- Blue Horizons
U K to research future fuels from coal and biomass
UK has broken ground for a ing coal and biomass to liquid fuels. “Our goal is to develop facilities and
coal/biomass—to—liquids unit that The gasification unit will be capable of personnel to sustain a synthetic fuels
could lead to development of vehicle producing one barrel of fuel per day. industry in Kentucky.”
fuels made from Kentucky coal and Funding for the process—develop— Researchers will evaluate the commer—
biomass. The $5.7 million facility at ment unit includes support by the US. cial and technical viability of advanced
the UK Center for Applied Energy Department of Energy ($4.55 mil— technologies to produce fuels by the Fis—
Research (CAER) could produce lion), the Kentucky Energy and Envi— cher—Tropsch method, along—estab—
transportation fuels from these indige— ronment Cabinet ($708,000) and a lished way of converting petroleum
nous resources, which could help guar— UK cost share ($453,000). substitutes into transportation fuels, via
antee the nation’s energy future. “A key benefit of this unit is that it gasification. This will be an open—access
The unit will also focus on state—of— can be used as a test—bed for new con— facility, whose findings will be in the
the art technologies to improve effi— cepts at an affordable level,” says Rod— public domain to aid the wider scientific
ciency and reduce the amount of ney Andrews, director of CAER and and industrial community. I
carbon dioxide created when convert— the project’s principal investigator.
Parkinson’s disease risk found greater with Watermelqn reduces
exposure to trIchloroethylene athems‘Iems's '" UK “My
A study involving mice with diet—in—
Dr. Franca Cambi, of the UK Ken— released into the environment each duced high cholesterol shows that water—
tucky Neuroscience Institute, is a con— year. It is the most common organic melon reduces atherosclerosis, hardening
tributing author on a new study that contaminant found in ground water, ofthe arteries, in animals.
shows a connection between a com— detected in up to 30 percent of drink— A control group was given water to
mon solvent chemical and Parkinson’s ing water supplies in the country. drink, while the experimental group was
disease. Cambi collaborated with re— The team interviewed 99 twin pairs given watermelon juice in this study led
searchers from across the United from the National Academy of Sci— by Dr. Sibu Saha, UK Department of
States on the paper published in the ences/National Research Council Surgery. By week eight of the study, the
Annals of Neurology. World War II Veteran Twins Cohort animals given watermelon juice had
The epidemiological study, led by in which one twin had Parkinson’s and lower body weight than the control
The Parkinson’s Institute in Sunny— one didn’t, inquiring about lifetime group, due to decrease of fat mass. They
vale, Calif., looked at a cohort of occupations and hobbies. While prior experienced no decrease in lean mass.
human twins where one twin had been research has indicated a link between Plasma cholesterol concentrations were
occupationally exposed to TCE exposure and Parkinson’s disease, significantly lower in the experimental
trichloroethylene (TCE) and other the current findings are the first to re— group, with modestly reduced interme—
chemicals believed to be linked to de— port a statistically significant associa— diate and low—density lipoprotein cho—
velopment of Parkinson’s. Occupa— tion — a more than six—fold increased lesterol concentrations as compared to
tional or environmental exposure to risk. Researchers also found that expo— the control group. A measurement of
TCE, percholorethylene (PERC) and sure to PERC and CCI4 tended to— atherosclerotic lesion areas revealed that
carbon tetrachloride (CCI4) is com— ward significant risk of developing the the watermelonjuice group also experi—
mon due to the extensive use of the disease. enced statistically significant reductions
chemicals in dry—cleaning solutions, The National Institute of Neurologi— in atherosclerotic lesions, as compared to
adhesives, paints and carpet cleaners. cal Disorders and Stroke estimates the control group. Saha says melons have
Despite the Food and Drug Adminis— that as many as 500,000 Americans health benefits, and the ultimate goal is
tration banning the use of TCE as a have Parkinson’s disease and more to identify bioactive compounds that
general anesthetic, skin disinfectant than 50,000 new cases are diagnosed will improve human health. I
and coffee decaffeinating agent in annually. I
1977, it is still widely used today as a Compiled from news reports
degreasing agent. In the United States, about research at UK.
millions ofpounds of TCE are still For more information about
research ta king place at UK,
Visit www.research.uky.edu
www.uka|umni.net 11