waste

Believing that the healthy lasts less is changing how we eat (and how much we waste)

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Today, knowing how much a food really lasts has become almost a mystery. How much does a pepper in the fridge endure? Why does that apple have been in the fruitman for a week and nobody eats it? Have you spoiled or simply believe it? This confusion could be causing something else, an unnecessary increase in food waste. Short. Many foods come with labels such as “consuming preferably before”, “expiration date”, or even “packaged the …”, which has always been interpreted as a deadline for food security. However, According to EFSA (European Food Security Agency), this type of labeling does not mean that food is not safe after that date, but could lose quality, not security. There is a study behind. Between 2018 and 2024, more than 3,500 consumers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Korea participated in an academic study in eight parts, Published in the Journal of Marketing Research. The objective of research was to understand how the perception of “healthy foods” affects their management and consumption. In one of the experiments, scientists asked participants to classify six products (cereals, snack bars, protein bars, yogurt, cookies and fried potatoes) in two categories: those who considered healthier and those who believed they would expire faster. The majority assumed that the food considered “healthier” were the ones who thought they would spoil before. Jeehye Christine Kim, professor at the University of Virginia and co -author of the study, explained it as follows: “This is due to the lack of knowledge about the deterioration of food. Consumers apply what they know about fresh fruits and vegetables to packaged foods, even when it is not logical to do it.” But there is something else. Research has shown that consumers were more likely to throw healthy food as their expiration date approached than to discard less healthy products in the same situation. However, researchers have given him a name: Heuristic Health. An automatic assumption that leads to think that, if a food is healthy, it must also be more perishable. That belief is born from the real experience with fresh fruits and vegetables – which are spoiled quickly – and is erroneously applied to packaged products such as yogurts or bars. To that is added another factor: the fear of making mistakes. As we do not always know how to identify whether a food is still safe or not, and since the labels do not help, we prefer to discard it “just in case.” But that “just in case” has a cost: more wasted food, many times without need. A search to waste less. Researchers suggest that one of the keys to solve this problem is on labeling. As explained by Brent McFerran, professor at Simon Fraser University and Co -author of the study, to The Wall Street Journalboth the food industry and governments must act, since “many perfectly healthy and safe foods for consumption usually throw themselves in the trash due to ignorance of how long they can be consumed without danger.” For its part, EFSA promotes information campaigns so that consumers learn the difference between expiration labels and preferred consumption, and drives manufacturers to improve the clarity of their containers. Beyond choosing healthy. Eating healthy should not mean throwing more food. But while confusion persists on what a date printed in a container really means, thousands of perfectly edible products will continue to end in the trash every day. Understanding what the labels mean, demanding clarity and rethinking our perceptions can have a real impact, not only on our health, but also on the planet. Because choosing healthy should also include taking care of what is not wasted. Image | Dean Hochman Xataka | A squirrel could cross Spain jumping from supermarket in supermarket: how we have obsessed with the purchase

They only needed sun and plant waste

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After staying the practically empty gas reserves, Europe is trying to find a way to reach November with the fully controlled situation and Without relying on Russia. To do this, he has put his goal to import gas from USA either Accept an offer from Chinabut, perhaps, the key is closer than they imagine: in Extremadura. A pioneer gas plant. A year ago The construction began of a 100% renewable natural gas pioneer center in myjadas, Extremadura. This project, developed by the German company Turn2X, will begin operating in May. Totally renewable. The myjadas plant will use a technology known as Power To Gas (P2G). This process consists of combining green hydrogen – obtained by water electrolysis with renewable energy – with biogenic carbon dioxide – proceeds of the decomposition of plant waste or biomass. By together both elements through the reaction of Sabatier, high purity synthetic methane gas is obtained. This synthetic natural gas, created without resorting to fossil sources, has been successfully tested in the Extremadura gas distribution network, According to the newspaper. But let’s not confuse. Although in Spain there are already several plants that They generate biomethanea renewable gas obtained by decomposing organic waste, the case of myjadas goes further. While the conventional biomethane captures the gas generated during the decomposition of waste, this new project does not start from organic matter. Methane is synthesized from scratch by the combination already described, which opens a new route for renewable gas production. The choice of Extremadura. Although the project is not exempt from challenges for The cost of green hydrogen and large -scale production, the choice of Extremadura as an epicenter responds To the numerous sunny hours which offers the territory. In addition, as the German company has detailed, regional agencies have proposed investments and aid throughout the process. Going further with hydrogen. The great bet of Spain and Europe is being green hydrogen. Specifically, in Spain It is positioning himself As one of the great players in this sector, with projects such as the H2Med, a corridor that will connect the Iberian Peninsula with France and Germany to transport renewable hydrogen. Turn2x initiative is significant, since it demonstrates how green hydrogen can go beyond its use in the industry and become a key raw material for other energy sources, such as renewable natural gas. Spain is not only betting on green hydrogen: it is transforming it into concrete solutions. And Extremadura is, today, one of his most promising laboratories. The implementation of this plant not only validates a disruptive technology, but demonstrates that the country can lead the transition to a renewable natural gas, less dependent and more sustainable. Image | Turn2x Xataka | An island in Japan has revolutionized its vehicles. They have turned cow droppings into hydrogen fuel

