WELCOME TO MY FUN SCIENCE BLOG

I am Savita Dhutti,a science teacher at a well established public school in India.I welcome all of you to My science mania ! Its a website,I created for sharing e-learning experience with my students.Science is in fact, a real fun.It is a subject never--never confined within the four walls of the clssroom.Science is a continuous process of learning! I wish to create a pleasing learning environment for my students.So, Come and ENJOY Science with me.

Monday 21 December 2009

What did the Copenhagen climate summit achieve?

the Copenhagen conference was a unique moment in history.

What Copenhagen changed:


With 110 world leaders present and a single issue on the agenda, there has never been a meeting like this. The countries that brokered the text, the US, China, India, South Africa, Brazil and the EU, also reflects a world in which the balance of power has significantly changed in the last 20 years.
At a fundamental level, the conference redefined the debate between countries in terms of awareness of climate science and support for action. There is no longer any question that climate change is central to the political thinking of every country on the planet.
Public awareness has also massively increased. The vast campaigns run around the world in the run-up to Copenhagen by governments, NGOs and business and the media coverage of the issue and the summit have made addressing climate change widely understood and discussed from the pubs of rural England to the bars of Beijing.
The other very important change is that green growth is now the prevailing economic model of our time. The idea that addressing climate change is bad for business was buried at Copenhagen. Countries from both developed and developing worlds have announced low-carbon economic plans and are moving forward.
What it did not change:

That combination of political will, economic direction and public pressure was not enough to overcome the concerns over sovereignty that many countries have in the context of international law. The final decision reflects the fact that many countries only want to be answerable to themselves. They will co-operate, but not under the threat of legal sanction.
There is no quantified aggregate target for emissions reduction such as the 50% by 2050 that was in early drafts - as it stands, targets are yet to be announced and they may be at the low end of what was promised, locking in ever greater emissions.
The reference to transparency in the text is significant as it will mean that for the first time actions by countries can be assessed globally, but there is no verification of the actions undertaken in the developing world unless they are paid for by the developed world.
Also, there is very little detail on any of the elements it does mention.

Student Activity : sandwich making class VI B




Thursday 29 October 2009

bio -khaad

ROLLY POLLY IN KULACHI

WE HAVE BEEN USING A ROLLY POLLY DEVICE IN OUR SCHOOL TO MANAGE WASTE IN THE SCHOOL FOR MAKING BIO-MANURE FOR USING IN THE SCHOOL GARDEN.

Thursday 28 May 2009

HEY STUDENTS! HERE'S A HANDFUL OF GREEN NEWS FOR YOU.

ECO-DRIVING



Being a good driver is no more the sole criterion for getting a driving license… at least not in Britain. One has to show that he or she can be environment-friendly too by simply using fuel effectively. The British government has declared that from now fuel efficiency of teh vehicle would be made part of the driving test to help reduce polluting emissions, and to save money on energy bills.

gobar times festival of green schools of india

GOBAR TIMES

Agropedia




Indian scientists have created an ‘agricultural Wikipedia’ to act as an online repository of agricultural information in the country. It would disseminate crop and region-specific information to researchers, students, farmers and agricultural extension workers, who share the knowledge with farmers. The site also has blogs and other platforms. The website currently contains information on nine crops — rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon pea, vegetable pea, lychee, sugarcane, groundnut and sorghum. More topics will be added soon, after being validated through review and analysis by invited agricultural researchers. “It is hoped that even where farmers have no access to the Internet, the Agropedia information can be used as a basis for radio plays, for example,” says V. Balaji, head of knowledge management and sharing with the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a partner in the project.

Ghg satellite



Japan has launched the world’s first greenhouse gas monitoring satellite into space. It is called Ibuki, which means ‘breath’. It will circle the planet every 100 minutes, gathering data to be shared with space and scientific organisations. It has three major mission objectives – to monitor the density of greenhouse gases precisely and frequently; to study the absorption and emission levels of greenhouse gases per continent or large country over a certain period of time; to establish advanced technologies essential for precise greenhouse gas observations. “The satellite is expected to play an important role in monitoring global environmental changes and look out for any small warning signs that could affect our future,” says a statement released by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Gobar (cow dung) for Biodigestor

BIO GAS PLANTS IN RURAL AREAS

Vermicompost, is made from cow dung, ...

