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Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Plastic into Steel (Aussie Science)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050810/sc_ … c_dc]Click

*Thought others might find this of interest as well. 

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

C M Edwards

Member

From: Lake Charles LA USA

Registered: 2002-04-29

Posts: 1,012

Re: Plastic into Steel (Aussie Science)

Considering that the usual sources of coke here on Earth are coal and petrochemicals, I think that research could be very useful to the manufacture of steel on Mars. 

It ties in with http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3485]this thread and http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=280]this one in ways I'd never thought of.  Put them together, and you've got steel!

A little australian genius could be just what Marsian metallurgy needs.  8)

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"We go big, or we don't go."  - GCNRevenger

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Plastic into Steel (Aussie Science)

Cindy:-

*Thought others might find this of interest as well. 

Yes, indeed, Cindy!
I, for one, am always pleased to see Australian scientists doing their bit - especially with 'green' projects like this one.

CM :-

A little australian genius could be just what Marsian metallurgy needs.  8)

Thanks, CM.
Not too shabby for a "piss ant" country full of "f*cking idiots", as I once heard Australia described quite recently.

And yes, I agree that putting this kind of research together with other suggestions discussed here at New Mars in the past opens up many possibilities for construction work on Mars. I'm sure we could achieve speedy progress in colonizing the Red Planet if only we would just get on with it!!

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Plastic into Steel (Aussie Science)

*I did have possible future applications on Mars in mind when I posted the initial article.  Not sure why, but metallurgy is interesting to me even though I'm not overly knowledgeable about it.

Sahajwalla said many waste plastics, from shopping bags to dishwashing liquid containers and drink bottles, contain high enough levels of carbon to be useful in steelmaking.

Carbon is used to add strength to steel.

She said PVC was one of few plastics not suitable for the process because of potentially carcinogenic emissions when burned.

Too bad.  Isn't PVC used in lots of consumer goods?  I'll Google for it, but it seems I've heard frequent references to PVC.

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Plastic into Steel (Aussie Science)

CM :-

A little australian genius could be just what Marsian metallurgy needs.  8)

Thanks, CM.
Not too shabby for a "piss ant" country full of "f*cking idiots", as I once heard Australia described quite recently.

*Hi Shaun and CM:  Since this does concern Australia:  Articles pertaining to Australian science are just as forthcoming as from Europe, perhaps a bit more.  I recall an Antarctica-based observatory Australia is building or has in the definite works; approximately 2 years ago Australian scientists discovered a previously unknown "new" arm of the Milky Way Galaxy; now this, etc.  There are a couple of other examples I can't recall at 5:18 a.m. (still half asleep)...Australia is giving Canada and Europe a run for their money as science and astronomy go, etc.; it seems that way, anyhow.

Construction work on Mars...will that include "Give 'Em a Brake" traffic signs?? 

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)