Just last night, I was able to watch Discovery Channel's Planet Green, a TV show on our impact on the environment, what scientists are doing about it, and how we can be more green in our lives.

Last night's episode was about renewable sources of energy. The sun is still by far a powerful source of energy that we are not utilizing much of. I should get a pen and paper next time I catch the next episode. The facts and figures presented are simply amazing!


Then there's the use of hydrogen as an alternative versus fossil fuels. Did you know that the sun is one big hydrogen ball? Well, that's one of the concerns with hydrogen ... containing it and making it safe. Well, one scientist in the US just discovered a way to do this. It was by accident... he mixed aluminum with gallium to form an alloy. Aluminum, when exposed to air, creates a film of aluminum oxide on its surface which prevents it from corroding. Gallium strips off the protective layer. The scientist then accidentally dropped the aluminum rod into water. This contact immediately resulted in a chemical reaction... the metal aggresively released bubbles: bubbles of hydrogen! What a simple solution! Tests are underway for this alloy to be mass-produced as pellets and then we can have hydrogen on demand! All one needs is water to get to the hydrogen. By end of 2008, we can see golf carts using this technology for starters.

And then there was also a section on ethanol. Here is a more complex story, because ethanol was being produced from corn kernels in Mexico whose people also use it extensively for tacos. With the demand for ethanol came a price increase of corn, prompting the concern for sustaining both the environment and the basic needs of people: food. And so scientist tried out ways to generate ethanol from biological waste products instead (wood shavings, vegetable and lawn matter). What they came up with is a genetically-manipulated lacto bacilli that will turn these organic waste into ethanol. Now, here is another issue in place, especially in our country where Catholicism has a strong influence and it totally disagrees with genetic manipulation. But that is a different story altogether...

Tune in to Planet Green on the Discovery Channel every Tuesday at 10PM for more mind-boggling green wonders!

Related links (didn't read these though):
Cleantech: Gallium and aluminum tigers in your tank?
Physorg.com: New process generates hydrogen from aluminum alloy to run engines, fuel cells