Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have designed a sustainable hydrogel to remove microplastics.

Hydrogel:

• It is a three-dimensional network composed of hydrophobic polymers synthesized by crosslinking water-soluble polymers.
• Hydrogels can retain a large quantity of water within their network without disturbing their original structure. This imparts flexibility and swelling properties to the hydrogel structures.
• It is a “smart” material that can change its structure in response to its environment, such as the local temperature, pH, salt or water concentration.

Sustainable hydrogel:

• It is designed by the researchers has a unique intertwined polymer network that can bind the contaminants and degrade them using UV light irradiation.
• It consists of three different polymer layers – chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol and polyaniline – intertwined together, making an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) architecture.
• The team infused this matrix with nanoclusters of a material called copper substitute polyoxometalate (Cu-POM). These nanoclusters are catalysts that can use UV light to degrade the micro plastics.
• The combination of the polymers and nanoclusters resulted in a strong hydrogel with the ability to adsorb and degrade large amounts of microplastics.
• The hydrogel was found to be highly efficient – it could remove about 95% and 93% of two different types of microplastics in water at near-neutral pH (∼6.5).

Micro plastics:

• It is tiny plastic debris smaller than 5 mm in length.

There are two types of microplastics as follows

• Primary microplastics : These are tiny particles (solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter in their largest dimension) intentionally designed for commercial use, such as cosmetics, nurdles i.e., plastic pellets used in industrial manufacturing and fibers from synthetic fabrics such as nylon.
• Secondary microplastics : These are formed from the degradation of large plastic objects such as bottles, fishing nets and plastic bags. It is caused by exposure to the environment, such as radiation from the sun, wind and ocean waves.

Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) recently established the world’s largest renewable energy park in Gujarat’s Khavda region.

Khavda Renewable Energy Park

• It is the world’s largest renewable energy park.
• It is located at Khavda in Gujarat''s Kutch region, boasting an impressive 45 GW capacity predominantly fueled by solar energy.
• The region has the second-best solar radiation in the country after Ladakh and wind speeds five times that of the plains.
• Situated just one kilometer from the international border with Pakistan, the energy park maintains a buffer zonemanned by the Border Security Force (BSF).
• Originally accessed only by a modest airstrip without air traffic control, the site now gears up for a significant clean energy venture.
• It spans 538 square kilometres, approximately five times the size of Paris.
• It is being built by Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), India''s largest renewable energy company.
• Investment: AGEL will invest about Rs 1.5 lakh crore to generate 30 megawatts of clean electricity. It would comprise 26 GW of solar and 4GW of wind capacity.
• The Khavda Park, at its peak, is projected to generate 81 billion units of electricity, a quantity capable of powering entire nations such as Belgium, Chile, and Switzerland.

Doxxing incidents are increasing over the internet across the globe.

Doxxing:

• The word “doxxing” is derived from “dropping dox”.
• It is a form of online harassment involving the publication of personal information about an individual without their consent.
• This information can include details such as their full name, home address, telephone number, place of work, and other sensitive information.
• Doxxing is often carried out to expose, threaten, or intimidate someone and can lead to severe consequences, such as physical harm, stalking, or loss of employment.
• Such information is usually obtained through illegal methods such as hacking or theft.

How to prevent?

• Use strong passwords that are not repeated across platforms, and set up multi-factor authentication where possible.
• Avoid posting photos that reveal your neighbourhood, house facade, house keys, identifiable landmarks etc.
• Avoid posting screenshots of text conversations with others as you may inadvertently doxx your contact or reveal your own number by accident
• Reporting through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal online etc.