700 tons of nuclear waste have arrived in Germany from England. Germans are not quite happy

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A very particular shipment has landed on the German coasts. The special ship for the transport of nuclear waste Pacific Grebe docked in the port of Nordenham, northwest of Germany, transporting highly radioactive waste from the United Kingdom. Upon arrival, It was received by antinuclear activists and a strong police device. The controversial delivery. In total, seven castor nuclear containers, each four meters long and with a weight of more than 100 tons. More than 700 tons of nuclear waste in total only with this shipment. It’s about high -level waste (HLW) subject to a vitrification process. That is, mixed with liquid silicates and sponsored in stainless steel cylinders that are sealically sealed once the glass solidifies. These cylinders are then introduced into Castor containers, made of cast iron and stainless steel, a robust armor against radiation. They are German waste. The remains of the reprocessing of nuclear fuel used in former German centrals, which until 2005 was sent to facilities such as Sellafield’s in the United Kingdom and Hague, in France. Although Germany closed its last nuclear centrals in 2023, it has the contractual obligation to recover waste. This is the second of the three shipments planned from Sellafield to complete the repatriation of German nuclear waste. The first arrived in 2020 and was stored in Bibliis. Shipments from France concluded in November 2024. Once in Nordenham, Castor containers are moving with cranes to a special train. Before embarking on the ground, technicians make measurements to ensure that radiation levels comply with legal limits. The train takes the remains to a Intermediate storage In Narderaichbach (Bavaria), next to the old nuclear power plant in ISAR. The exact route remains a secret for security reasons. Why protests? The arrival of new waste has revived the debate and nuclear opposition in Germany. Groups like Ausgestrahlt (“Irradiada”) and Castor-Stoppen (“Stop the Castor”) have organized the protests. They argue that every movement of these materials “entails a huge risk” and criticize that the waste moves to Temporary storesinstead of waiting to have a deep geological cemetery definitive. Move them now, They say“only postpone the problem and do not solve it”, and ask that the waste only transports once towards their final destination. More protests are expected along the route that will presumably follow the train, including cities such as Bremen and Göttingen. There is a strong police deployment around these transports. The temporary stores. Germany faces the challenge of managing about 27,000 cubic meters of accumulated radioactive waste for 60 years of nuclear energy. For now, these materials are stored in 16 temporary stores distributed throughout the country. The search for deep geological storage to bury them definitively is underway, but it is a long and complex process, As Finland has demonstratedwhose example now follows countries that are closing their nuclear plants; Germany and Spain at the head. In short. Germany is fulfilling its international obligations by bringing its own nuclear waste back. It is what promised the United Kingdom and France. But each shipment reopens the wound of an unresolved problem: the lack of a permanent and safe home for the most delicate legacy of its nuclear era, which generates restlessness and protests between part of its population. Image | Download a Castor container in 2001-Dennis140 (CC-BY-SA) In Xataka | Switzerland will come true the invention of Nobel Carlo Rubbia: a nuclear power plant that reduces 80% of radioactive waste In Xataka | France has presented a striking plan for its nuclear waste: converting them into forks and pans

North Africa was outside the bronze age map. A metallic waste has been put in the center of history

