Missouri S&T researcher Glenn Morrison's paper about interfacial chemistry in indoor environments is the cover story for the latest issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. You might know Morrison better from his previous research on greasy hair and clean air, in which he pointed out that unwashed hair absorbs more ozone than cleaner hair.

In ES&T journal, Morrison discusses the state of indoor ozone research.

Chemistry taking place at the “human surface” is emerging as an important factor in our understanding of ozone exposure and reaction products. This became apparent in experiments with simulated aircraft cabins, densely occupied with human subjects. The researchers concluded that aircraft occupants are major ozone sinks -- larger than the carpet, seats, and a soiled HEPA filter combined. On the basis of questionnaires completed by the aircraft occupants, they concluded that ozone and its oxidation products had adverse effects on 12 of 29 self-reported symptoms. Evaluation of individual aircraft surfaces, in small-chamber experiments, confirmed the reactivity findings (14). Thus, the collective reactivity of humans in densely occupied settings, such as a classroom, will reduce ozone exposure and increase exposure to skin-oil reaction products. In studies of ozone reaction with human hair, researchers found that the ozone reaction probability for hair is large (>10–4) relative to other indoor surfaces (15). Model analysis suggests that the boundary layer of air surrounding the body, including the breathing zone, may become significantly ozone-depleted and oxidation-product-rich.

Posted by Andrew Careaga at 05:18 PM in Environment | Permalink | Comments (0)| add to del.icio.us | TrackBacks (0)

Missouri S&T grad Michel Barsoum thinks the ancient Egyptians can teach us some things about materials science. At MIT, Barsoum recently presented evidence that a revolutionary kind of cement was used to put the Great Pyramids together 4,500 years ago.

Posted by Lance Feyh at 07:55 AM in Materials | Permalink | Comments (0)| add to del.icio.us | TrackBacks (0)

Brazil's state-controlled oil company recently announced that it can "sink pipes and pump crude from Tupi, overcoming increasing heat and pressure at greater depths," but our resident petroleum expert, Shari Dunn-Norman ,says she's not so sure.

Gabrielli's schedule for tapping Tupi may be too ambitious because production technology tends to lag behind exploration technology by 5 to 10 years, said Shari Dunn-Norman, who teaches petroleum engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri.

``Production always lags behind our ability to find deposits in the deep water,'' said Dunn-Norman, a former Atlantic Richfield Co. engineer. ``They're being very aggressive.''

Via Bloomberg.

Posted by Mindy Limback at 08:15 PM in Energy | Permalink | Comments (0)| add to del.icio.us | TrackBacks (0)

Every year, more than 30 billion water bottles are added to America's landfills, creating a mountainous environmental problem. But if research at Missouri S&T is successful, the plastic bottles of the future could literally disappear within four months of being discarded.

The days or weeks even that it might take you to throw away that plastic water bottle in back of your car is nothing compared to the time it takes to decompose in a landfill.

Try never.

But new research from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla may help whittle decomposition time to about four months, helping solve a major environmental problem.

The research team is constructing new kinds of biodegradeable and bioavailable plastics to help reduce the amount of time the plastic stays in the nation's rapidly filling landfills. Bioavailable plastics contain substances that can be absorbed by living organisms such as plants.

Via St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Posted by Mindy Limback at 07:37 PM in Environment | Permalink | Comments (0)| add to del.icio.us | TrackBacks (0)

The trip wasn't about partying. It was about passing on what they know to help save lives.
"At first they were like why are you here and then we were like we wanna help you," mentioned sophomore and engineering management major Alexis Campbell, "So they were very welcoming."
"When we were talking to them anytime we came up, talked about water they would just say, 'Yes! Yes!', told senior and civil engineering major Dan Kientz, "Because they know it's a big problem and it's why their children get sick."
Water samples they collected showed traces of bacteria, E. coli and coliform in the area.

Posted by Mindy Limback at 02:15 PM in Engineers Without Borders | Permalink | Comments (0)| add to del.icio.us | TrackBacks (0)