Engineers create plants that glow

on 04/01/2018

Illumination from nanobionic plants might one day replace some electrical lighting.

MIT engineers have taken a critical first step toward making that vision a reality. By embedding specialized nanoparticles into the leaves of a watercress plant, they induced the plants to give off dim light for nearly four hours. They believe that, with further optimization, such plants will one day be bright enough to illuminate a workspace.”The vision is to make a plant that will function as a desk lamp — a lamp that you don’t have to plug in. The light is ultimately powered by the energy metabolism of the plant itself,” says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study.

This technology could also be used to provide low-intensity indoor lighting, or to transform trees into self-powered streetlights, the researchers say.

MIT postdoc Seon-Yeong Kwak is the lead author of the study, which appears in the journal Nano Letters.

Plant nanobionics, a new research area pioneered by Strano’s lab, aims to give plants novel features by embedding them with different types of nanoparticles. The group’s goal is to engineer plants to take over many of the functions now performed by electrical devices. The researchers have previously designed plants that can detect explosives and communicate that information to a smartphone, as well as plants that can monitor drought conditions.

Lighting, which accounts for about 20 percent of worldwide energy consumption, seemed like a logical next target. “Plants can self-repair, they have their own energy, and they are already adapted to the outdoor environment,” Strano says. “We think this is an idea whose time has come. It’s a perfect problem for plant nanobionics.” 

To create their glowing plants, the MIT team turned to luciferase, the enzyme that gives fireflies their glow. Luciferase acts on a molecule called luciferin, causing it to emit light. Another molecule called co-enzyme A helps the process along by removing a reaction byproduct that can inhibit luciferase activity.The MIT team packaged each of these three components into a different type of nanoparticle carrier.

The nanoparticles, which are all made of materials that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies as “generally regarded as safe,” help each component get to the right part of the plant. They also prevent the components from reaching concentrations that could be toxic to the plants.The researchers used silica nanoparticles about 10 nanometers in diameter to carry luciferase, and they used slightly larger particles of the polymers PLGA and chitosan to carry luciferin and co-enzyme A, respectively.

To get the particles into plant leaves, the researchers first suspended the particles in a solution. Plants were immersed in the solution and then exposed to high pressure, allowing the particles to enter the leaves through tiny pores called stomata. Particles releasing luciferin and co-enzyme A were designed to accumulate in the extracellular space of the mesophyll, an inner layer of the leaf, while the smaller particles carrying luciferase enter the cells that make up the mesophyll. The PLGA particles gradually release luciferin, which then enters the plant cells, where luciferase performs the chemical reaction that makes luciferin glow.

The researchers’ early efforts at the start of the project yielded plants that could glow for about 45 minutes, which they have since improved to 3.5 hours. The light generated by one 10-centimeter watercress seedling is currently about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by, but the researchers believe they can boost the light emitted, as well as the duration of light, by further optimizing the concentration and release rates of the components.

Plant transformation’s Previous efforts to create light-emitting plants have relied on genetically engineering plants to express the gene for luciferase, but this is a laborious process that yields extremely dim light. Those studies were performed on tobacco plants and Arabidopsis thaliana, which are commonly used for plant genetic studies. However, the method developed by Strano’s lab could be used on any type of plant. So far, they have demonstrated it with arugula, kale, and spinach, in addition to watercress.

For future versions of this technology, the researchers hope to develop a way to paint or spray the nanoparticles onto plant leaves, which could make it possible to transform trees and other large plants into light sources.“Our target is to perform one treatment when the plant is a seedling or a mature plant, and have it last for the lifetime of the plant,” Strano says. “Our work very seriously opens up the doorway to streetlamps that are nothing but treated trees, and to indirect lighting around homes.”

The researchers have also demonstrated that they can turn the light off by adding nanoparticles carrying a luciferase inhibitor. This could enable them to eventually create plants that shut off their light emission in response to environmental conditions such as sunlight, the researchers say. The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

170 employees of OGDCL appointed on forged documents

on 03/01/2018

As many as 170 employees of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) have been found guilty of submitting fake or forged documents during scrutiny.