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If we look at the map From the Bronze Age, we observe that much of Europe and the Middle East are the protagonists of the period of the Ancient bronze. For a long time it was estimated that Egypt was the only focus of Metallurgical development In Africa during the Bronze age. For years, we thought that the rest of the territories were empty and it was with the Phoenicians when settlements and metal development began. We were wrong. And young archaeologists have shown that Morocco was more connected to other Mediterranean regions of what we thought. And the Kack Kouch settlement is the test. The Phoenicians. The Maghreb was an absent zone in the debates about late prehistory in the Mediterranean region. It was known that he received some influences from the European bronze, but they were pieces, because they did not produce their own metallurgy until the colonization of the Phoenicians. Morocco arrived around 800 AC, founding colonies such as Lixusbut it turns out that there were already stable settlements on the Mediterranean coasts of Africa. In North Africa, the representation is Egypt … and it ended Kach Kouch location Kach Kouch. In 1988, a team formed by Moroccan and Spanish researchers discovered the settlement of Kach Kouch. It was an important finding, since the survey made in 1992 revealed that, at some point between the VIII or VI ac centuries, there had erected a half -hectare camp with cabins built with mud. It was probably an agricultural people and the researchers said that, probably, Kach Kouch had been founded by Phoenician sailors to control access routes to the Mediterranean from the Lau River. Why the Phoenicians? Because the remains found belonged to amphorae of this culture that would have served to transport wine, oil or wheat. Frozen. After the 1992 excavation, the archaeological site had not been analyzed again, until now. He Kach Kouch Archaeological Projectled by researchers from the National Institute of Archeology of Morocco, set out to reach the bottom of the settlement. Literally. The SE development In two phases – in 2021 and 2022 – and, although the archaeological interest was present in both, one of the objectives was that the students of the institute be formed in archaeological methodology. What they found was far beyond what would be expected of training practices: Kach Kouch was not a Phoenician settlement, but had centuries there. Through drones, differential GPS, 3D models and radiocarbon dating, the team of researchers discovered that three phases of occupation had been given in the settlement. Occupation phases | Image of The Conversation, H. Benattia Ancestral occupation. These occupation phases were between 2200 AC and 600 BC and the researchers They have isolated The three phases due to the remains they found. First phase: Between 2200 and 2000 AC the remains are scarce, such as ceramic fragments without decorating, a flint lasc and bovine bones. It could have been a sporadic occupation, but existing. Second phase: Between 1,300 or 900 AC the occupation would have already been stable with circular housing and warehouses, evidencing a sedentary society. Kach Kouch would be agricultural, mainly, due to the silos and grinding stones found. For the remains, it is estimated that they cultivated barley and wheat that complemented with the breeding of sheep, goats and cows. Third phase: Between 800 and 600 AC here and the Phoenicians have played a role. This external cultural influence brought elements such as ceramics to lathe and iron tools, which were mixed with local architecture and stone buildings. From left to right: plant remains, carved bones, flint lacquers The metal. Therefore, the new discovery indicates that, centuries before the arrival of the Phoenicians, Kach Koach was already a stable settlement. But there is a key piece that reveals that the first bronze object found in the region could have arrived through the broader exchange networks of the Mediterranean: among the important recent discoveries, a bronze fragment dated between 1110 and 920 ac This is the oldest bronze evidence in the Maghreb area and, although the phrase is very manida, it is something that changes everything in the archeology of North Africa because the fragment is a waste of the function in a mold, but it is the oldest bronze object known in North Africa if we do not have Egypt into account. In the image on the right, we see a rest of an amphora. On the right, objects A a are grinding tools. E a g are the metal remains so relevant The Phoenician influence. Hanza Benattia is one of the authors of the study, as well as the director of the Kach Kouch archaeological project and, as explained in The conversationevidently the Phoenicians played a role in this story. During the VIII and VII AC centuries, the inhabitants of the settlement had the same material, architectural and economic culture they had during the previous phase, but contact with the Phoenicians introduced new cultural practices. “For example, circular housing coexisted with other squares made of stone and framework of wood and mud, combining phenistic and local techniques,” says Benattia. In addition, he points out that products such as vine and olive tree began to be cultivated, and that was when they began to use ceramics made around and the use of iron objects. This is the first thing that was found in 1992 and for what was considered that the settlement was Phoenician. However, the archaeologist points out that, towards 600 BC, the settlement was abandoned. There is no evidence of violence, so social or economic changes would have pushed the inhabitants to other more prosperous close settlements. To look for. It is curious how a simple waste from a material that should not be there changes the historical perception not only of a specific place, but of a region. As we said, the Magreb was excluded from the conversation about the late prehistory of the Mediterranean, but as Benattia points out, this discovery “not only … Read more

