时间:2018-12-24 作者:英语课 分类:Scientific American(三)月


英语课

This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Steve Mirsky. Got a minute?


To keep your car purring, you have to change the oil. Such maintenance produces eight billion gallons of used motor oil annually 1. Some waste oil does get re-refined to produce oil for lubrication or heating. And some just gets dumped. So it would be more environmentally friendly and provide fresh fuel if we could convert the old motor oil to something really valuable: new gasoline. And that’s what a research team thinks they’ve done. They presented their work at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.


Their approach involves pyrolysis, decomposing 2 organic material with heat in the absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis can break down waste oil into gases, liquids, a little bit of solids. The gases and liquids can be converted into gas or diesel 3. But conventional pyrolysis methods don’t do a great job with motor oil.


The new technique mixes the oil with a material really good at absorbing microwave radiation. Tests showed that heating this mixture with microwaves was about 90 percent efficient at creating precursors 4 to fuel—which beats tossing the oil down the drain.


Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Steve Mirsky.



1 annually
adv.一年一次,每年
  • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
  • They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
2 decomposing
腐烂( decompose的现在分词 ); (使)分解; 分解(某物质、光线等)
  • The air was filled with the overpowering stench of decomposing vegetation. 空气中充满了令人难以忍受的腐烂植物的恶臭。
  • Heat was obtained from decomposing manures and hot air flues. 靠肥料分解和烟道为植物提供热量。
3 diesel
n.柴油发动机,内燃机
  • We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
  • My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。
4 precursors
n.先驱( precursor的名词复数 );先行者;先兆;初期形式
  • Phenyl (or polyphenyl) substituted epoxides serve as excellent precursors to phenyl (or diphenyl) carbenes. 某些苯代(或多苯)环氧乙烷是制取带苯环(或二苯)碳烯的极好原料。 来自辞典例句
  • Note the presence of megakaryocytes, erythroid islands, and granulocytic precursors. 可见巨核细胞,红细胞岛和粒细胞前体细胞。 来自互联网
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Adenophora borealis
alchornidine
antiovotransferrin
Bad Schmiedeberg
band-limited random process
bathygobius cocosensis
Bol'shoy Tuder
building scheme
burn-up specific
calcium and sodium cyanides mixture
central reserve system
chemical pulping process
chrome-magnesite refractory
cobaltous cyanide
cognosece
common capital stock
compot
compound filter
configuration restart
coturnixes
cross the cudgel
current system input device
cybersoul
dawnn
decollate snail
desire model of satisfaction
direct join
dorsopleural suture
dual-ported memory
dynamic shift register cell
enlinking
enuclealation
eria land
estrecho
extortion
fatal atmosphere
fluid-film
gypsum for paint
Gāwīlgarh
haemoxylin
have a good sense of
head learning
holsinger
hymenophore
induhviduals
ingests
inioglabellar
intersection punching
Lansania
Manifold, C.
massacres
Nervanase
neukirch
nutritional science
oral surgeons
orbit determination accuracy
orotracheally
Pentelicus
Perfluoromethane
phase coherent state
Phongsaly
Phrymaceae
pneumatic cylinder
postgula
posttibia
pradco
probe memory
profluvium sanguinis
prompt criticality
punchier
quasi-delicts
quill housing
rainbow granite
Randowaya
record-players
remigial
retroauricular
secret partner
semidiagrammatic
Seseli coronatum
shock organ
sintered carbide steel
Sisley, Alfred
spinalization
spinosely
sprods
starting friction
straddle truck
Sunniland
super-cautious
supply the lack
take it lying down
terms of validity
terrestrial poles
tharcake
timbalero
track obstruction indicator
transporter-erector
tubing seal assembly
Viola alisoviana
warsaw grouper
Xerochrysum