Medicines Made Of Cow Dung


Cow has been a part and parcel of our life since the time immemorial. In Gurukul Cow Shed, cows of high yielding breed are reared and their urine and dung are used for the preparation of so many medicines. All kinds of stomach related disorders are cured through the excreta of cow. Here soaps are also made by using cow urine which are very beneficial in skin related infections

cow-dung is also used to wax the floors in making Kolam ----a form of sandpainting of South India.


Kolam is a form of sandpainting that is drawn using rice powder by female members of the family in front of their home. It is widely practised by Hindus in South India. A Kolam is a sort of painted prayer — a line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots.
Kolams are thought to bestow prosperity to homes. Every morning in southern India, millions of women draw kolams on the ground with white rice powder. Through the day, the drawings get walked on, rained out, or blown around in the wind; new ones are made the next day. Every morning before sunrise, the floor is cleaned with water, the universal purifier, and the muddy floor is swept well for an even surface. The kolams are generally drawn while the surface is still damp so that it is held better. Occasionally, cow-dung is also used to wax the floors. Cow dung has antiseptic properties and hence provides a literal threshold of protection for the home. It also provides contrast with the white powder.

Decoration was not the sole purpose of a Kolam. In olden days, kolams used to be drawn in coarse rice flour, so that the ants don't have to work so hard for a meal. The rice powder is said to invite birds and other small critters to eat it, thus inviting other beings into one's home and everyday life: a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. It is a sign of invitation to welcome all into the home, not the least of whom is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. The patterns range between geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free form art work and closed shapes. Folklore has evolved to mandate that the lines must be completed so as to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the inside of the shapes, and thus are they prevented from entering the inside of the home.


3x3 dot all and only symmetry 9 Goddesses Swastika Kolam with a single cycle by Nagata S, each of which is corresponded to one of the nine Davi of the Hindu or the nine Muses in GreekIt used to be a matter of pride to be able to draw large complicated patterns without lifting the hand off the floor standing up in between. The month of Margazhi was eagerly awaited by young women, who would then showcase their skills by covering the entire width of the road with one big kolam.
The ritual kolam patterns created for occasions such as weddings can stretch all the way down streets. Patterns are often passed on generation to generation, from mother to daughter.
(from wikipedia)

COWDUNG CAKES


Indian women dry cow dung cakes for use as cooking fuel in Phoolpur village, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of Allahabad, India, Sunday, June 8, 2008.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Improvement of methanogenesis from cow dung and poultry litter waste digesters by addition of iron

Improvement of methanogenesis from cow dung and poultry litter waste digesters by addition of iron
Journal World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
Publisher Springer Netherlands

When 50mM FeSO4 was added to cow dung and poultry litter waste which had been processed in daily-fed batch digesters, digesters subsequently unfed showed a faster conversion of substrate and overloaded digesters stabilized within 48 h. Early stabilization of digesters was achieved by adding 20 or 50mM FeSO4 though the latter concentration was faster. When 20mM FeSO4 was added to the daily-fed cow dung and poultry litter waste digesters, it increased methanogenesis by 40% and 42%, respectively, and increased the turnover rate of total solids, volatile solids and volatile fatty acids and the number of methanogens.

AUTHORS:-P. Preeti Rao and G. Seenayya

The authors are with the Department of Microbiology, Osmania University, Hyderabad-500007, India

Increased production of biogas from cowdung by adding other agricultural waste materials

Increased production of biogas from cowdung by adding other agricultural waste materials
R. D. Laura, M. A. Idnani
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India


Abstract
It was found that the addition of nitrogenous materials, such as casein, urea or urine, increased the extem of decomposition of cowdung, resulting in higher gas production. The effect appears to be due to the maintenance of pH > 7 during fermentation. With the addition of urea or CaCO3, materials such as. dry leaves and cane sugar have yielded high proportions of methane in the gas mixtures and these additions also increased the rate of gas production by promoting anaerobic conditions in the medium. Addition of cellulose also increased the rate but the gas mixture obtained had a lower methane content.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eco Sustainability ! wow!

GREEN BRICKS

We’ve covered the value of worm poop, and now it’s time for the merits of cow dung to come to the fore. EcoFaeBrick turns cattle waste into bricks that are greener, stronger and 20% lighter than regular clay bricks.