Audit officials, during a briefing on the audit report of the petroleum ministry, told the Public Accounts committee that out of the total 170 employees who were found guilty, five were sent on forced retirement with complete incentives, 18 were demoted to lower grades, whereas, 80 employees were facing cases in the court.

The committee was informed that the documents of 15,000 OGDCL employees were scrutinized. The managing director of the company told the committee that some of the employees had forged their documents altering their dates of birth, grades or divisions in their educational documents.

In his initial response to the report, PAC Chairman Khursheed Shah opted to sweep the matter under the carpet, questioning the audit officials why they were pushing the matters of employees, but later deferred the para after the officials opposed him.

The audit officials said that ignoring the matter would send a wrong signal to other institutions. Sardar Ashiq Gopang, a committee member, said that criminal cases should be filed against these employees. The committee was also informed that the national exchequer had suffered a loss of Rs370 million in connection with the annual examination of CNG stations. According to the report presented by audit officials, the loss was incurred due to the negligence of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority.

Get ready for a New United Car this year

on 03/01/2018

A leading Chinese bike maker, United Auto Industries is gearing up to launch an 800cc car next year. Its launch will be followed by the end of the 30-year journey of iconic 800cc Suzuki Mehran in 2019.

United is venturing into car and pickup manufacturing, United Motors General Manager Muhammad Afzal told a newspaper. He said the company will use Chinese technology and market its vehicles under the brand name of United. `The local assembly of these vehicles will begin in the first half of 2018, ` he said.

The market is abuzz with reports that United is introducing Mehran and Ravi lookalikes with minor design variations to avoid copyright litigation.`Our car and pickup are not the copy of Suzuki brands. Our vehicles are totally different and loaded with various attractive features and safety standards, ` Mr Afzal said.

As for the pricing, he said the company intends to keep it `very affordable`. The official did not give any details about the company`s investment in the greenfield project, level of localisation, plant capacity and monthly production number.

In June, the government allowed United Motors, KIA-Lucky Motors and Hyundai Nishat Motor to set up greenfield projects under the new auto policy.These companies were promised special incentives by way of reduced customs duties on the import of completely knocked-down kits for local assembly.

Pak Suzuki plans to discontinue Mehran and introduce the next-generation 660cc Alto in March 2019. Alto will have a price tag of Rs850,000-900,000 for the basic variant. Mehran, Ravi and Bolan, which belong to the 800cc category, constitute the largest auto segment with combined sales of approximately 8,000 vehicles per month.

Pak Suzuki has so far dominated this segment as vehicles produced by recent entrant Al-Haj FAW cost around Rs100,000 more than Ravi and Bolan.

Vendors of Japanese cars said it remains to be seen if United will make a dent in Pak Suzuki`s market share. Since 1989, Mehran has been the car of choice for customers as it helped them shift from motorcycles to four-wheelers. Mehran`s affordable price, low-cost parts and after-sales network attract the middle class that cannot afford more expensive local or imported vehicles.

According to vendors, Chinese motorcycles were first rolled out in 2005 at prices that were 40 per cent lower than those of Japanese bikes. As a result, customers went wild for Chinese two wheelers, which now control up to 60pc market share.

 

Work on Bhasha Dam likely to begin in Aug 2018

on 03/01/2018

Prime Minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi has approved a summary relating to PC-1, financial arrangements and the proposed plan for launching civil work on 4,500MW Diamer Basha dam project, claims Wapda chairman.

After getting the final approval, Wapda has started the required paperwork before initiating the bidding process and launching civil work on the project in August this year.`We had recently sent a summary to the effect and the prime minister approved it.Since we will require next three to six months in completing the bidding process for hiring consultants and contractors, I am keen on launching civil work in August next year, ` Wapda Chairman Muzammil Hussain told media.

The project continued to be delayed for the last many years due to funding and land acquisition issues. The groundbreaking [ceremony] of the project had been performed in 2006 by the then president Pervez Musharraf.

