The blog covers issues broadly related to sustainability in Minnesota and the world both from an environmental perspective and from an interpersonal perspective. It also covers issues related to mycology (the study of fungi) with a specific emphasis on the interaction with fungal organisms and buildings.
The two day Mold Remediation course covers health effects, investigation and methods of finding and identifying mold including use of moisture meters and infrared cameras. The second day focuses on mold remediation including a hands on demonstration setting up a containment and wearing PPE.
The photos below are from fungal growth in a walk in cooler. I wanted to determine if the Foldscope could be used for field identification of a fungal organism. All photos except the picture in the cold room were taken with a Samsung Galaxy S-5 smart phone camera. Room florescent lights were used to back light the Foldscope image.
Possible fungal growth on a metal shelf in a walk in cooler
Foldscope photo using 85% lactic acid with lacto fuchsin stain and 3M scotch tape on microscope slide
Digitally enhanced Foldscope photo of Cladosporium sphaerospermum with Adobe Photoshop Elements 12
Original photo from the eyepiece of a Olympus compound microscope at 400x
Digitally cropped Olympus microscope photo with Photoshop Elements 12.
Conclusion: The $1 Foldscope microscope gives me enough information to field identify Cladosporium spp. After the shot is taken with the camera it can be viewed and enlarged on the camera photo viewer. The image will not be as sharp as the Photoshop enhanced image or that produced by a Nikon microscope but it provides enough information to make the identification.
Stanford University developed a low cost (less than $1) foldoscope microscope for field identification of microscopic particles of around 5 microns or larger. The scope comes with an attachment that can be affixed to a cellphone camera. I received two of them in the mail in December of 2014.
The first foldoscope took about 1/2 hour to assemble based on instructions on the sheet. The second camera took 15 minutes as I grew more familiar with the assembly procedure.
A sample can be taken and placed on a slide provided or a standard microscope slide. The foldoscope can be held up to a room light to see the image.
Below are photos taken with a Google Nexus 5 camera phone. The first photo is the original. The second photo is cropped with contrast and sharpening using Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 software.
Same image cropped, contrast improved and sharpened - click to enlarge
Conclusion: It takes a bit of work to focus the camera image and a bit of photo editing but for less than one $1 US, it is possible to identify a fungal organism down to the genus level.
Foldoscope: Manu Prakash - Stanford University - 15 min.
Nebraska farmers have turned to marine fish aqua culture to diversify their business. Margarey A. Beck from the Associated Press describes the efforts of Cardinal Farms in Dakota City Nebraska to produce Asian sea bass (barramundi) in large indoor fish tanks.
This trend also includes urban aqua culture in a combined tillapia lettuce production facility in downtown Minneapolis.
As the world's consumption of fish increases, it makes sense to produce fish protein locally. In addition to the problem of overfishing, commercial fishing is second only to logging as one of the most dangerous occupations in the US.
A previous blog post on ammonia production and use compared ammonia production plant areas to ammonia use areas. The maps above list the average wind speed and the amount of ammonia used for fertilizer in areas of the United States. Potential wind powered production and fertilizer uses overlap in the upper Midwest.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center are collaborating with a multidisciplinary group to optimize the sustainable production of ammonia fertilizer. Minnesota farmers currently pay $400 million dollars annually to import ammonia fertilizer. The current wind to hydrogen to ammonia pilot plant uses existing technology which is about 10% efficient. Researchers are exploring the use of a magnesium chloride additive in the process to dramatically improve the efficiency of ammonia production.
Researchers envision modest sized production plants located in the state in areas with available wind or solar power and adequate supplies of ground water. For further information please read the article Harnessing the Wind to Create Sustainable Fertilizer by Kevin Coss.
The Copenhagen Bicycle Wheel may make commuting by bicycle a much more attractive option thanks to a rear wheel power assist controlled by a smart phone app. Researchers at MIT developed the bike with funding provided from Copenhagen. The research focused on retrofitting existing bikes to make them easier to use on extended commutes. The item is available for pre-order at a cost of $800.
According to Stephan Mortemayer from TCBmag.com The Metropolitan Airport Commission will be installing at 3 Megawatt Solar array on top of two parking ramps at the airport. Upon completion of the project in October of 2015, the solar arrays will provide up to 20% of the electrical power for the airport. It will also be Minnesota's largest solar array.
Designers have positioned the panels to prevent the glare from affecting pilots at the airport. The project will also switch the ramp lighting to LED and provide electric car charging stations.
On a related note, the MN DOT is accepting up to five proposals for 1 megawatt plus sized solar arrays along highway right of ways. Applications are due November 3, 2014.
The MN DOT's project is similar to Oregon's Solar Highways project. The photo above shows a 124 kilowatt solar system built in 2008. The state has since completed at 1.25 Megawatt Baldock solar array in January of 2012 at the French Prairie Rest Area.
Daniel Goleman mentions GoodGuide.com as a website that allow consumer product ratings on the Health, Environment and Society (companies social practices). Items can be checked out individually or by class of chemicals such as laundry detergents. The highest rated products are listed first.
Skin Deep is another website that helps users choose the safest cosmetics to use. The items are rated on potential toxicity. The rating system is transparent but a bit complex. You can also search for specific chemical components. This is helpful for a person looking at specific ingredients in a product.
An Australian mother taking medication for arthritis died from Legionella likely the Legionella longbeachae strain on January 14, 2014. Her exposure to the Legionella bacteria was linked to potting soil mix. She refused early medical treatment thinking the symptoms she had were linked to side effects from her arthritis medication. The Legionella diagnosis came to late and she died when her lungs ceased to function. Her father granted an interview with Angella Cutterback from WANews.
This case is prompting a discussion regarding proper warning labels with potting soil mix. People are suggesting that the labels have explicit directions to wear a respirator while working with the potting soil. Some potting soils do have warnings "avoid inhaling the mix." The deaths are not infrequent as a cluster of deaths was reported in 2005 noted in the caption below the photo.
Using a respirator would be especially important for elderly individuals or those with suppressed immune systems. The immune system can be suppressed through illness, age or medication. Many anti-arthritic medications suppress the immune system to reduce the inflammatory response of the body.
The most comfortable disposable respirator has an exhalation valve and two straps. The exhalation valve reduces moisture buildup inside the mask making it more comfortable to wear. The respirators make it harder to breath so some individuals may not have the cardiovascular fitness to wear one.
A local Shorewood, Minnesota architect/engineering, Andrey Rudenko, has developed a process of 3D printing with concrete. This 7 foot high castle took 3 months to build. According to the Mpls Star Tribune, he had originally planned to construct it in less then a week but had issues with weather and equipment.
Optimizing the equipment for high viscosity and low flow has been a challenge but he has worked through the difficulties. He is planning on constructing a real house using this technique. He envisions that this process would reduce the time and cost associated with home construction. Using metal reinforced concrete with foam insulation would work well for energy efficiency as well as sound attenuation. He is looking to construct his home in a warmer climate in a state that allows this technique in their building codes.
Chinese researchers have also been experimenting with a similar process.
3D printer Castle - Minnesota -2min.
China 3D printer for houses in less than a day - 12 min.
