Posts by: Elsa Wenzel
Laser printers don't emit harmful toner dust, study says
Elsa Wenzel | Dec 05, 2008
Tiny bits of toner wafting from laser printers can't be blamed for polluting indoor air, according to research released this week.
In 2007, a study from Queensland University of Technology in Australia suggested that breathing toner particles from printers could hurt the lungs as much cigarette smoke.
But researchers from that school and the Fraunhofer Wilhelm Klauditz Institute in Germany have found no evidence to support that claim, after examining the makeup of chemicals released from laser printers.
They determined that such airborne materials include paraffins and silicon oils that evaporate when a printer's fixing unit, which attaches dry toner ink to paper, reaches temperatures as high as 428 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Could nanotech create speech-powered phones?
Elsa Wenzel | Dec 04, 2008
A variety of off-grid devices use the wind, the sun, or fuel cells to power up small electronics. But what if you could charge your cell phone just by talking into it, eliminating the need for batteries or cords?
What if power cords and batteries were a thing of the past? (Credit: CBS Interactive)
What would make this possible is piezoelectricity, in which a mechanical force is converted to electricity. Car cigarette lighters are a common example. When they're punched in, pressure on a crystal within produces voltage, creating a spark.
In principle, the pressure to power a device could come from sound vibrations.
Crafting such piezoelectric electronics would require sensors with a specific size of crystal or ceramic material. Engineers say they have taken an early step by identifying a sweet spot at which a crystal could produce energy.
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"Green" gadgets need better labeling, report says
Elsa Wenzel | Nov 28, 2008
Unclear product labeling prevents many consumers from buying affordable, energy-efficient electronics, and companies making "greener" goods aren't getting proper credit, according to a recent report.
HDTVs, desktop computers, laptops, and printers are among the electronics that online-survey respondents seek the most for green qualities. Green cred is less of an issue, in their eyes, for GPS devices, digital cameras, and other small, low-power devices.
More than half of those polled said their lack of awareness interferes with buying gadgets that consume modest amounts of energy, use recycled packaging and low-toxic materials, and offer recycling options. Forty-five percent named price as the biggest turn-off to purchasing such products.
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Solar power for toxic waste sites?
Elsa Wenzel | Oct 06, 2008
Interactive EPA maps for Google Earth expand on the data shown here.
(Credit: EPA)
The agency says 850,000 acres it has cleaned up, among 15 million contaminated acres total, are exceptional destinations for clean-power companies, in part due to the low cost and existing infrastructure there. Plus, brownfields, former mines, and Superfund sites are unattractive for most commercial and residential development, especially in rural areas.
Demand for cleaner forms of energy will expand by 31 percent over the next quarter-century, according to the Department of Energy. Its National Renewable Energy Laboratory worked with the EPA to suggest destinations for green-energy projects.
However, the Christian Science Monitor and others voice concern about the safety of workers who would build and staff these renewable-energy plants.
Early in 2007 the EPA made data about toxic wastelands available for the public to map with Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey is also online, in formats including XML and RSS.
Solar cell breaks world record for efficiency
Elsa Wenzel | Aug 19, 2008
Their cell converted 40.8 percent of light into electricity at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. They subjected the cell to the equivalent concentrated light of 326 suns.
Researchers grew the solar cell upside down on a wafer of gallium arsenide rather than thick germanium, and then removed the wafer.
The development could lead to flexible, lightweight solar cells used in land-bound, concentrated photovoltaics as well as in space satellites.
The previous record for photovoltaic efficiency was 40.7 percent. Scientist Mark Wanlass is credited for leading that design. A key innovation in those multi-junction solar cells was to space their atoms at uneven intervals. Researcher John Geisz led the team that expanded Wanlass' work to improve efficiency.
Via CNET News
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