Congress was regulated by food waste in Spain. And it has ended up approving wolves hunting

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The Wolf It sneaks In Congress. Again. And this time with such resounding consequences and after such an unexpected turn that has even called attention of the foreign press. Yesterday the lower house He endorsed That the wolf loses the armor he had achieved in 2021 and can be funded again north of the Duero, something that the PP had tried In 2024. Moreover, Congress has also opened the door that if the community legal framework changes (and in Brussels They already work so that it is) the protection of the wolf is reduced to the south of the river. The curious thing is the shortcut that has been used to retouch the wolf’s legal framework: The law on food waste. What happened? That the wolf has begun to lose its legal armor in Spain. Or what is the same, it will fallen again. At the moment north of the Duero, although once changed The community regulatory framework (Something what He already works the European Commission) its protection could also be reduced to the south. The key step for this regulatory modification was given yesterday in Congress thanks to the votes of the PP, Vox, Junts and PNV. What exactly has changed? The legal framework. Yesterday, during the processing of the food waste law, the lower house gave green light to several amendments centered on the wolf and basically return the species to the situation in which it was before 2021when It was added to the list of wild species in special protection regime (Lespres), What in practice vetoed his hunt north of the Duero, something that already happened to the south of the river. To be precise, yesterday the Congress voted Several thingsnot always with the same distribution of support (Junts abstained in an amendment and backed others, for example). The most important points are basically two. The first is A change In the Royal Decree developed by Lespres to eliminate the protection of the populations of wolf north of the Duero, allowing autonomies to decide on their hunt. And the other modification? The second change looks beyond, both in the calendar and territorial level. During the vote of yesterday the Congress He opened the door that the protection of the wolf can also be reduced to the south of the Duero if the legal armor of the wolf is modified at the community level. Maybe it sounds like something distant or abstract, but it is not. The EU has already activated its Administrative machinery To reduce the status of the species now and go from “strictly protected” to “protected.” In December the CE itself He informed that his proposal had brought the support of the Permanent Committee of the Bern Convention. And once that initial obstacle has not surpassed, it has not taken long in get to work To retouch the habitat directive. How have they achieved it? In Spain the wolf has been starring in political chronicles for some time. That is not new. In April 2024 the Congress already gave A first step In the same direction so that the species cease to be untouchable. The really curious thing about yesterday’s movement, beyond the bottom, is the form. How it has been done. The PP took advantage of the new Loss prevention law and food waste to incorporate its amendment on wolf hunting during the previous process in the Senate. The turn is so curious that it has even caught the attention of The international pressalthough the popular amendment has managed to connect both issues: the food waste and the legal status of the wolf. Its main argument is that with their attacks on sheep and cows directly affect the sector, generating tons of waste. “They suppose an impact on the generation of livestock foods of four million kilos of meat, since there were more than 14,000 dead cattle between calves, cows, foals and sheep,” collect the amendment. Before even the vote in Congress, the Association for the Defense and Study of the Iberian Wolf (ASCEL) already labeled “offensive” and “abuse of power” that the legal status of the wolf is addressed in a law dedicated to waste. Have there been reactions? Yes. In every way. For the PP the objective is “End the nightmare” that thousands of farmers live. The minister for ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, sees it differently and He warned Wednesday that lowering the protection of the wolf in Spain would be a “precipitated, reckless” movement and “contrary to science.” Outside the political arc, the measure has generated different reactions. Yesterday the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC) celebrated A decision that, in his opinion, will help “the conservation” of the species and its “coexistence” with livestock. In another release Much harder environmentalist in action spoke of “hate” and “killing”, and warned: the amendment “turns its back on science.” What do the figures say? Recently Juan Carlos Blanco, an expert in the species, explained to The country that right now in Spain there are between 330 and 340 herds of wolves, which would result in some 2,300 animals. The vast majority (95%) are distributed in areas affected by the normative change endorsed by Congress, in Castilla y León, Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria. The Ministry for Ecological Transition warned These days that you are collecting data precisely to advance in its “responsible management.” If the wolf has sneaked into the political debate, both Spanish and European, it is for another aspect: its impact on rural and livestock. Just a year ago The PP warned that communities such as Cantabria or Galicia are giving “subsidies for the protection of their livestock” because “there are 35 attacks on average.” Moreover, he estimated that since the wolf had legally armored the number of lost animals exceeded the million. Now, once the new modification was published in the BOE, it will be the autonomies that will determine how many wolves may be hunt. Images | AR Higher School of Environment (Flickr) and Rjime31 (Flickr) In Xataka | You … Read more