The Indonesian organization was set up earlier this year to tackle the problem of excessive waste in farming areas. From this, the ecological and economical solution of the Cow Dung Brick was born. There's no visible difference between a traditional brick and the dung brick—and before you ask, there's no smell either. Instead of using wood fire the dung bricks are fired using biogas, helping to further reduce carbon emissions. The new product also lets land be retained for farming, rather than being excavated for clay for conventional bricks, or becoming a health risk due to ‘too much dung’.

A green product that boosts the wealth of rural Indonesians, it's not hard to see why EcoFaeBrick came first in the 2009 Global Social Venture competition. The company has identified 22 areas around Indonesia that they want to expand the project to, plus 22 more in other parts of the world. One to support, or otherwise get involved with!

Sunday 10 May 2009

Wednesday 6 May 2009

COWDUNG CAKES

The power of cow dung

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOUR REFERENCE

Siba Mohanty First Published : 08 Nov 2008 01:59:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 11 Nov 2008 01:17:53 AM IST


A silent revolution is taking place in Orissa to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While policymakers and energy strategists are harping on the need to tap wind, solar, biomass and hydel power to meet the energy needs of India, this eastern state is going back to the good old days when cows provided most of the fuel. Cow power, if one may so describe it, is a demonstration of how traditional technology can be used to generate carbon credits and bring in the euros for end users living in far-flung villages.


Very recently, Orissa entered into a tie-up with a German bank to sell carbon reductions generated through biogas plants in the state. The pact between Orissa Renewable Development Agency (OREDA), the state government’s nodal agency for renewable and non-conventional energy sources, and KfW Bankengruppe will mean that around 11,000 biogas plants stand to gain from certified emission reductions (CER) — carbon credits issued under the clean development mechanism (CDM) — they trade with this foreign bank. Each plant would make about Rs 6,000 worth of CER a year.

This may sound modest when nuclear energy is the flavour of the season across the country. Nonetheless, it makes sense considering that the Union government is struggling to meet the energy needs of rural India. After all, electricity tariffs are slated to rise in the years to come, making power more of a mirage for the average user. Demand for power is so huge that even the 123 Agreement won’t mean much in the long run. Even by government estimates, civil nuclear energy will only produce about 20,000 MW by 2020, which is about 10 per cent of the total power generated in India. Renewable energy is, probably, a more convincing option.

For instance, biogas would not only meet the household energy requirements and enhance livelihood options for villagers; it would also reduce pressure on local forests, as people are so dependent on wood for fuel.

Biogas plants have many benefits. As OREDA chief executive Ajit Bharthuar expla­ins, “The one-time cost of setting up a plant is Rs 9,000. While government gives a subsidy to the tune of Rs 3,000, the rest is borne by the individual. Once the benefits of CDM reach the end user, he/she is likely to get back his investment within a year-and-a-half even after some deduction for maintenance.” As per the OREDA-KfW Bankengruppe pact, the users will enter into an agreement with the state nodal agency to monitor the plants. Users have to pay the maintenance cost of Rs 1,500 a year while OREDA will provide the technical expertise.

But it is not all that easy. Biogas plants have, over the time, witnessed a slow growth — or even a collapsing trend — thanks to prevailing socio-economic conditions in the villages, a drastic change in lifestyle (call it penetration of LPG), technical problems and absence of adequate finances.

A recent survey showed a massive phasing out of the units that are either in operation or degraded due to ineffective use. Of the 64,144 units installed during 2000-2005, only 32,072 plants are in use. About 11,000 plants set up during 2006-08 are in operation. As per the Kyoto Protocol, units installed after 2006 will be eligible for CDM.

“The reason why we incorporated carbon credit scheme for biogas was to modify the gas transmission system and promote continuous use of plants to develop a good environmental integrity in a sustainable manner,” says Bharthuar. About 7,000 plants that add up every year too may come under CDM.

What OREDA is looking at in terms of greenhouse gases reduction — ultimately fetching the users CERs — is pretty impressive. An estimate says it aims at 75,435 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2009 which will rise to 1,03,497 tonnes of the gas in 2010. In 2018, the amount of reduction would have stood at 1,31,559 tonnes of CO2. Cumulatively, the plants would have reduced a whopping 12,31,403 tonnes of dangerous carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That’s something to cheer about, for sure.

Carbon trading can be either done through the regulated mode or in the voluntary market. Since the regulated market calls for stringent guidelines that the plant users are unlikely to meet, OREDA has decided to go the voluntary way even though the earnings are less. If a tonne of CER in regulated market fetches about 17 euros, the same in a voluntary market can range between 13 and 4 euros.

