Adventure Ausrama Blog

Australia begins production of potash. It is a large consumer of the salt, but until now has not produced any of its own. Though resources of the compound have always been available to Australian companies they have never processed it. The Australian Potash company has obtained 3 tonnes of potassium-rich feeder salts from the Lake Wells SOP (sulphate of potash) project. The process facility is near Perth. Production of more of it will be carried out over the next three months. Two Chinese MuO off-take partners have joined the parent company. Lake Wells 180km from Laverton is the source of the compound. There is a chain of evaporative ponds that filter it out of raw material. A research project has been set up by Australian Potash with the School of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Western Australia. The newly produced Australian potash will be tested on various WA soil types. The university product will enable the company to engage with the consumer, namely,...

Chemistry: Weeds are becoming resistant to selective herbicides. Herbicides have officially been used since 1890, though common salt could have used to kill weeds for possibly a thousand years before. The first selective herbicide was identified in 1940. It later became 2,4-D compound and was released in 1946.  Seventy years later we face the problem of weed resistance to selective chemicals. Western Australia can no longer get significant kill of weeds growing around crops. It is costing farmers a fortune. Project Kangaroo has been initiated. It is managed by Australia’s Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and receives assistance from Bayer of Germany. Money from growers is funding it: they are paying $45 million in levies. The Federal Government is promising money. Knowing how government has behaved recently the project might get a dollar! Wild radish and ryegrass are the main culprits affecting crops. Glyphosphate was used widely to control these weed...

There seems to be a scientific breakthrough every minute. You go onto the Internet and a new claim appears. Some of course is recycled old news. However, new discoveries are made all the time. Despite spending cutbacks in some countries, science seems to be leaping ahead. You would think that just about everything is known about the body. Nevertheless, a new stem has been found. A four continent research enterprise called Project Grandiose has identified the new cell which has been put into the "F-class": the cell has a fuzzy body when viewed on a microscope. It is hoped that the cell can be used in the treatment of injuries and illnesses. The days of using stem cells from afterbirth material are long gone. Adult cells can now be modified for treating various health problems, but this is early research. The only successful treatment to date is for macular degeneration. Targeting modified stem cells is the main problem. They are like tumours and in the wrong plac...