Day: March 14, 2022

Edwardsville pipeline leaked an estimated 165K gallons of oil. Some flowed into a creek

Read the full story in the Bellevelle News-Democrat.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has asked the Attorney General to enforce cleanup and other action by energy company Marathon Pipe Line after an estimated 165,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from its pipeline in Edwardsville, some of which flowed into a creek, according to the state agency.

The oil leak started Friday morning in Edwardsville near Illinois 143 and Old Alton Edwardsville Road and entered Cahokia Creek, which is parallel to the pipeline.

The cause of the leak was not immediately clear. Marathon wrote in a statement that an investigation will be conducted.

Webinar: Beyond the Workforce: Threading DEI into Supply Chains, Communities & Capital Investments

Mar 29, 2022, noon-1 pm CDT
Register here.

Integrating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) beyond your workforce can create a positive ripple effect across your entire value chain. Hear how one company is pulling levers in its supply chain, communities and through innovative partnerships to accelerate DEI.

Increasing participation of underrepresented stakeholders requires collaboration with stakeholders inside and outside of your org chart. Along with better understanding barriers to entry, this will create new opportunities for growth.

Supply chain accountability is one lever that can be pulled to strengthen DEI commitments. It minimizes and eliminates barriers and biases to amplify economic and social impact. Applying tried and tested procedures and playbooks to this often complicated pathway can help guide suppliers on this journey.

Similarly, applying a DEI lens to capital investments in innovation provides an opportunity for accelerating impact. A new Inclusion Challenge led by Nutrien and Radicle Growth is opening doors for diverse businesses and start-ups in agtech. This Inclusion Challenge will help increase awareness and address the barriers limiting access to early-stage capital among historically underrepresented groups.

Moderator

  • Theresa Lieb, Food Systems Analyst, GreenBiz Group

Speakers

  • Candace Laing, Vice President, Sustainability & Stakeholder Relations, Nutrien
  • Julie Ann Wriston, Manager, Supply Chain Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Potash, Nutrien
  • Neal Gutterson, Partner & CTO, Radicle Growth

Eradicating extreme poverty would have tiny impact on emissions, study finds

Read the full story at The Energy Mix.

Lifting hundreds of millions people out of “extreme poverty” would increase global emissions by less than 1%, says a study just published in Nature Sustainability.

The new research confirms the striking emissions inequality between rich and poor countries, with an average person in sub-Saharan Africa producing 0.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, compared to an average American’s annual footprint of 14.5tCO2.

Office buildings with infrequent water use may have poor water quality

Read the full story from Purdue University.

Low-consumption office buildings with infrequent water use could have chemical and microbiological safety issues, according to a new study. The research could have implications for office buildings used less frequently during pandemic lockdowns, and suggests that regular water testing in commercial buildings may be needed.

New technology fused with photosynthetic life offers path to green energy

Read the full story from Arizona State University.

Researchers have developed a patented hybrid device — part living organism, part bio battery, capable of producing stored energy by increasing energy flow under light conditions where natural photosynthesis is normally inhibited.

Insect wingbeats will help quantify biodiversity

Read the full story from the University of Copenhagen.

Insect populations are plummeting worldwide, with major consequences for our ecosystems and without us quite knowing why. A new AI method is set to help monitor and catalog insect biodiversity, which until now has been quite challenging.

Pine needles tell the story of PFAS in North Carolina

Read the full story from North Carolina State University.

The humble pine tree is more than just a common sight in North Carolina — it’s also a handy tool for monitoring the proliferation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our state over time.

Tracking the pulse of America’s rivers

Read the full story from Duke University.

Researchers are using modern sensor technology to automatically track oxygen levels and other stream vital signs 24/7, through changing seasons, floods and droughts.

In a new study, researchers analyzed at least a year’s worth of data from 222 rivers across the United States. The hope is that continuous tracking will get them closer to understanding the ‘pulse’ of streams, and how their ability to support life might change with land development and climate change.

Study: U.S. flood damage risk is underestimated

Read the full story from North Carolina State University.

In a new study, North Carolina State University researchers used artificial intelligence to predict where flood damage is likely to happen in the continental United States, suggesting that recent flood maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency do not capture the full extent of flood risk.

In the study, published in Environmental Research Letters, researchers found a high probability of flood damage – including monetary damage, human injury and loss of life – for more than a million square miles of land across the United States across a 14-year period. That was more than 790,000 square miles greater than flood risk zones identified by FEMA’s maps.

How to make algae fuel and feedstock less expensive

Read the full story in Popular Science

As the US tries to move toward a clean energy economy and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, it seems that biofuels are having their moment. These renewably sourced liquids could be a direct substitute of energy for petroleum-guzzling cars or industrial processes without necessarily needing to change the entire infrastructure of the power grid.

In particular, it seems the government is upping its focus on the green goo that could satisfy some of Americans’ energy needs: algae.

Earlier in February, the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced a new round of funding worth $19 million for projects that can increase the capabilities of working algal systems to capture carbon dioxide. The goals are two-fold: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to cultivate algae for biofuels and other bioproducts.

This announcement builds on previous years’ funding, including a round of grants totaling $8 million released in summer of 2021. Though these numbers pale in comparison to the Department of Energy’s total 2022 budget of $40.3 billion, algae bioenergy seems to be a growing interest—there’s even a new student competition to innovate with the water-based organisms.