Nanotechnologys Impact on the Field of Catalysis

Nanotechnologys Impact on the Field of Catalysis   Mohammed Yusuf What is Nanocatalysis? The word Nanocatalysis is made up of two parts, nano and catalysis. Lets begin my tackling the first part. Nano, short for nanotechnology, is the study of extremely small things, and their applications to society. 1 nanometre is a billionth of a meter (Nano.gov, 2016). And as for catalysis, this refers to a chemical reaction bought about by a catalyst, with a catalyst being a substance that makes it possible for a reaction to be faster, by matching chemicals together quicker (Northwestern, 1999).   Nanotechnology and catalysis go together so well because in order for a catalyst to be as good as possible, it needs to have a large surface area. This allows the catalyst to interact with as much of the reactants as possible. Why I am researching Nanocatalysis? I decided to pursue this topic because the entire chemical industry is dominated by catalysts, nearly every product created via chemical reactions has been produced with the help of a catalyst. Furthermore, I chose this topic because of its futurology aspect its a well-known fact that global warming is slowly destroying our habitat, Earth. According to NASA, the carbon dioxide levels are the highest they have ever been in 650,000 years. This is contributing to the fact that our global temperature is up 1.4o F since 1880 (climate.nasa.gov, 2016). However, the scientists of this world arent just accepting this as our collective future, nanotechnology being used for catalysis has reinvented catalyst designing, and now catalysts can be designed to absorb harmful chemicals and gases that contribute to global warming. Because of nanotechnology, catalyst membranes can be modified to remove unwanted molecules from liquids and gases through the membrane design. (Nanowerk, 2010) What will this report be about?   Ã‚   This report will look into how nanotechnology is reinventing catalysis, Nanocatalysis real world applications, how it could be used to combat global warming, how Nanocatalysis is saving money and   how it is a safe alternative to ordinary catalyst. However, we will also dive into the problems that face the industry of Nanocatalysis, how it could pose health and safety issues to humans and how nanotechnology is very difficult to control. Efficiency: There are two types of catalysts, Heterogeneous and Homogenous. Heterogeneous catalysts are in different phases to the reactants, they are solid while the reactants are liquid. However Homogeneous catalysts are in the same phase as the reactants, if they are liquid, gas or solid so are the reactants. The key objective to making nanocatalysts work is making them as efficient as possible, stabilizing catalysts has been an issue for a very long time you need the catalyst to have a long lifetime, with a very high selectivity (more desired products formed). According toP. Nagaraju Rao, A good stabilizer is one that protects the nanoparticles during the catalytic process, but does not neutralize the surface of nanoparticles resulting in loss of catalytic activity. Catalyst stabilizers come in many forms, from metals to polymers. To increase efficiency as much as possible, scientists have used nanotechnology to create nanocatalysts supports. Through the discovery of a porous aluminium oxide powder, scientists have been able to improve efficiency. Dr Brian Woodfield and David Selck have used this porous material, with its huge network of pores, each 3 nanometres in length, and have filled each pore with expensive catalytic metals each pore 30,000 times smaller than a human hair. This may sound expensive, purchasing platinum and using it to fill holes, but it is on such a small scale that it is saving a huge amount of money. So, in theory, you are using less metal but each tiny piece of metal adds up to produce a huge surface area. In industry, clumps of platinum used to be used which is outrageous. Since it is a known fact that only the atoms on the surface that are exposed to the reaction are useful, this type of nanocatalysts saves so much time, money and effort. Dr Brian Woodfield and David Selck are wor king on producing tiny 1 nanometre crystals of these expensive metals and placing them in porous aluminium oxide, so every atom in the metal is being used. This streamlines production and therefore it improves efficiency. (Cougar Cosmos, 2011)[DS1] Improving reaction yield: Nanocatalysts are more efficient than normal catalysts, as I have established. This major advantage leads to a higher yield of the desired product in a chemical reaction. A real world example of this would be the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil, where the Solid acid nanocatalysis of Al0.9H0.3PW12O40 nanotubes with double acid sites yield 96% of biodiesel from waste cooking oil as compared to 42.6% with conventional H3PW12O40 catalyst.   (P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010) Absorbing harmful gas emissions: By controlling the pore size of the catalytic membranes in nanocatalysts, you can alter them to remove unwanted molecules, such as harmful gases such as CO2 (global warming) and NO2 (ozone depletion), (Nanowerk, 2016). And through further experimentation by chemical engineers, leading nanotechnology research company Oxonica have produced a nano-diesel fuel additive which decreases fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful emissions. This rock solid research has gone through years of large-scale trials. The science behind this is truly staggering through the utilization of Cerium oxide nanoparticles in the early stages of combustion, the peak pressure of reaction is reduced. This has a knock on effect, because this reduced pressure results in less NOx emission. This prolongs combustion, which leads to a reduction in inburnt hydrocarbon and, ultimately, a decrease in fuel consumption of up to 9%. This research can be applied to nanocatalysts, the genius of the resea rchers behind this discovery used fundamental physics knowledge to manufacture a product that makes the engine do more work for the same fuel used which can be also be done with catalysts! (P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010) Global warming is a very pressing issue, with the 10 warmest years ever recorded being logged since 1997 its these small improvements in existing reactions that add up to something phenomenal. (Friends of the Earth briefing, 2010) Karine Philippot and Philippe Sers research paper into the concepts of nanocatalysis perfectly outlines the benefits of nanocatalysts, as opposed to normal catalysts. Figure 1. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Shows us how nanomaterials are more efficient than regular materials. Figure 2. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Shows us how smaller particles (nanocatalysts) have higher selectivity than larger particles. Figure 3. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Shows how nanocatalysts have larger surface area than traditional catalysts. Lack of support from investors: Although the future for nanocatalysts look bright, it needs funding and support from investors to kick off and dominate the chemical industry. Investors are not heavily investing in research of newer types of catalysts. Instead, they are only investing in commercially approved nanocatalysts such as industrial enzymes. This is very worrying, as research into newer types of nanocatalysts is vital for this field to continue to improve. This wont happen if well-established nanocatalysts continue to receive the lions share of funding and investment. Lack of support from market: Funding may be vital, but so is good commercial performance. Newer nanocatalysts have a hard time finding buyers, as corporations continue to buy commercially well-established nanocatalysts. Commercially well-established nanocatalysts such as zeolites take up 98% of all global sales, which is a staggering figure. Hopefully, through more academic research companies will begin to venture into newer forms of nanocatalysts. (P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010) The market will eventually embrace nanocatalysis: Global Industry Analysts, Inc. predict that nanocatalysis will receive huge interest in the future, as global warming becomes more apparent and companies are either forced to, or willingly embrace more environmentally friendly methods. The global market for nanocatalysts is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2020 with nanocatalysts focused on removing harmful greenhouse gasses receiving the most attention. The strength growth of automobile production in India and China means the Asia-Pacific will emerge as the fastest growing market. They believe automobile production will be a huge revenue stream for this global market as nano-catalytic converters will be become the new norm for the automobile industry. This makes sense, with the astonishing rise of the