OREDA is taking the chance and even hopes to strike the best price available. It is also planning to bring under CDM units that have remained out of operation during 2000-05 through a bundling project. Over 2.2 lakh biogas plants have been set up across Orissa under National Biogas and Manure Management Programme since 1981-82, while the capacity is well over 4 lakh.

A New and Renewable Energy Ministry report says India has generated 12.6 GW of power from renewable resources and plans to generate 20 per cent of its total energy from renewable sources in 12 years. With climate change slated to determine global energy policies in the years to come, renewable sour- ces could just be the order of the day.

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR COW PROTECTION

What about BIO GAS ???? from cowdung !!!

Enclose a volume of cow patties and urine add enough water to cover, Stir and stir till you make a creamy mixture. Put on a tight lid with a pipe screwed to the lid some where, attach a hose to the pipe, add a valve, and the other end of the hose going to an inner tube, add warmth and Presto three to fourteen days later the cow pies are magically transformed to BIO GAS. Suitable for cooking, or running a generator (its only half as hot as propane so you need twice as much). Fortunately cows are free with their organic

uses of cow dung

1. Fuel - cow dung patties (gootte) for cooking

2. Fertilizer - composting makes it even more powerful

3. Heat source - cow dung is naturally hot -compost makes hotter put in glass house to heat glass house or run pipes thru it to get hot water.

3. Purifier - natural antiseptic qualities

4. Floor coating - used mixed with mud and water on floors in mud houses. Improves water absorption of mud. Prevents muddy puddles resulting from spilt water.

5. Mud brick additive - improves resistance to disintegration

6. Skin tonic - mixed with crushed neem leaves smeared on skin - good for boils and heat rash (SP used it for heat rash in Mayapur.)

7. Smoke producer - smoldering cow patties keep away mosquitoes. Can also make smoked paneer over such smoke. Tastes great in pasta! :)

Ash - from patties used in cooking. -

8. Pot cleaner - used dry absorbs oil and fat wet as a general cleaner

9. Brass polisher - tamarind removes oxidation - wet ashes polishes

10. Fertilizer - alkaline - cow dung ash is basically lime with a few other mineral mixed in

11. Mud additive - dries up slippery mud puddles

12. Mud brick additive - mud and lime (cow dung ashes) becomes like cement

13. Pond PH balancer - thrown into pond neutralizes acid.

14. Tooth polish -

15. Sun-dried organic recreational-aerodynamic-device -cow patty Frisbees ;)

16. Fan for fire - large cow patties can be used as make shift fans.

17. Deity worship - ingredient in panca gavya

cow dung

uses of cow dung

Uses
In many parts of the developing world, cow dung is used as a fertilizer and fuel. Caked and dried cow dung is used as a fuel to cook food in many parts of Asia and Africa.

In recent times, the dung is collected and used to produce biogas to generate electricity and heat. The gas is a rich source of methane and is used in rural areas of India and elsewhere to provide a renewable and stable source of electricity.

Cow dung is also used to line the floor and walls of buildings owing to its insect repellent properties. In cold places, cow dung is used to line the walls of rustic houses as a cheap thermal insulator.

It was also used extensively on Indian Railways to seal smokeboxes on steam locomotives.[citation needed]

Cow dung is also an optional ingredient in the manufacture of adobe mud brick housing depending on the availability of materials at hand.[1]

cow dung

Cow dung is the waste of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle ("cows"), bison ("buffalo"), yak and water buffalo. Cow dung is the undigested residue of herbivorous matter which has passed through the animal's gut. The resultant faecal matter is rich in minerals. Colour ranges from greenish to blackish, often darkening in colour soon after exposure to air.

Thursday 16 April 2009

WHAT IS MATTER?

ANYTHING THAT OCCUPIIES
SPACE AND HAS MASS
IS MATTER.
MATTER ----- THE FIRST WORD IN THE LANGUAGE OF CHEMISTRY.
ANYTHING THAT WE SEE, TOUCH OR FEEL IS CALLED MATTER.
THE BONES AND FLESH OF YOUR BODY IS CALLED MATTER.
THE FABRIC OF YOUR CLOTHES IS MATTER.
THE FOOD YOU EAT IS MATTER.
THE WATER YOU DRINK IS MATTER.
THE AIR YOU BREATHE IS MATTER.

