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ed fry › Likes
Teen Decomposes Plastic Bag in Three Months | Wired Science | Wired.com - http://www.wired.com/wiredsc...
Sorin Lerinti, Don Faulkner, Jeanette Bosman and 111 other people liked this
"Plastic takes thousands of years to decompose — but 16-year-old science fair contestant Daniel Burd made it happen in just three months. The Waterloo, Ontario high school junior figured that something must make plastic degrade, even if it does take millennia, and that something was probably bacteria. The Record reports that Burd mixed landfill dirt with yeast and tap water, then added ground plastic and let it stew. The plastic indeed decomposed more quickly than it would in nature; after experimenting with different temperatures and configurations, Burd isolated the microbial munchers. One came from the bacterial genus Pseudomonas, and the other from the genus Sphingomonas. Burd says this should be easy on an industrial scale: all that’s needed is a fermenter, a growth medium and plastic, and the bacteria themselves provide most of the energy by producing heat as they eat. The only waste is water and a bit of carbon dioxide."
- April Buchheit
from Bookmarklet
So why is carbon sequestration a good idea when it's all complicated and expensive, but bad when it involves burying plastic bags in landfills?
- Paul Buchheit
I think it's better to sequester carbon as dirt than as bags.
- Gabe
But if it's already in plastic bag form, why not leave it that way instead of turning it into CO2?
- Paul Buchheit
Paul: that's exactly what I've been thinking. Particularly since the City of Seattle no longer allows residents to sequester food based carbon in landfills and instead requires us to burn it into compost.
- Hayes Haugen
Dirt is useful because you can grow stuff in it. Most waste products are not so useful.
- Gabe
Yes, but the choice isn't between dirt and plastic -- it's between plastic and CO2.
- Paul Buchheit
I have to agree with Paul on this one: atmospheric CO2 is much more of a pressing concern at the moment than landfill space. Though I do admire the kid's scientific spirit.
- Louis Simoneau
Concur with Louis and Paul. Here's an interesting Penn & Teller bit about landfills: http://www.youtube.com/watch... (from their Bullshit episode on Recycling myths).
- Stephen Mack
It doesn't say what the process actually produces. They mention the feed material (plastic) and the waste material (water, CO2), but not the real products. I assumed it produced globs of carbon. Am I wrong?
- Gabe
Why would you assume that Gabe?
- Paul Buchheit
the carbon in the CO2, perhaps?
- Jack Jones
Has nobody considered this for an artificial ecosystem? Compost your scraps for fertile soil, and compost your bags for the CO2 for the plants growing in it. Sure you'll need an airlock on your greenhouse (and an oxy mask whenever you enter it) but you'll have the best damned tomatoes on your street.
- Chris Charabaruk
You don't want to leave it in plastic form as it screws up the ocean large! Check this out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... I hope they can use this to make something that would eat the plastic in the ocean rather than the sea life dying from it.
- Luke Kilpatrick
Since it said that the waste products were CO2 and water, I assumed there were also non-waste products. The good thing about landfills is that they can later be mined for all the great things that were too cheap to recycle.
- Gabe
Yeah, I think landfills have an unjustly bad reputation. When properly managed, they are a great way to deal with garbage that our technology can't yet efficiently recycle. (we're saving for the future!)
- Paul Buchheit
that's great news. now i can really finish my threat to all my damn *invincible* plastic bags! (waves fist)
- ed fry
The two biggest problems with landfill are the leachate seeping into groundwater (or contaminating local soil) and methane (a greenhouse gas). Even if you can mitigate those problems, they're difficult to eliminate entirely, making the land almost useless once it's full.
- Gabe
Gabe, not to minimize the problems, but I live right next to Shoreline Ampitheather in Mountain View, which is built on landfill is proof that the landfill land is hardly useless.
- Stephen Mack
It's not just landfills, though. Take the large floating trash gyre of the Pacific, and its effects in the ecosystem. So the tiny little plastic balls in water are fake food, and animals eat them, and then die in various ways, lowering populations and making species even more fragile. Landfill may be a good way if it's contained and monitored more closely, or CO2, in various areas- such...
more...
