Thane: &nbsp;A special court has sentenced a 32-year-old man to two years of rigorous imprisonment for flashing a school girl in Maharashtra's Thane district.Special judge V V Virkar on Wednesday found the accused Mohammad Tarique Islam guilty of offences under relevant sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.The accused was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 was imposed on him.Special public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale informed the court that the incident took place in July 2018, and the victim was 11 years old and studied in Class 7 at the time.When the victim used to go to school with her friends, the accused would stand near a shop on the route in Koknipada and flash them as they passed by, she saiWhen the accused kept flashing them repeatedly, the victim complained to her parents, following which the girl's mother caught the man red-handed in the act and he was handed over to the police, Hiwrale said.nce under section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the POCSO Act was registered against the accused—PTI

 A special court has sentenced a 32-year-old man to two years of rigorous imprisonment for flashing a school girl in Maharashtra's Thane district.

Maha: Man gets 2 years RI for flashing school girl

Thane:&nbsp;A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly biting a police man in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday.The incident took place late on Thursday night, when a police team was patrolling the Naupada area of the city, an official said.The police team heard music being played in the area around 12.30 am and went to investigate and started questioning people at the location, he said.The accused Amir Sahid Khan barged in and verbally abused the police personnel. He went up to the police jeep and banged his head on the windscreen and damaged it, the official said.When one of the constables stepped up to control him, the accused bit his finger and pushed the other policemen who were trying to pin him down, he said.The accused was subsequently nabbed and placed under arrest, the official said, adding that further probe is underway—PTI

Maha: Man bites on-duty cop in Thane city; held

 A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly biting a police man in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday.



Thane: Two scrap dealers were arrested for allegedly keeping two policemen captive in their godown in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Monday.Acting on a tip-off about stolen rail tracks, two personnel from the Mahatma Fule Chowk police station in Kalyan town went to inspect the godown on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday.They found some rail tracks kept under other scrap items. While the policemen were checking the premises, the accused closed the premises, allegedly locking the two cops inside, MFC police station's senior inspector Ashok Honmane said.The cops sought help from the police station, which sent some personnel there and the two security men were rescued after about half-an-hour, the official said.The police later arrested scrap dealers Shaukat Shaikh and Isaque Bhagwan, and also informed the railway police about the matter, he said.A case was registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, he added.—PTI

Two scrap dealers were arrested for allegedly keeping two policemen captive in their godown in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Monday.

2 scrap dealers held for holding cops captive in Thane

Mumbai: A court in Thane in Maharashtra on Sunday remanded Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale in police custody till May 18 following her arrest over allegedly sharing an objectionable post on social media about Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, an official said.Chitale, 29, a film and TV actress, was arrested by the Thane police on Saturday over a post she allegedly shared on her Facebook page.She was on Sunday produced before a holiday court which remanded her in the police custody till May 18, a senior police official said.Chitale and 23-year-old pharmacy student Nikhil Bhamre were arrested on Saturday for allegedly sharing objectionable social media posts about Pawar.While Chitale was arrested by the Thane police, Bhamre was arrested in Nashik for allegedly making an objectionable comment on Twitter against Pawar, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.The post shared by Chitale, which was in verse form, was purportedly written by someone else.It contained phrases like 'hell is waiting' and 'you hate Brahmins', allegedly referring to the NCP president.Chitale was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 505 (2) (making, publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes) and 153 A (spreading disharmony among people).—PTI

A court in Thane in Maharashtra on Sunday remanded Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale in police custody till May 18 following her arrest over allegedly sharing an objectionable post on social media about Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, an official said.

Marathi actor remanded till May 18 for posts against Sharad Pawar

Thane: &nbsp;A fire broke out on Wednesday in a godown where some chemicals were kept in Maharashtra's Thane district, a civic official said.No one was injured in the blaze which erupted around 7.30 am in the godown located at Mankoli in Bhiwandi town here, Thane Municipal Corporation's regional disaster management cell chief Avinash Sawant said. Some chemicals used for wood polish were stored in the premises, he said. Two fire engines were rushed to the spot and efforts were still on to douse the blaze, he said. The cause of the fire is not yet known, he added.—PTI

A fire broke out on Wednesday in a godown where some chemicals were kept in Maharashtra's Thane district, a civic official said.

