Study of energy and health in Africa focuses spotlight on charcoal and forest management
A new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Harvard School of Public Health finds that promoting cleaner, more efficient technologies for producing charcoal in Africa can save millions of lives and have significant climate change and development benefits. The African continent, as well as many developing nations in Asia and Latin America, is dependent on b...Fluoride poisoning in China due to clay, not coal
Millions of people in southwest China suffer from potentially-crippling fluoride poisoning because they burn a mixture of clay and coal, say researchers. Because of this belief, last year, the...New nano-canary in the nanotoxicology coalmine: The body itself
There is growing consensus among scientists, regulators, politicians, industry and the public that we need to know more about the possible harmful or adverse effects of nanoparticles on human health. Likewise, most agree that these incredibly small materials can behave quite differently from conventional materials. Nonetheless, neighborhood stores feature products that promise benefits f...Lower carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fueled power plants possible with technology development
A more economical technology for a 90 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fueled power plants is being developed by a chemical engineer and his colleagues at The University of Texas at Austin as part of the TXU Carbon Management Program. TXU Power, a subsidiary of TXU Corp., will donate $1.8 million to the university in support of Chemical Engineering Professor Gary Ro...Activated charcoal for poisoning treatment
Activated charcoal, a poison antidote used in emergency rooms for decades, can be easily used in children at home and may help prevent a trip to the hospital. The substance is a fine powder form of processed charcoal that binds to many types of poisons and can keep them from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Stocked by some pharmacies, it can be mixed at home with water, juice or soft...Endometriosis coalesced with genes
The scientists, from deCODE genetics and Iceland's National University Hospital, ascertained that having a cousin with endometriosis raises a woman's risk by more than 62 per cent.//Endometriosis is a painful condition where endometrial tissue, which is normally found only in the lining of the uterus, develops outside the womb. The tissue attaches itself to ligaments and organs in the abd...Jets Can Now Be Propelled By Coal-based Fuel
A fuel derived from bituminous coal, which is comparable to Jet A or military JP 8, has been successfully tested in a helicopter jet engine and can now be used for propelling the jets in future, according to a Penn State fuel scientist. // "Because the fuel is 50 percent derived from coal, it could reduce our use of imported petroleum for this purpose by half," says Dr. Harold H. Scho...Coal Stoves May Be Banned In 3 Himachal Towns
After Shimla, use of coal heating stoves and fireplaces are likely to be banned from three other hill stations of Himachal Pradesh. // Heating coal stoves and fireplaces were banned in Shimla some eight years ago by the state government cleaning the town's air significantly in winters. Experts say burning coal on a large- scale leads to emission of dangerous gases into the...An Inconvenient Truth-Coal to Liquid
From Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" to heated Congressional debates about federal tax incentives for new alternative fuels, the issue of coal's place in supplying America's energy and fuel needs has taken on added importance in recent months. A research institute at the University of Kentucky, though, has been exploring ways to increase the efficiency of converting coal to liqui...