- anna sauce
@anna at least he is coming up with a solution rather than just finding more things to complain about
- Chris Johnston
anna's right -- the problem is when the stuff ends up in the ocean. Landfills are a good way to keep the stuff out of the ocean.
- Gabe
Stop speculating and start experimenting!
- Dane Deasy
Lazy online commentators... ;)
- Dane Deasy
What's the risk in providing a specific kind of bacteria an unlimited food source?
- dthree
Old news.
- Will Higgins™
Pseudomonas is living even on tubes used in surgery. It is a major problem. It simply eats the plastic in a wet environment.
- Balint
Axis Of Awesome - 4 Four Chord Song (with song titles) - http://www.youtube.com/watch...
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ed fry liked this
Brad Williamson to Brad's feed, Media News and Analysis, Funny Pics and Videos, Funny Funny, TV Talk
"Keep Fucking That Chicken": Ernie Anastos, News Anchor, Curses On Air (VIDEO) --- Say hello to the new phrase that's sure to sweep the nation! - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009...
blackChinahand, Jimminy, CoG of FF, Diego | GreatSmurf and 32 other people liked this
"Legendary New York broadcaster Ernie Anastos had a momentary lapse of reason Wednesday night when he dropped the F-bomb live on TV. During some playful banter with local weatherman Nick Gregory, Anastos complimented Gregory, or at least attempted to, by saying, "It takes a tough man to make a tender forecast, Nick." Looking confused, Gregory responded, "I guess that's me." Without missing a beat, Anastos continued, "Keep fucking that chicken," a completely bewildering phrase that made co-anchor Dari Alexander's eyes bug out of her head. Gregory, for his part, just threw his hands up and shook his head."
- Brad Williamson
from Bookmarklet
This guy has no idea how famous he's about to become on the IntraWebz
- Brad Williamson
Finally something sensible from Fox *LOL*
- Rene, Pro Button Pusher
HAHAHAH
- bora "head" basman
Why is this a "video tape" of a screen and audio from the speakers? Just seem odd to me, is this how someone "records" their TV programs?
- Stephen Christian
ROFL
- Jim the Blatant
I swear, it feels like that guy belongs in an episode of Family Guy. If this vid become viral enough, I'm sure he'll make a cameo on there.
- Brad Williamson
WOW!...What does that even mean?
- LLnL
I DON'T KNOW!!! THAT'S WHY IT'S BRILLIANT!!!
- Brad Williamson
Did he just say what I think he said??? EPIC!!!
- Stephanie Segel
He meant to say plucking chicken
- Monique
indeed.. i wonder when i'll be seeing this in a motivational poster?
- ed fry
this was totally awesome, thanks for bumping lol
- bora "head" basman
Great phrase, but I think he said, "plucking."
- Laura Norvig
from iPod
CunkuOyle to CunkuOyle's feed, Funny Pics and Videos, Funny Funny, Meraklı FF �, Karikatür (Cartoon)
Vay it! İçim bi hoş oldu yeminle. =/ - http://meme.yahoo.com/shetain...
Eren Bostan, Beau Liening, Kol Tregaskes and 12 other people liked this
Bunu bi' erkek mi söylüo ? :S
- CunkuOyle
kopmamış
- Genufflect
Çocuk küçük daha yahu, geleceği mahvolabilirdi..
- CunkuOyle
UUUGghgfff
- İyi Aile Çocuğu
Böyle şaka mı olur arkadaş!!!
- CunkuOyle
Pek bi' hoşuna gitti bakıyorum da. Eğleniyor musun ? =)
- CunkuOyle
auch that's gotta hurt
- the king of the interweb
Mario and Luigi LEGO style - http://jeffisageek.posterous.com/mario-a...
Chieze Okoye, James Ferguson, Jonathan Hardesty and 4 other people liked this
I always loved playing as Luigi because I love his old school color scheme. Green mustache?! Hell yeah!
- Jonathan Hardesty
"We live in a society...dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology." Carl Sagan
ed fry, Joe Silence, John (bird whisperer) and Michael R. Bernstein liked this
time to go out and learn you some books!