electric car, fuel based cars will eventually be phased out of society due to global warming concerns nano-catalytic converters can add a breath of life to this dying business. (Strategyr.com. 2015[DS2]) Furthermore, Global Industry Analysts, Inc. also point to the growing focus on reducing emissions in coal-fired power plants, stringent emission control norms and increasing adoption in waste water treatment. Figure 4. (Global Industry Analysts Inc. 2016.) Nanocatalysts vs catalysts: Normal, expensive metal, catalysts have been used for a very long time this doesnt truly mean they are better. Lets take platinum as an example, which suffers from low efficiency, slow kinetics, high costs and a very short lifetime. Nanocatalysts are efficient, save money, durable and have a high stability. They are essentially the new generation of catalysts. But that doesnt mean that the old will be phased out. As Ive discussed previously, engineers and material scientists such as Dr Brian Woodfield and David Selck are using highly expensive metals such as platinum and putting them in porous nanocatalysts supports to the point where so little of the expensive metal is being used, that the actual cost is reduced extensively. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Therefore, it would be better to classify nanocatalysis as an evolution, drawing from the old norms of chemistry and material science and using the theory behind this to reinvent the standard. Through secondary research, I was able to gather information from a large number of sources. At the start of this research, I had many goals and vague ideas about what nanocatalysis had the potential to be. Through extensive research I was able to establish that nanocatalysts will be essential to solving large scale issues such as global warming by transitioning the world from large emissions of greenhouse gases to low emissions of these harmful gases. This will have huge effects on the world, with deals such as the Paris Climate Agreement put in place to ensure global warming isnt the end of the world, nanocatalysis will surely be a card government and corporations will be playing. I was also able to establish, through my research, that nanocatalysis is soon to be a very lucrative industry. Industrial predictions show that since nanocatalysts save money, improve efficiency, selectivity and yield it will grow to be a $7.2 billion dollar global market to put this into perspective, this is more than double the valuation of the Cyprus stock exchange. (Visual Capitalist, 2016) Nanotechnology may be the science of extremely small things, but it has a big future ahead of it. 2066 words including citations. YouTube, 2011. Nanocatalysis Smaller, Cheaper, More Efficient [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufVYz-dBJGA [Accessed 17 Aug. 2016] P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010. Nanocatalysis: Applications in Chemical Industry. Nanotech, Volume 1 (Issue 1), Page 13-21 Friends of the Earth, 2010, Briefing: Climate Change Facts. [Online] Available at: https://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/climate_change_facts.pdf [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016] Strategyr.com, (n.d). Nanocatalyst Market Trends. [Online] Available at: http://www.strategyr.com/MarketResearch/Nanocatalysts_Market_Trends.asp [Accessed 13 Aug. 2016] Nano.gov, (n.d). What is Nanotechnology? [Online} Available at: http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition [Accessed 2 Aug. 2016] visualcapitalist.com, (2016). All of the Worlds Stock Exchanges by Size. [Online] Available at: http://www.visualcapitalist.com/all-of-the-worlds-stock-exchanges-by-size/ [Accessed 20 Aug. 2016] Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013. Nanomaterials in Catalysis. Germany: Wiley-VCH, Page 25 Climate.nasa.gov, (2016). Global Climate Change: Vital Signs if the Planet. [Online] Available at: http://climate.nasa.gov/ [Accessed 4 Aug. 2016] Chemguide.co.uk, (2016). The Effect of Catalysts on Reaction Rates. [Online] Available at: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/catalyst.html [Accessed 4 Aug. 2016] Northwestern.edu, (1999). What is Catalysis? [Online] Available at: http://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/northwestern/winter1999/winter99coverstoryside1.htm [Accessed 16 Aug. 2016] [DS1]This is not the format for Harvard referencing. [DS2]Good use of examples in this paragraph. [DS3]Should be in alphabetical order.   

