One of the More Efficient Filters On Earth - Found In Whales

With advances and fabrics, construction, and implementation, current filtration technology is among some of the most advanced sectors of industrial engineering today. However for all of man's research, and achievements, sometimes nature still comes out on top in terms of who has the best "technology".

A recently released study has found that Blue Whales which are the largest animals ever to live, could very well also be the most efficient animals ever. By using a method called Filter-Feeding, the Blue Whale can take in more than 90 times more energy than it uses.

 

These truly gigantic animals, (at over 33 metres (108 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons) or more in weight), dive up to 500 meters beneath the surface, then lunge into the swarms of tiny Krill (A type of Shrimp) above them at several meters per second. With their large mouths open they are able to catch large amount of the tiny Crustaceans. As they strike, their massive mouths fill with huge volumes of water, including plenty of Krill. The water is then pushed out through large filters,  called Baleen, in the Whale's mouth, trapping the Krill.

 

But recently a team of scientists lead by Robert Shadwick of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and Jeremy Goldbogen of the University of California, San Diego wondered how such a feeding process could be energy efficient. This feeding technique takes a lot of effort due to the energy needed for the lunges. "We wondered how they coped," says Robert Shadwick. They led a team who set out to track blue whales as they fed. In small boats they zoomed up alongside surfacing whales and attached tracking devices to them using suction caps.

How Energy Efficient?

The team followed 265 Blue Whales over the course of 200 foraging dives and 654 lunges. Based on the data they collected, the team estimated that the Whales expend about 3200 kilojoules of energy (About 13.3 million calories) with each dive. This astronomical number at first seems quite high, but it is drawfted when you consider how much energy the Whales get from their food. Using data on known Krill densities, the team estimates that with each lunge, the Whales collected between 34,000 (142,256,000 Calories) and 1,912,000 kJ (7,999,808,000 Calories) – up to 237 times the energy used. That is an efficiency factor of nearly 237 times more energy received than expended. Even when taking into account the dives, the Whales still netted nearly 90 times more energy.

A close up of the Blue Whale's Baleen, or Whalebone

Shadwick went on to explain how during the course of the Whales migratory lifestyle this great efficiency is needed when the Whales have to deal with seasonal starvation. 

All of this is thanks to the Blue Whale has Baleen, or Whalebone, in place of teeth. These narrow vertical plates, which hang inside the mouth cavity, are fringed on the inner edges to trap the Krill engulfed by the whale in a mouthful of water. It is easy to see why these are being called "Natures most efficient Filters".

So next time you think your Filtration system is world class, just remember that you have a long way to go, before you can match efficiency with natures Blue Whale.

California Diesel Regs Cut Black Carbon Soot in Half, Shows the World How to Reap Big Benefits for Health and Climate

Washington, D.C., December 15, 2010 – Cleaner air and significant climate benefits are the result of California laws implemented two decades ago to reduce soot pollution from diesel trucks, according to a new paper published yesterday in Atmospheric Environment. Dirty diesel-burning vehicles are normally guilty of polluting the air with black carbon soot, dark-colored particles that kill and cripple, and cause climate change.

“A leading cause of respiratory diseases, soot is responsible for some 1.9 million deaths a year,” notes paper co-author, Professor V. Ramanathan, in a recent opinion piece published in the New York Times. California’s regulations have cut black carbon emissions from the state in half, providing a direct positive effect on local and regional air quality.

Black carbon is a formidable climate warming agent, estimated to be the second or third greatest contributor to global warming.  While in the atmosphere, the dark particles absorb heat and contribute to global temperature rise.  After a few days to a few weeks, the dark particles fall out of the atmosphere and can settle on snow and ice where they darken the surface and absorb more heat, leading to accelerated melting.

“As this study shows, the technology already exists to solve the black carbon problem,” said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. “Because black carbon is short-lived in the atmosphere, reducing it provides fast benefits for public health and climate change.”

In addition to improving diesel vehicles, cleaner burning cook stoves can reduce black carbon in countries such as India, China, and much of Africa. Prof. Ramanathan, along with his daughter, Nithya Ramanathan, both at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, launched Project Surya several years ago to bring improved cookstoves to Indian villages. The Project Surya team works with local women to collect data on black carbon by providing them with cell phones to take photos of black carbon filters.

“We know how to cut black carbon; we have the solutions,” added Zaelke. “Getting rid of black carbon can avoid millions of deaths and incapacitating injuries a year.  Whether you view the issue from a public health or climate change perspective – we need to take fast action now to cut black carbon.”

For more information, see:

Bahadur, R., Feng, Y., Russell, L.M., Ramanathan, V. Impact of California’s Air Pollution Laws on Black Carbon and their Implications for Direct Radiative Forcing, Atmospheric Environment (2010), doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.054.


Contact Info: Alex Viets, IGSD: +1.213.321.0911, aviets@igsd.org

10 Ways The EPA Has Changed America For The Better

This article has been moved. Please view it at its new location here: http://www.baghouse.com/2010/12/30/the-10-reasons-we-have-for-thanking-the-epa-for-a-cleaner-planet/

New EPA Informational Resources For Combating Greenhouse Gases

With these new tools, the EPA is making it easier for local regulatory organizations and for those looking to receive air permits, to understand how they can help reduce the release of harmful Greenhouse Gases into the atmosphere.

This new article can be found in full at the QFilter.com News Section.

EPA Releases New Pollution Permitting Guidance


The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is making available new tools and guidelines for use by State and Local Environmental regulatory boards, to identify the most cost effective pollution control technologies to control the emission of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs).

“‘EPA is working closely with its partners at the state and local levels to ensure permitting for greenhouse gases runs smoothly,”‘ said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office Air and Radiation...Read More

5 Reasons You Should Care About Dust Collection

The term Industrial Dust Collection for many simply draws a blank in their minds. "What is that?" they may say. Or they might simply think that it has something to do with "Big Vacuum Cleaners". But little do those outside of the industry itself appreciate how many benefits this multimillion dollar industry brings to all of us. Here are just 5 reasons why we should be care about Dust Collection technology and the effects it has on our lives.

To read the rest of this article, please visit the its new home at baghouse.com here: http://www.baghouse.com/2011/01/04/5-ways-dust-collection-affects-our-everyday-life/