Filipino rice wine hid a superfood. In the waste we discarded, specifically

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It is often said that one can be a treasure for another. We have found a new example of this phenomenon, in the Philippines. The country responsible for golden ricea transgenic version of the food devised to replace the vitamin A deficiency, now brings us another product related to this cereal, a “loaded” product of nutrients. And this time with a more “artisanal” process. By -product, but food. A group of researchers has discovered that a material discarded in the Fermentation of the Tapuy, a traditional rice wine of the Philippines, are loaded with antioxidants. The compounds found in the You readwhich is what this residue is called, they were studied in the laboratory resulting in a rejuvenation of the animal models used in the study. The Tapuy. The Tapuy is a drink produced in the Philippines, the result of rice fermentation. The process uses, in addition to rice, a fermentation initiator called Bubod. The resulting residue, You readit has been the main object of the investigation, and is mainly composed of the waste of fermented rice, yeasts and other microbes. The study responsible for the study analyzed how various types of crops resulted in different types of You read. Optimizing nutrients. The team thus found a way to optimize the fermentation process, a specific crop that implied some You read Loaded nutrients. The result contained an abundance of polyphenolscompounds with antioxidant capacity that we can also find in products such as The wine or the chocolate. The team tested the different formulas feeding with them the worms of the species Caenorhabditis Elegans. They observed that an initiator of fermentation with high concentrations of the species Rhizopus oryzae, mucor indicus and Saccharomyces cerevisiaeIt was associated with an important increase in the life expectancy of these animals. They also observed that the worms fed with this residue produced more viable eggs. The details of the research were published in an article in the magazine Discover Food . Of animal to humans. There is still an important step to give, and it is to study how these results can translate into benefits in humans. The worms of the speciesC. ElegansThey are often used in medicine as animal models by some key characteristics such as transparency allows us to see more clearly the biological and biochemical processes in the animal. However, it should always be remembered that what works in animal models does not have to work in humans. Among other reasons because our diet is very varied and the multiple interactions between compounds can dilute their benefits. In Xataka | Some scientists have proposed to solve the big question: is it more “healthy” white wine or red? Image | Phương Nam Gạo / Manila Athenaeum

Sweden has managed to be 100% recyclable and turn its waste into energy. Spain follows it closely

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More than 190 million tons annuls of urban waste are generated in Europe, according to The European Waste Association. This amount of garbage has increased greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. However, to deal with recycling is not enough, but some countries have found a way to generate energy. 100% recycled. One of those countries and precursor has been Sweden, which They have found In the incineration of waste an energy source, providing heating and electricity to 250,000 homes. Energy source. The data, provided by the Swedish state company VattenfallThey have indicated that only 1% of the trash ends in landfills; The rest becomes energy through the use of biomethane. Thanks to this energy source they can generate heating, electricity and even can be used as fuel for cars. In addition, the Swedish nation is importing the waste from other European countries to produce more energy. The process. Waste management in Sweden It is done In plants Waste-to-Energy (WTE). Once there they are divided into three categories. The first is the organic garbage that is transformed into biogas, compost and fertilizers. Then the plastics that end up recycling. Finally, all non -recyclable waste is incinerated at temperatures up to 850 ° C to generate electricity and heating. And in Spain? A recent report, which has had access Infobaesaid that the Spanish nation will not meet the waste management objectives established by 2025. In it they have stressed that the waste sector is responsible for 5% of greenhouse gas emissions. But are they taking action? The central government has proposed to implement A packaging system, in which citizens will receive a refund for recycling containers. For its part, the Valencian Community will reuse The waste and mud that left the Dana, and is studying the possibility of incinerating them to generate electricity. But there was not an ace under the sleeve … Spain has A great potential To develop the biomethane industry, a renewable gas similar to natural gas that can be stored and injected into the current network. However, as indicated Cecilia Carballo for Fifodiesthe country is behind other European countries in terms of facilities. However, there is a glimpse of hope if appropriate support is given, Spain could take advantage of its ability to produce up to 160 twh per year, which would cover 50% of the national natural gas demand. For this, a robust regulatory framework and policies that foster their development are necessary. Image | Flickr and Norbert Nagel Xataka | A strange source of energy is putting the unity of Europe in energy matters: manure