- ed fry
Super Strength Substance Approaching Human Trials - http://science.slashdot.org/story...
ed fry liked this
First known binary star is discovered to be a triplet, quadruplet, quintuplet, sextuplet system - http://esciencenews.com/article...
ed fry liked this
New Internet Bill of Rights contender comes from... pirates? - http://arstechnica.com/tech-po...
ed fry liked this
Anti-Piracy Group Says That Just Talking About File Sharing Should Be Illegal - http://techdirt.com/article...
ed fry liked this
@HappyAtheist I "celebrate" with my family, but for me it's a celebration of the winter solstice.
ed fry liked this
@godlessgirl Dropbox is really handy. :) Lifehacker has articles on getting more out of it.
ed fry liked this
@godlessgirl if you sleep on your side you should put a pillow between your legs. Better for your back.
ed fry liked this
Reform will save families money, will save businesses money and will save government money. It has to pass on our watch. http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-...
ed fry liked this
RT: @wikiHow A London Mom goes into surprise labor and Dad uses wikiHow to successfully deliver the baby. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol... - Wow.
ed fry and Sue - Friendfeed is best liked this
Dragonforce - Through the Fire and Flames on Mario Paint Composer - http://www.youtube.com/watch...
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Ⓐ ☠ slayerboy ☠ Ⓐ, ed fry and Tanath liked this
Google making Waves across all its Apps? - http://www.engadget.com/2009...
Thomas Power, Kol Tregaskes, ed fry and 3 other people liked this
he hates sandcastles (:
Wulffy, bibeduck, Hakan D. and 39 other people liked this
I chuckle every time I see this. :)
- Bluesun 2600
cute. :o)
- Rob Sellen :o)
amazing lol
- eric
bumpworthy daily just for the smile. :o)
- Rob Sellen :o)
I'll like this one every time I see it! :)
- JR
makes me LOL everytime.....
- Stephanie Segel
I posterous'd it ;o)
- Rob Sellen :o)
LoLmaker
- iwfx!
Miracle Berry Fruit Tablets - http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffein...
ed fry liked this
The Assclown Offensive: How to Enrage the Church of Scientology - http://www.wired.com/culture...
ed fry liked this
anon ftw
- ed fry
Zero Punctuation : Scribblenauts - http://www.reddit.com/r...
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ed fry liked this
holy crap i lolled so hard. this is right on the money about the game
- ed fry
Check out: "How to turn a spare Linux machine into a media server | News | TechRadar UK" (http://www.techradar.com/news...).
Post-tits
Andy Bakun, ed fry, Parth Awasthi and vijay liked this
"Kid's bracelet" for sale
Iain Baker, Charley M, SOMEBODY! and 4 other people liked this
That has to be fake!
- rowlikeagirl
Ew, and it's the rope kind as well (the metal or nylon string kind are more hygienic because they can actually be thoroughly sanitized in a dishwasher). Someone's gonna get wrist-herpes.
- SOMEBODY!
*laughing* Awesome! (snagged from a friend of a friend to share)
Felipe Calegario, Derek Coward, rowlikeagirl and 22 other people liked this
LOLbama!
- John (bird whisperer)
It does sometimes seem that some of the Republicans are a batch of whiny kids *grin*
- Rene, Pro Button Pusher
Nice. :D
- Steven Perez
New Desktop Background.
- tehKenny
May we share and send it forward?
- Johnice Reid
Yes! By all means! :) :) :)
- Prosey BUTTONS!
Still funny. :-)
- John (bird whisperer)
Can you see the game alright? - http://ihasahotdog.com/2009...
Nicholas Kreidberg, Mike Nencetti, The Amber and 5 other people liked this
Jusst let me know if my sitting here, waiting to go out to PEE blocks your view, okay?
- Jim the Blatant
from Bookmarklet
Nothing quite like doggy snot on the camera lens to say Good morning.
- Brent - Yes I am
L.....M.....F.....A.....O
- MoTO Poppet
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