WHAT IS NOT MATTER?

THINGS WHICH DON’T HAVE WEIGHT AND DON’T OCCUPY SPACE ARE CALLED NON MATTER.
RADIO AND TELEVISION SIGNALS ARE NOT MATTER.
OUR FEELINGS OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS ARE ALSO NON MATTER.
INTELLIGENCE AND VIRTUES ARE ALSO NON MATTER.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

spices

food chart making activity

All class VI students are to do the food chart making activity!



RECORD YOUR STATE OF HEALTH IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.



PREPARE A FOOD CHART FOR YOURSELF ACCORDING TO THE CLASSROOM DISCUSSION AND STICK TO THE SAME FOR AT LEAST ONE WEEK.


RECORD YOUR STATE OF HEALTH AFTER ONE WEEK AGAIN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.


COMPARE THE 2 STATES OF YOUR HEALTH.

WHAT DO YOU INFER FROM THIS?


BALANCED DIET IS THE KEY TO A WONDERFUL STATE OF HEALTH FOR ALL.


PROMISE TO YOURSELF TO CONTINUE EATING A BALANCED DIET FOREVER.

Wednesday 11 February 2009

Just a thought

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of our Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
Keep doing good! Keep feeling good!

Sunday 8 February 2009

solar eclipse

solar eclipse

The Moon's Two Shadows
An eclipse of the Sun (or solar eclipse) can only occur at New Moon when the Moon passes between Earth and Sun. If the Moon's shadow happens to fall upon Earth's surface at that time, we see some portion of the Sun's disk covered or 'eclipsed' by the Moon. Since New Moon occurs every 29 1/2 days, you might think that we should have a solar eclipse about once a month. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen because the Moon's orbit around Earth is tilted 5 degrees to Earth's orbit around the Sun. As a result, the Moon's shadow usually misses Earth as it passes above or below our planet at New Moon. At least twice a year, the geometry lines up just right so that some part of the Moon's shadow falls on Earth's surface and an eclipse of the Sun is seen from that region.

The Moon's shadow actually has two parts:


1. Penumbra
The Moon's faint outer shadow.
Partial solar eclipses are visible from within the penumbral shadow.
2. Umbra
The Moon's dark inner shadow.
Total solar eclipses are visible from within the umbral shadow.
When the Moon's penumbral shadow strikes Earth, we see a partial eclipse of the Sun from that region. Partial eclipses are dangerous to look at because the un-eclipsed part of the Sun is still very bright. You must use special filters or a home-made pinhole projector to safely watch a partial eclipse of the Sun (see: Observing Solar Eclipses Safely).

What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? A lunar eclipse is an eclipse of the Moon rather than the Sun. It happens when the Moon passes through Earth's shadow. This is only possible when the Moon is in the Full Moon phase.
The Moon's Two Shadows
An eclipse of the Sun (or solar eclipse) can only occur at New Moon when the Moon passes between Earth and Sun. If the Moon's shadow happens to fall upon Earth's surface at that time, we see some portion of the Sun's disk covered or 'eclipsed' by the Moon. Since New Moon occurs every 29 1/2 days, you might think that we should have a solar eclipse about once a month. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen because the Moon's orbit around Earth is tilted 5 degrees to Earth's orbit around the Sun. As a result, the Moon's shadow usually misses Earth as it passes above or below our planet at New Moon. At least twice a year, the geometry lines up just right so that some part of the Moon's shadow falls on Earth's surface and an eclipse of the Sun is seen from that region.

The Moon's shadow actually has two parts:


1. Penumbra
The Moon's faint outer shadow.
Partial solar eclipses are visible from within the penumbral shadow.
2. Umbra
The Moon's dark inner shadow.
Total solar eclipses are visible from within the umbral shadow.
When the Moon's penumbral shadow strikes Earth, we see a partial eclipse of the Sun from that region. Partial eclipses are dangerous to look at because the un-eclipsed part of the Sun is still very bright. You must use special filters or a home-made pinhole projector to safely watch a partial eclipse of the Sun (see: Observing Solar Eclipses Safely).

What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? A lunar eclipse is an eclipse of the Moon rather than the Sun. It happens when the Moon passes through Earth's shadow. This is only possible when the Moon is in the Full Moon phase.

solar eclipse