Choose Green Gifts for Kids and Protect Their Health

Children love to receive gifts for any occasion. Most of the times, parents and others may choose latest and plastic gifts for the kids. These plastic and other gifts may harm the health of your kid. Many people may not know that the toys and gifts which are made with plastic and other materials cannot be recycled.

Therefore, this time when you are giving a gift for a kid, choose a green and eco friendly gift. There are many green gifts available in the market. The green industry is now becoming a competition to traditional toys. This industry is making toys that are eco friendly and non toxic. Most of these toys are made from recycled materials. Green toys are non toxic, saves energy, reduce landfill waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Buying green gifts for kids, not only makes them happy, but also you are indirectly helping in saving our planet. Here are few green toy gifts for kids.

Solar educational kit: If your kid loves to make things on their own, then the solar educational kit is one which best suits your kid. It helps the kid to make things on their own and also teaches basics about the solar energy, renewable energy and keeps your child interested to learn science. This is made up of complete recycleable material, so it can not harm the kid's health.

Solar robot: Solar robot is powered by sun energy. Solar manufacturers are making toys, that teach kids about the renewable energy. With this robot your kid can have much fun. This robot toy is best suited for children under 10 years.

Solar wind turbine: This is another solar powered toy. Many kids like this toy. It teaches about renewable energy sources and how to reduce the greenhouse gas emission.

Road and rail train set: The road and train set is completely made up with recycled materials. Kids love to play with the train sets. This train set can teach about the trains, traffic signs and road transports.

Rocking horse: Many children like rocking horse in real, they like the toys which resemble animals. This is made from complete recycled materials and it helps to develop the muscles and strengthen the bones of your child.

The above are the different types of green gifts for children.

Know About Electromagnetic Meta materials

Meta materials are the artificially engineered materials which have the properties that are not found in the nature. The structure of meta materials and not composition that define its properties. Electromagnetic meta materials are the type of meta materials which are designed to interact with and control electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves can be any type of waves in the electromagnetic spectrum and they can have wavelengths of thousands of kilometers to trillionths of a meter.

When the electromagnetic waves enter the material, the electric and magnetic fields of the wave cause electrons within the material to move around. The materials are used to control and manipulate the light waves by means of exchange of electromagnetic energy with the atoms and molecules of a material and these are the basis for formation of electromagnetic devices.

The size and spacing of the atoms with in the material is dependent on the order of angstroms which means that visible light waves, which are hundreds of nanometers in size, or longer wavelength waves cannot even come close to resolving the atomic structure. One can't see the individual atoms because the light perceived is so much larger than the atomic scale although the materials are formed from the collection of the atoms. So it is possible to estimate the discrete atoms and molecules of a material as a continuous substance, and properties of these materials not only derived from the individual atoms and molecules but also derived from the interactions between them with in that material.

What is a Nanowire Battery and Know Its Uses

Electric vehicles are at present making use of Lithium ion batteries, but now a new type of battery called nanowire battery is developed. It consists of stainless steel anode covered in silicon nanowires. Silicon stores large amount of graphite and allows far greater energy density on the anode, thus reducing the mass of the battery.

This nanowire batteries stores 10 times more electricity than the traditional lithium ion batteries. This can be very useful for the auto manufacturers who produce electric cars. These could also be used in homes or offices to store electricity generated by rooftop solar panels. Electrical storage capacity of these batteries depends on how much lithium can be held in the battery's anode and this anode is typically made up of carbon. But silicon has a much higher capacity than carbon.

Working of these batteries is explained by silicon placed in the battery swells as it absorbs the positively charged lithium ions and it shrinks while using the battery because lithium is drawn out of the silicon. This expansion and shrinkage cycle causes the silicon to pulverize, degrading the performance of the battery. Cui's battery addresses this problem with nanotechnology. In this battery lithium is stored in a forest of tiny silicon nanowires, each with a diameter one thousandth the thickness of a sheet of paper. These wires can store a charge of about 2,000 milliamp hours per gram. Researchers in the past made electrodes from pure crystalline silicon nanowire and these wires had triple the storage capacity of graphite electrodes but they lasted up to only 20 cycles.

What is Algae Fuel and Its Derivatives

Algae fuel is derived from algae and it is an alternative source to the fuel derived from fossils. They do not reduce the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere but they reduce the introduction of new CO2 by displacing fossil hydrocarbon fuels. Several companies and many government agencies are making efforts to reduce the capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable. Following are the derivatives of the algae fuel:

Bio diesel:
Some species of algae can produce up to 60 percent of their dry weight in the form of oil. Micro algae are also capable of producing high amount of biomass and usable oil because they grow in aqueous suspension, where they have more efficient access to water, CO2 and dissolved nutrients. Further this oil is turned in to bio diesel which can be used in automobiles.

Biobutanol:
Biobutanol has an energy density 10 percent less than gasoline and greater than that of methanol or ethanol and in most of the gasoline engines Butanol can be used in place of gasoline with no modifications. This fuel can be derived from the algae by using inky solar powered bio refinery.

Methane:
Methane is a form of natural gas and it can be produced from algae through different methods which includes Gasification, pyrolysis and aerobic digestion.

Bio gasoline:
It is a type of gasoline produced from biomass such as algae, and it contains 6 to 12 carbon atoms per molecule. It can be used in internal combustion engines.

Jet Fuel:
The International Air Transport Association, supports research, development and deployment of algal fuels. The algae fuels are processed through various stages to make it suitable enough to run an airplane.

Algae fuels are becoming more popular as these will reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. Algae fuels are more eco friendly.