the use of this pre-industrial revolution technology, which generates solar electricity, as well as enables crops to be grown around it.

How Does a Solar Tower Work?

A solar tower is placed on a reinforced concrete base in areas prone to high levels of sunlight. On the top of the tower, solar panels move to catch the sunlight, which is in turn used to generate electricity for the homes, and industries in the area near the tower.

Beneath the tower, the excess heat the tower loses can be sealed in plastic covers, where crops are grown such as tomatoes, and lettuces. Thus creating a dual purpose for the tower, and the community it serves.

The most famous solar electricity tower is located in Seville, in Southern Spain. And generates enough power to offer electricity to 200.000 homes in the area, at a much lower cost than traditional electricity.

The Future?

The scarcity of traditional fossil fuels, plus the current distrust of nuclear power could mean that more solar towers are built, and can offer electricity to communities around the world.

The initial cost is the only expense, aside from maintaining the tower, whilst valuable crops can be grown to generate an income for the community. A win-win sustainable situation.

Leonardo Di Vinci's dream has turned into a reality for several communities, and perhaps as technology advances, a Solar tower could become one of the many solutions to a probable future energy crisis.

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What is Rainwater Harvesting?

What is Rainwater Harvesting?

By Mark W. Medley

In an age of global warming and unpredictable weather patterns, many communities are suffering the cost of a water shortage- particularly in developing countries. This is why harvesting rainfall has become an alternative way for a family home to become water independent. What is harvesting rainwater?

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Water shortages are often man-made, for instance too many homes in areas where there has always been a lack of rainfall, creates a need to develop reservoirs or relocate excess water from another area of the country. This is costly, and in an era of austerity plus the gradual warming up of our planet- unaffordable.

A traditional method of guaranteeing a supply of water has been harvesting rainfall, and is thousands of years old. The ancient Egyptian, Mayan and Roman empires used this technique to manage the water supplies of their cities, and towns, through using drainage and catchment systems most of our modern cities use today. However one aspect of rainwater harvesting used thousands of years ago, is becoming a more effective alternative to investing in large scale water projects- home catchment.

Indonesia is home to over 225 million people, and is larger than Europe in size, except it is a nation of over 17,000 islands, surrounded by sea. Many of these islands are undeveloped, and depend on agriculture, and fishing for a living, whilst it is unaffordable to develop running water to all the homes. That's where a simple and modified ancient home rainfall harvesting program has had effective results.

One of these islands suffered for decades from a prolonged dry season, and a short four month rainy season. The rainwater from the wet season, if harvested could provide enough water for each household, and allow communities to become completely independent from 'importing" costly water from a nearby island.

Harvesting was simple, even crude compared to the modern techniques used to recycle water in today's urban centers. Homes were simply fitted with a simple bamboo pipe, that caught the rainfall from the roofs of each home, and it naturally flowed into storage units near each home. Once the rainwater was stored, a pipe would be connected to these storage tanks to taps inside the house. Today, communities on this island, have their own independent water supply, and are water rich, instead of dependent.

Recent reports by the World Future Society claim that by the year 2020, water could become as valuable as oil, because of the effects of an increasing world population, a decline in natural forests, and the unsustainable use of water in many of our countries. This trend is reversible, despite the lack of funds many governments have, and the continued growth of cities.

Reversing the possibility that homeowners may one day, need to ration or pay premium rates for the water they use, could be solved by every home using a water catchment pipe, and linking it to a communal or independent storage unit. Something our ancient ancestors knew and practiced thousands of years ago, and like the water independent residents of a remote Indonesian island, guarantee that we use what nature gives us, rather then waste a valuable resource such as rain water.

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What is Sustainable Development?

What is Sustainable Development?

By Mark W. Medley

Imagine a pristine forest, untouched by humankind's hand, the natural eco-system regenerates itself sustaining the different life forms that live inside this unique environment, without harming the living environment. This in essence is sustainable development where the system regenerates, without harm.

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In our current world this simply means what we use, is recyclable or reusable without needing to upset the true balance of the environment. Bottles are recycled, car parts are broken and reused for other purposes, and in economic terms a healthy monetary environment guarantees enough for all, but within certain constraints.

Energy is the key to creating a sustainable society, because fossil fuels cannot be reused, and once extracted and used- irreplaceable. In a society dependent on these fuels, societies are unsustainable, and in the long term face great change, unless an alternative resource is found. One reason sustainable development involves the usage of energies that either can be recycled, reused or simply never ending like solar or wind powered energy.

The way we live within a society, work and accept the limitations of the resources around us, are also a major contribution to a sustainable society, like a living forest that functions around nature, rather than develops quickly but enviatably declines. This means the characteristics of a sustainable society, are of one that nurtures natural energies, whilst develops around the environment it lives in.

Evidence of societies that are sustainable are in our history, the plains Indians survived in the pristine plains of North America, along with the buffalo and wolf packs. This balance was upset with the slaughter of these tribes in the 19th Century, and coincided with the extinction of the buffalo and wolf population. Some say this extinct society was primitive, but evidence shows that it survived thousands of years, whilst the society that replaced it currently faces a development crisis, only one and a half centuries later.

There are few sustainable societies in the 21st century, however some like Brazil, are more sustainable than other countries. Brazil imports little oil, yet runs its transport systems on alternative resources such as palm oil. Eco-friendly cities are slowly developing around nurturing the environment, rather than exploiting it- with the consequences of a booming economy.

Sustainable development in a nutshell, is where society can develop and provide enough for everyone,, without the need to use irreplaceable and often harmful resources to keep it going. A great challenge to the 7 billion plus people that now live on our planet.

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