It is the gamma radiation of nuclear waste

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Research in The field of batteries It does not cease. And it is understandable that it is so. The popularization of the electric car requires that these energy storage devices have The best possible benefits. As we suggest in the headline, the protagonist of this article is a technology that pursues Develop nuclear batteries For electronic devices. This idea is the fruit of an investigation developed by a group of engineers from Ohio State University (USA). In the article they have published in Optical materials: x They argue that it is possible to use the radioactive waste resulting from the activity of the fission reactors in operation to generate the electricity that many electronic devices require. “We are taking advantage of something that is considered a waste and trying to transform it into a treasure,” has declared Raymond Caonuclear engineer and one of the authors of the article. To test their idea they have manufactured a small prototype battery that has an approximate volume of 4 cubic centimeters. Its plan consists of introducing CESIO-137 or cobalt-60, two radioactive chemical elements that are usually the product of nuclear fission, with the purpose of using Gamma radiation They emit for Generate a small amount of electricity. Its prototype delivered 288 nanovatos with Cesio-137 and 1.5 microvatts with cobalt-60. It is evident that it is very little electricity, but these scientists are able to improve their technology enough to feed some not very demanding electronic devices, such as small sensors or monitors that require little maintenance. In any case, they do not propose these batteries for the consumer market. If they manage to refine their technology, they maintain that it can be used on devices housed near the facilities in which the radioactive residue occurs, such as, for example, inside the nuclear plants. On the other hand, they ensure that their battery can be handled safely and will not contaminate the environment. Gamma radiation is very penetrating, which will force them to put a very robust protective enclosure. In addition, they leave another question in the air: it is not clear what the useful life of such a battery will be. Gamma is a form of ionizing radiation Radioactivity is the process of natural origin that explains how An atomic nucleus Unstable loses energy in the attempt to achieve a more stable state. And to achieve this emits radiation. Around the nucleus orbit one or several elementary particles even much more tiny and with negative electric charge to which we call electrons. The nucleus, in turn, is made up of one or more protons, which are particles with positive electric charge. The simplest atom That we can find in nature is that of Protio (Hydrogen-1), an isotope of hydrogen that has a single proton in its nucleus and a single electron orbiting around it. The problem is that matter is not composed only of protio, but also of many other more complex and heavy chemical elements, and that, therefore, have more protons in their nucleus and more electrons orbiting around it. How is it possible that there is more than one proton in the nucleus If all of them have a positive electric charge? The reasonable thing is to think that they could not be close together because having the same elementary electric charge would repel. And yes, this idea is consistent. Those responsible for solving this dilemma are neutrons, the particles that live with the protons in the atomic nucleus. The Higgs field is a fundamental interaction that explains how particles acquire their mass Unlike protons, neutrons have neutral global electric charge, so they do not “feel” either repulsion or electromagnetic attraction to which protons and electrons are exposed. The function of neutrons is none other than stabilizing the nucleus, allowing several protons to live in it that, otherwise, would repel. And they manage to do so thanks to the action of one of the four fundamental forces of nature: strong nuclear interaction. The other three forces are electromagnetic interaction, gravity and weak nuclear interaction. Physicists usually place this same level The Higgs fieldwhich is another fundamental interaction that explains How particles acquire their massbut to facilitate their understanding, the texts usually collect as fundamental forces the four that I have mentioned a little higher because they are somehow with which we are all familiar. The nucleones, which are the protons and neutrons of the atomic nucleus, manage to stay together and overcome the natural repulsion that protons face because the presence of neutrons allows strong nuclear force to exercise as a glue capable of imposing itself to electromagnetic force. Strong nuclear interaction has a very small reach, but at short distances its intensity is enormous. The important thing about all this is that neutrons, as I advanced a few lines above, act stabilizing the atomic nucleus, so that as an atom has more protons, it will also need that in its nucleus there are more neutrons so that the attractive strong force manages to impose itself to the repulsive electromagnetic force. Interestingly, the balance between the amount of protons and neutrons is very delicate. An atom is stable if its nucleus has a precise amount of nucleons and the distribution of these between protons and neutrons allows strong nuclear interaction to act as “glue.” For this reason in nature we can only find A finite amount of chemical elements: those that collect the periodic table with which we are all to a greater or lesser extent familiar. Any other combination of protons and neutrons would not allow to maintain that fine balance, giving rise to an unstable atom. What differentiates a stable atom from an unstable one is that in the nucleus of the latter the strong nuclear interaction and electromagnetic force are not in equilibrium, so the atom needs to modify its structure to achieve a state of less energy that allows it to adopt a more stable configuration. A stable atom is “comfortable” with its current structure and … Read more