Fire in Thane godown; none hurt

Thane: A man allegedly thrashed his 22-year-old wife to death following a domestic quarrel in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday. The incident took old man in Khoni village of Bhiwandi division on Tuesday evening following which the 28-year-old accused, Shankar Waghmare, was arrested, an official from Nizampura police station said. The couple had a fight following which the accused allegedly thrashed his wife Jyotsana Shankar Waghmare with a wooden log. The woman died on the spot, he said. Some neighbours alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and sent the body to a government hospital for postmortem, the official said. The accused was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday and booked under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (murder), the police said.—PTI

A man allegedly thrashed his 22-year-old wife to death following a domestic quarrel in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday.

Man kills wife after quarrel in Thane; arrested

A man allegedly thrashed his 22-year-old wife to death following a domestic quarrel in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday.


Thane: &nbsp;A 45-year-old man was on Friday arrested for allegedly attacking policemen and terrorising residents of a locality in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district, police said.The police have registered a case against Irfan Iliaz Ansari and his wife Parvin (40), who has not been arrested so far, an official said.Ansari allegedly stepped out of his house in Dudhbawdi area of the town with a sharp weapon in hand around 1.30 am and threatened residents in the locality, he said.When a team of policemen reached the scene, Ansari verbally abused them and charged towards them, the official said, adding that he manhandled a couple of policemen.The accused was subsequently pinned down and disarmed and was taken to the police station, where his wife verbally abused the policemen outside the premises, he said.An offence under sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant provisions of the IPC, Arms Act and Mumbai Police Act has been registered against the couple, and the woman has not been arrested.—PTI

 A 45-year-old man was on Friday arrested for allegedly attacking policemen and terrorising residents of a locality in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district, police said.

Maha: Man held for attacking policemen in Bhiwandi

 A 45-year-old man was on Friday arrested for allegedly attacking policemen and terrorising residents of a locality in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district, police said.



Thane:&nbsp;The body of an unidentified man bearing multiple wounds was found in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday.A passerby on Sunday spotted the body under a bridge in Davle village and alerted police, an official from Shil-Daighar police station said.After reaching the spot, the police found a paver block near the body and a car nearly 60 m away, which raised suspicion that some persons killed the man with an intention to rob him, he said.The body was sent to a hospital for postmortem. A case was registered against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), the official said. Efforts were on to identify the deceased and nab the killers, he added.—PTI

The body of an unidentified man bearing multiple wounds was found in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday.

Unidentified man's body found in Thane

The body of an unidentified man bearing multiple wounds was found in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday.



