Monday, October 31, 2011

Fertilizers and the Environment

     The topic of this blog is biological interaction with environmental chemicals.  Took me a little while to figure out what I was going to write about, but I finally stumbled upon fertilizers and the impact they can have on the environment around us.  There are two kinds of fertilizers: organic and inorganic.  I have decided to discuss about inorganic fertilizers and how it affects the environment.
     Many inorganic fertilizers are usually synthesized in the lab.  For instance using the "Haber-Bosch Process" produces ammonia as the end product.  The ammonia is added to fertilizers as feedstock and this becomes the inorganic fertilizer. I don't know about you, but ammonia in soil raises big red flags in my mind. The use of inorganic fertilizers have been increasing steadily in the last fifty years or so.  These synthesized fertilizers are mostly used to treat corn, barley, and even soy.  They can have beneficial effects when used in moderate amounts.
     Using excessive amounts of inorganic fertilizers can have some devastating effects, however.  "Over-fertilization" can throw off nutrient levels in the soil and it eats away the minerals that crops need. Using too much inorganic fertilizer can also cause something called "fertilizer-burn", where roots dry out and if not treated right away can cause the plant to die.
     The disadvantages of inorganic fertilizers are much worse than the disadvantages of organic fertilizers.  The biggest disadvantage that the organic fertilizers is that using too much of it could cause the plant to catch some form of disease.  Comparing it to inorganic fertilizers this is not that bad.  The problem is that it is much more expensive that inorganic fertilizers.  Because it is cheaper,  buyers tend to go for the inorganic fertilizers.  This is really unfortunate since organic fertilizers have a lot more benefits than the non-organic fertilizers.  The disadvantages are even better (if that makes any sense).

Source:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizer

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Water as a Green Solvent

     For this week, our class has to provide an example of when water is used as a green solvent.  Before I give my example, I would like to explain why water is a very good (if not the best) green solvent. Water is extremely safe to work with, it is beneficial to the environment, it is simple, and even cheap!  When you think that water couldn't get any better, it's physical properties top it off; water's temperature is very easy to control since it has very specific heat, water has very high surface tension (this is why water feels wet), and it allows molecules to move freely.
      An example where water is used as a green solvent is in sewer systems.  It starts when we flush the toilet.  The waste then goes to a large sewage system where it will undergo the first step of the treatment.  The first step involves the water sitting still, which allows the solids to sink (since they are heavier than water) and the scum to rise.  The solids are then removed and later end up in landfills.  The first stage removes about fifty percent of the solids and bacteria in the water.  The second stage removes about ninety percent of solids of and organic materials with the help of bacteria.  The water is constantly in motion, and this allows the bacteria to move around and eat anything in it's path.  The last stage includes the use of Chlorine to completely clean the water by killing any remaining bacteria and other wastes.
     The sewer example shows that water is very easy to work with to remove waste.  This process applies to many principles of green chemistry.  By using water we are avoiding chemicals that can potentially harm the environment, this process recycles water, it is very easy to monitor, and we do not have to worry about any chemical accidents!  Water is the greenest solvent anybody could ever use.  Because of this, water should be used whenever possible!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewage_treatment