Jon Benet Ramsey Case

Michael Pilkington 10/14/12 Ms. Chiolo Forensics JonBenet Ramsey Case Many people know about the JonBenet Ramsey case. This case had to do with when a young girl was killed and found in her own basement. In the JonBenet case there were problems with the investigation, different theories about the murder, and the media had an influence in the case. One problem with the JonBenet Ramsey case was that some evidence wasn’t collected.For example there was a flashlight found that could have been the murder weapon that wasn’t collected as evidence. Another problem was that some of the detectives ego got in the way of solving the case. For example Boulder, Colorado police denied help from the FBI, even though they have had no experience with murder cases that have national attention. One major problem was that the procedure that the police used for the case was improper. The police didn’t separate the parents even when they were both suspects. The media and the â€Å"co urt of public opinion† played a big role in the case.One way was that the media instantly blamed the parents for murdering JonBenet. The media had a couple of theories of how JonBenet was killed. One way was that JonBenet wet her bed and the mom got very mad and killed her. Another theory was that JonBenet’s brother killed her because she got a lot of attention from being in beauty pageants for girls, and he wanted more attention. The media trashed the Ramsey’s reputation by making people think that they were guilty. Since the media labeled the Ramseys guilty, people were close-minded to other ideas of what else could of actually happened.There was one theory though that was the most likely of being true. This theory was called the intruder theory. There were a couple of ways this was the most likely way JonBenet died. One piece of evidence that supports the intruder theory is that there was a unlocked basement window that had been recently opened and closed, and that an intruder could have gotten entry to the house from. Another piece of evidence was that there was DNA on JonBenet’s body that was male, and didn’t match another family member. Also there was a similar attack months later that was similar to the JonBenet Ramsey murder.There was a man who broke into a house (that is close by to the Ramsey house) and sexually assaulted a 14 year old girl. Upon reviewing how the investigation was done from the start it is apparent that the media and the Boulder Colorado police department did not help in solving the case. It is unfortunate that Mrs. Ramsey passed away and that the rest of the family has been unable to see justice done. I do believe in some of the other theories and hope that with the help of time and persistence with the Police and the FBI they will eventually solve the case.

Find a Review for a Film, Preferably One That You Have Seen Essay

According to the distinctions made in Chapter Ten, how is the reviewer approaching the film. Joe Morgenstern presents his review in a formalist manner. A formalist film analysis is concerned with elements such as plot structure, mise en scene, camera techniques, editing, and sound. A formalist film analysis that is strictly concerned with narrative elements, however, might ignore most or all of its cinematic techniques to focus on characters, plot development, story structure, motifs, foreshadowing, motivation, and the like (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). Morgenstern opens his analysis with a description of the opening scene in this film. He compares the thunderous action of the first scene to the thunderous action that is a hallmark of the producing franchise, and furthers that thought by explaining that the director J. J. Abrams, puts â€Å"explosive charges in our heads and then sets them off† (Morgenstern, 2006, para. 1). He further explains that there is nothing really new to the audience in the presentation of the action film. He explores the attempt of the story to present the main character and hero, Ethan Hunt, as having human side. He describes this attempt as somewhat of a failure. He is quoted as saying â€Å"Ethan has no human side. Ethan has a shooting side, a climbing-and leaping side and a swinging-and-dangling side. And a running side† (Morgenster, 2006, para. 2). Morgenstern explains the character and the action of the film with these quotes. He explains the plot. â€Å"It’s about blowing things up. It’s also an action-thriller variant of dentistry — extracting an IMF agent from a torture chamber in Berlin, extracting the villain from a fancy function at the Vatican, and finally extracting Ethan Hunt from the Chinese lair of his tormentors in order to make sure that the villain can’t blow everything up† (Morganstern, 2006, para. 5). Most of his review is a description of the characters and mise en scene of the film. To what degree does the review acknowledge the public perception of the film? Morgenstern explains the film as delivering the summer escapism that the general public desires. He describes the film by saying, â€Å"the summer’s first action epic does exactly what it’s supposed to do, more clearly than â€Å"M:i:I,† and more likeably than â€Å"M:i:II† (Morganstern, 2006, para. 4) What evidence does each review provide to illustrate main points and claims? Morgenstern reviews actual action scenes from the movie and offers them up to the reader as evidence of the action in the film. He even clearly defines how the scenes with Julia, Ethan’s wife, are shot like, â€Å"super graphics,† and fail the feeling desired. Do any words or phrases capture the essence of the reviewer’s attitude toward the film? I think the quote mentioned above where he describes the film as delivering what it is supposed to deliver says it all. He remains uncommitted as to what his personal preference would be, but goes to great lengths to describe the action scenes in the movie in a favorable way. Additionally, please share with the class exactly which sources you rely on, as a member of the general audience, to evaluate whether or not you will see a movie. I follow the previews of movies. If the preview catches my interest, I am usually a ticket buyer. I do sometimes get disappointed when the preview encapsulates the entire movie. The only exception would be the horror genre. I like to be scared at the movies and view macabre and disturbing content. I might attempt that type of movie without having seen a preview. I also follow the actors in a movie. I have never seen a bad movie with Morgan Freeman as the main character, so sometimes I follow the â€Å"stars. †