The Dana left 800,000 tons of waste and mud in Valencia. Now they will reuse for raw material

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The Dana that hit the Valencian Community on October 29, 2024 caused great shock throughout the country, leaving more than 200 fatal victims. In almost five months, I They have generated More than 800,000 tons of waste mixed with mud, a huge figure, since the Valencian Community usually produces an annual average of 180,000 tons. And what are they going to do? In recent months we have seen with much of the national population has turned with the reconstruction and aid in the streets of the Valencian municipalities. However, given the data on the waste, the Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Territory He has decided to reuse The land mixed with flood waste for various works in landfills, quarries, agriculture and construction. Reuse. One of the points enabled to carry out this work is in one of the most affected areas of the catastrophe, Catarroja. The project consists of a machine that will make a screening between earth and waste, and then analyze them and make sure they are free of pollutants. Once treated, the Earth can be reused in different spaces. However, it is not there, because it is diversifying in other types of waste, such as tires, butane, scrap and mattresses, for its specific treatment. Reuse in agriculture. The floods caused by the overflow of rivers and ravines dragged large amounts of mud, debris and waste that affected both crops and soil quality. La Ribera Alta and the area of ​​L’Abufera, Key areas for agricultureThey saw how their rice crops, citrus and vegetables were destroyed. For this reason, working on the recovery of the affected soils trying to the sludge and the polluting sediments. However, mud samples taken in the area of ​​the Natural Park of L’Albufera are currently low, but concern persists on long -term effects. Other points to manage waste. The Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Territory has created Local collection points in which to accumulate the remains of the municipalities. Transfer points have also been enabled where to make a first crushing treatment, separation of metals and mattresses, located in Quart-Manises, Picasent, Catarroja and Alfafar. Waste energy management. While the Valencian Ministry has promoted this type of solutions, also It is exploring The possibility of incinerating some of this waste. In fact, incineration, as if it were a thermal power plant, allows transforming the heat generated into electricity. In fact, several experts They have defended That incineration reduces the percentage of rejection and, in addition, put as an example that burned waste produces ashes that are useful to develop, among other things, cement. In addition, Spain has advanced Significantly in the use of the biomethane, a clean energy source that can be generated from organic waste and landfills. The use of biomethane could complement the efforts of the Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Territory, by providing a sustainable energy solution and reducing the environmental impact of the waste generated by the DANA. Forecasts While the terrain is still being cleaned, one of the areas most affected by waste dragged by the Dana has been the Albufera of Valencia and its beaches. In them, more than 60,000 kilograms of garbage have been removed, including up to 36 varieties of different waste, such as tires, bumpers, butane, furniture and plastics. As cleaning and recovery efforts continue, more additional measures will have to be implemented to address waste dragged by future floods or natural catastrophes. Image | GVA Xataka | We have been thinking that the recycling of plastics worth something. Maybe we were wrong

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