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Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Magnetic soap could clean up oil spills
A soap that responds to magnetic fields could be used to clean up oil spills without leaving behind detergents that can harm surrounding wildlife.
Researchers at the University of Bristol, UK dissolved iron particles in water that contained chlorine and bromine ions, materials which are commonly found in household products such as mouthwash or fabric cleaner. This created a metallic centre within the soap particles that could be influenced by a nearby magnetic field.
The team tried out their new soap by placing it in a test tube beneath layers of water and an oil-like substance. Using a magnet, they were able to overcome both gravity and surface tension to lift the soap through the layers and out of the tube.
This test shows that it is much easier to remove magnetic soaps from mixtures of other liquids, suggesting they could be used in response to environmental disasters such as oil spills, whereconcerns have been raised about the cleaning substances in use. A magnetic soap could easily be collected after cleaning, reducing the environmental impact.
Magnetic soaps could also have a range of industrial applications thanks to their ability to change properties such as electrical conductivity or melting point at will with a magnetic on/off switch. These properties are normally altered by adding an electric charge or changing the pH, temperature or pressure of the substance, meaning they can not be reversed.
Researchers at the University of Bristol, UK dissolved iron particles in water that contained chlorine and bromine ions, materials which are commonly found in household products such as mouthwash or fabric cleaner. This created a metallic centre within the soap particles that could be influenced by a nearby magnetic field.
The team tried out their new soap by placing it in a test tube beneath layers of water and an oil-like substance. Using a magnet, they were able to overcome both gravity and surface tension to lift the soap through the layers and out of the tube.
This test shows that it is much easier to remove magnetic soaps from mixtures of other liquids, suggesting they could be used in response to environmental disasters such as oil spills, whereconcerns have been raised about the cleaning substances in use. A magnetic soap could easily be collected after cleaning, reducing the environmental impact.
Magnetic soaps could also have a range of industrial applications thanks to their ability to change properties such as electrical conductivity or melting point at will with a magnetic on/off switch. These properties are normally altered by adding an electric charge or changing the pH, temperature or pressure of the substance, meaning they can not be reversed.
Sony's Stringer steps down as president, CEO
Howard Stringer, the Welsh-born American head of Japanese games, music and electronics giant Sony, is to step down as the firm's president and CEO, the company said Wednesday.
He will be succeeded by Kazuo Hirai, a games and music veteran at the company, who will take over as president and CEO in April, a statement said, while Stringer will become chairman of the board of directors in June.
"I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success," said Stringer. "He is ready to lead, and the time to make this change is now."
Hirai, 51, played a major role in developing the PlayStation in the 1990s and has spent most of his career at Sony in videogames, movies, music and other software businesses.
"As challenging as times are for Sony now, were it not for the strong leadership of Sir Howard Stringer these past seven years, we would have been in a much more difficult position," he said.
The Tokyo-based maker of PlayStation consoles and Bravia television sets is projecting an annual net loss of 90 billion yen ($1.2 billion), its fourth consecutive year in the red, as it reels from the impact of a strong yen, weak sales and severe flooding in Thailand.
He will be succeeded by Kazuo Hirai, a games and music veteran at the company, who will take over as president and CEO in April, a statement said, while Stringer will become chairman of the board of directors in June.
"I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success," said Stringer. "He is ready to lead, and the time to make this change is now."
Hirai, 51, played a major role in developing the PlayStation in the 1990s and has spent most of his career at Sony in videogames, movies, music and other software businesses.
"As challenging as times are for Sony now, were it not for the strong leadership of Sir Howard Stringer these past seven years, we would have been in a much more difficult position," he said.
The Tokyo-based maker of PlayStation consoles and Bravia television sets is projecting an annual net loss of 90 billion yen ($1.2 billion), its fourth consecutive year in the red, as it reels from the impact of a strong yen, weak sales and severe flooding in Thailand.
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