`Funding and land acquisition delayed the project. We faced a delay of almost 11years because of Asian Development Bank (ADB) regarding the funding arrangement of $14 billion. And finally the ADB wrote a letter to us last year, stating that the project cannot be launched in the disputed territory, ` he said. Hussain said Wapda briefed the ADB team that $14bn was not a big issue since the authority would require funds (approximately) $7bn for the dam portion alone.

‘We told them that we will be requiring just a billion dollar a yearfrom ADB, and rest of the money including $4bn for power house, can be arranged by us through other resources including commercial financing and equity. Since they were unable to understand our point of view we finally got rid of them after China assured us to fund the project under CPEC ‘he said.

Later, China imposed harsh conditions and Wapda refused to accept them.`I refused to give ownership and operation & maintenance (O&M) of the project to the Chinese. So we have now decided to launch and completed major part of the project on our own, ` the chairman said.

He said 85 per cent of land acquisition for Basha dam had been completed. `The remaining 15pc relates to the resettlement of the affectees. But the issue is that there is no land available further. So Wapda has decided to give them sufficient money instead of the land so that they could live wherever they want.

Talking about Mohmand dam, he said the authority was all set to launch civil work on the $3bn project by June or July next year. `It is a very important dam in terms of availability of 1.2MAF water storage, 800MW hydel power generation, availability of water for Peshawar and irrigation of 30,000 acre agriculture land in the area.Moreover, the dam would mitigate the flood chances in Noshehra and Charsadda forever, ` he claimed.

Furthermore, the project involved minimum land acquisition. `The bidding process for hiring consultants has been initiated, as about 15 companies have applied for this. I have planned to get 50 to 55pc of the total cost of the dam from the government. And the rest we will arrange through our resources and commercial financing, ` he said.

We shall work for restoring self-respect of engineers: Engr. Irfan Ahmed

on 02/01/2018

IEEEP set to expand its role

With its new leadership, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of Pakistan (IEEEP) is set to expand its role in the changing environment and determined to extend help to young engineers in the country.

Engineer Irfan Ahmed who has assumed the office of the Chairman of the IEEEP, Karachi Center believes the institute should play its proactive advisory role so that the governments should be able to address deepening issues relating to engineering in the country.

After the new office bearers took over the charge, Engineering Review talked to Engr. Irfan Ahmed to know how he and his team will assert the institute so that engineering and engineering community is benefited in Pakistan. “We are contemplating to change aims and objectives of the institution to adopt a new role. At present, dissemination of knowledge and encouraging professionalism fall in the ambit of the institution as per its existing aims and objectives,” he said.

“We believe these aims and objectives are not sufficient as the environment has changed”, he observes.

Institutions in the country have been eroded which has resulted in emergence of personalities and thus personal interests have superseded institutions. This atmosphere, he feels has affected IEEEP too. This needs to be addressed, he believes.We are now moving towards framing new aims and objectives so that young engineers are extended with help. We shall soon constitute a subcommittee in local council with the task of forming new aims and objectives which will be presented before the central council for approval.

Engr. Irfan seemed resolute to make endeavors to restore self-respect of engineers. “The non-engineer bureaucracy has an upper hand in most government engineering agencies which is against the PEC rules under which no non-engineer can supervise the work of engineers. It is violation of the act of the parliament”, he said. “We want to work for discouraging such a practice in the country. We are thinking to organize a panel discussion on CPEC in the symposium. But CPEC is not the only issue. Instead, each and every agreement that the government has reached at with other countries and which does not favor engineers is our issue. The issue which infringe our rights is our issue and we would like to talk about it. We believe that job creation should be the prime objective of any investment in Pakistan so that the engineers, skilled people and labor should benefit. The government has signed some agreements which do not favor our people. He however did not name such agreements in which the interests of local people have been compromised.

Energy crisis in Pakistan is over?

The technical data that we have received from federal government departments says the energy crisis will remain for few years more. There is a lot of information which is not shared publically, he says. I don’t know how the government claim the energy crisis is over. What is the basis of such a claim? We don’t know. But whatever is evident cannot be denied. Load shedding continues as yet. No matter you name it load management but it is load shedding. I think the way things are moving crisis would remain.