- Number 422 |
- September 15, 2014
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Tandem microwave destroys hazmat, disinfects
Dangerous materials can be destroyed, bacteria spores can be disinfected, and information can be collected that reveals the country of origin of radiological isotopes - all of this due to a commercial microwave modified by DOE’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). SRNL and Hadron Technologies have joined together to create a tandem-microwave that is part of the next level in advanced law enforcement and health safety technology.
Robin Brigmon, SRNL Senior Fellow Engineer, said the tandem microwave, fabricated from two commercial microwave ovens, can be used for the destruction of materials ranging from harmful viruses to methamphetamine, while still allowing for the DNA or chemical analysis of the destroyed material. He said it can also be used for disinfecting wastes, sterilizing materials, and modifying liquid waste to solid. -
Uncertainty gives scientists new confidence in search for novel materials
Scientists at Stanford University and DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have found a way to estimate uncertainties in computer calculations that are widely used to speed the search for new materials for industry, electronics, energy, drug design and a host of other applications.
The technique, reported in a recent issue of Science, should quickly be adopted in studies that produce some 30,000 scientific papers per year.
“Over the past 10 years our ability to calculate the properties of materials and chemicals, such as reactivity and mechanical strength, has increased enormously. It’s totally exploded,” said Jens Nørskov, a professor at SLAC and Stanford and director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, who led the research. -
Water scarcity and climate change through 2095
What will a global map of the availability or scarcity of water look like in 2095? Radically different, according to scientists at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, depending on the type and the stringency of the climate mitigation policies chosen to reduce carbon pollution. Climate mitigation policies that increase the growth of certain water-hungry biofuels may exacerbate water scarcity. Limited water resources could severely restrict emissions mitigation and climate adaptation.
In a first-of-its-kind comprehensive analysis, the team enhanced the Global Change Assessment Model to assess the impact of changing water supplies and demands that stem from a simultaneously evolving human population, economic system, technology, and climate. When they incorporated water use and availability in this computational engine and ran scenarios of possible climate mitigation policy targets, they found that without any climate policy to curb carbon emissions, half the world will be living under extreme water scarcity.