What is Wrong with Eating Chicken

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the consumption of chicken in the United States has been climbing steadily since the 1940s, and is now close to that of beef. Just from 1970 to 2004, chicken consumption more than doubled, from 27.4 pounds per person per year, to 59.2 pounds. But some people are swearing off chicken because of concerns about animal rights, factory farming, sustainability and human health. Chickens and Animal Rights Killing and eating an animal, including a chicken, violates that animals right to be free of abuse and exploitation. The animal rights position is that it is wrong to use animals, regardless of how well they are treated prior to or during slaughter. Factory Farming - Chickens and Animal Welfare The animal welfare position differs from the animal rights position in that people who support animal welfare believe that using animals is not wrong, as long as the animals are treated well. Factory farming, the modern system of raising livestock in extreme confinement, is an often-cited reason for people going vegetarian. Many who support animal welfare oppose factory farming because of the suffering of the animals. More than 8 billion broiler chickens are raised on factory farms in the United States annually. While egg-laying hens are kept in battery cages, broiler chickens - the chickens who are raised for meat - are raised in crowded barns. Broiler chickens and laying hens are different breeds; the former having been bred to gain weight quickly and the latter having been bred to maximize egg production. A typical barn for broiler chickens might be 20,000 square feet and house 22,000 to 26,000 chickens, which means there is less than one square foot per bird. The crowding facilitates the rapid spread of disease, which can lead to an entire flock being killed to prevent an outbreak. In addition to the confinement and crowding, broiler chickens have been bred to grow so large so quickly, they experience joint problems, leg deformities, and heart disease. The birds are slaughtered when they are six or seven weeks old, and if allowed to grow older, often die of heart failure because their bodies are too large for their hearts. The method of killing is also a concern to some animal advocates. The most common method of slaughter in the U.S. is the electric immobilization slaughter method, in which live, conscious chickens are hung upside down from hooks and dipped into an electrified water bath to stun them before their throats and cut. Some believe that other methods of killing, such as controlled atmosphere stuning, are more humane to the birds. To some, the solution to factory farming is raising backyard chickens, but as explained below, backyard chickens use more resources than factory farms and the chickens are still killed in the end. Sustainability Raising chickens for meat is inefficient because it takes five pounds of grain to produce a single pound of chicken meat. Feeing that grain directly to people is much more efficient and uses far fewer resources. Those resources include the water, land, fuel, fertilizer, pesticides and time required to grow, process and transport the grain so that it could be used as chicken feed. Other environmental problems associated with raising chickens include methane production and manure. Chickens, like other livestock, produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas and contributes to climate change. Although chicken manure can be used as a fertilizer, disposal and proper management of manure is a problem because there is often more manure than can be sold as fertilizer and the manure pollutes the groundwater as well as the water that runs off into lakes and streams and causes algae blooms. Allowing chickens to roam free in a pasture or back yard requires even more resources than factory farming. Obviously more land is needed to give the chickens space, but also more feed is needed because a chicken running around a yard is going to burn more calories than a confined chicken. Factory farming is popular because, despite its cruelty, it is the most efficient way to raise billions of animals per year. Human Health People do not need meat or other animal products to survive, and chicken meat is no exception. One could stop eating chicken or go vegetarian, but the best solution is to vegan and abstain from all animal products. All of the arguments about animal welfare and the environment also apply to other meats and animal products. The American Dietetic Association supports vegan diets. Furthermore, the portrayal of chicken as a healthy meat is exaggerated, since chicken meat has almost as much fat and cholesterol as beef, and can harbor illness-causing microbes such salmonella and lysteria. The main organization advocating for chickens in the United States is United Poultry Concerns, founded by Karen Davis. Davis book exposing the poultry industry, Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs is available on the UPC website. Have a question or comment? Discuss in the Forum.