London: According to a recent imperial study, though climate-friendly, biogas and biomethane leak twice more than the methane gas as per the previous estimation of the International Energy Agency.The findings of this study were published in One Earth journal.Although biogas and biomethane remain climate-friendlier than non-renewable alternatives, the researchers call for better monitoring and fixing of leaks to ensure biogas and biomethane continue to live up to their green credentials.Biomethane and biogas are produced from the breakdown of organic matter including food, animal waste, energy crops, grass, or sewage sludge, making them renewable alternatives to natural gas, coal and oil. However, researchers at Imperial College London have identified potential pitfalls in energy supply chains for these climate-friendlier gases, concluding that more efforts should be made to reduce methane leakage.Methane traps around 27 times the amount of heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2) and is responsible for at least a quarter of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's AR6 report[3]. The new Imperial study, published today in One Earth journal, found that supply chains for biomethane and biogas release more than twice as much methane as the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s previous estimation. It also reveals that 62 per cent of these leaks were concentrated in a small number of facilities and pieces of equipment within the chain, which they call 'super-emitters', though methane was found to be released at every stage.The researchers say urgent attention is needed to fix the methane leaks, and knowing precisely where the majority of them are happening will help production plants to do so. Lead author of the study Dr Semra Bakkaloglu, of Imperial's Department of Chemical Engineering and Sustainable Gas Institute, said: "Biomethane and biogas are great candidates for renewable and clean energy sources, but they can also emit methane. For them to really help mitigate the warming effects of energy use, we must act urgently to reduce their emissions."We want to encourage the continued use of biogas and biomethane as a renewable resource by taking the necessary actions to tackle methane emissions."The researchers note that compared to the oil and gas industry, the biomethane industry suffers from poorly designed and managed production facilities as well as a lack of investment for modernisation, operation, and monitoring. Because oil and natural gas supply chains have been primarily operated by large companies with huge resources for decades, they have been able to invest more in leak detection and repair.What is biomethane and biogas?In response to the climate crisis, many countries are replacing heavily carbon-emitting sources of energy, like natural gas, coal and oil, with biomethane and biogas. Although they are made from a mixture of CO2 and methane, biomethane and biogas release less of both gases, making them greener energy alternatives.However, these replacement fuels still release methane along their supply chains, such as at processing facilities and from long pipelines. This new analysis gives us a more thorough understanding of where, when, and how much methane is released from biomethane and biogas supply.Analysing emissionsThe researchers analysed 51 previously published studies on mobile methane measurements and site data taken from emission sources along the biomethane and biogas supply chain. They analysed the data and calculated the total methane emissions using a statistical model called Monte Carlo. This allowed them to consider all measurements of total supply chain emissions at each stage of the chain, which they then compared with the off-site emissions reported from whole-site measurements in previously published studies.They found that the supply chains release up to 343 g of CO2-equivalent methane per megajoule higher heating value, which may account for 18.5 megatonnes of methane per year. IEA estimates[4] had reported emissions as just 9.1 megatonnes in 2021.While overall methane emissions from biogas and biomethane are lower than those from oil and natural gas, the amount of methane released from their supply chains relative to total gas production is much higher than for oil and gas.The data is reported in 'CO2 equivalents' - a unit of measurement used to compare emissions across the oil and natural gas supply chain without interfering with downstream operations. This unit also allows us to compare the global-warming potential of various greenhouse gas emissions from different studies.The researchers identified the reasons behind the leakiness of supply chains as intermittent emissions patterns, which make them harder to track; insufficient usage of process equipment; and inadequate operations and maintenance strategies. Since super-emitters are unlikely to remain constant over time, the researchers say that continual monitoring is required to detect intermittent emission patterns or unpredictable leaks from supply chains.Dr Bakkaloglu said: "To prevent biogas methane emissions negating the overall benefits of biogas use, urgent attention is needed including continuous monitoring of biogas supply chains. We believe that with the proper detection, measurement, and repair techniques, all emissions can be avoided. We need better regulations, continuous emission measurements, and close collaboration with biogas plant operators in order to address methane emissions and meet Paris Agreement targets.""Given the growth in biomethane due to national decarbonisation strategies, urgent efforts are needed for the biomethane supply chain to address not only methane emissions but also the sustainability of biomethane."Co-author Dr Jasmin Cooper, also of the Department of Chemical Engineering, said: "Addressing the fundamental design issues and investment problems within the biofuel and methane industry would be a good starting point for stopping these leaks and preventing more from arising."The researchers are now focusing on the super-emitters within supply chains to better understand how to reduce them using the best available technologies.&nbsp;—ANI

 According to a recent imperial study, though climate-friendly, biogas and biomethane leak twice more than the methane gas as per the previous estimation of the International Energy Agency.

New Study Reveals Biogas And Biomethane Leak Twice More Than Methane

Mumbai: ‘Eknath Shinde's credibility will not grow beyond Thane, Uddhav's credibility will rise across Maharashtra and perhaps in the rest of the country’ Hit by a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde and the resignation of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena finds itself at political crossroads once again, the first big challenge for the party after the death of founder Balasaheb Thackeray in 2012.In an emotional address on Wednesday night, Uddhav Thackeray announced his resignation as Maharashtra chief minister and declared that he would meet party workers at the Sena Bhawan, the headquarters of the outfit in central Mumbai, indicating the tough road ahead to regain the lost ground to the rebellion.As chief minister, Shinde could also be a magnet that attracts Shiv Sainiks to the new power structure, further weakening the parent outfit.In its 56-year history, the Shiv Sena has witnessed many a rebellion which saw the exit of party stalwarts such as Chhagan Bhujbal (1991), Narayan Rane (2005) and Raj Thackeray (2006), but none matched the scale of the huge void left by Shinde that led to the fall of the government led by Uddhav Thackeray. According to political analysts, the writing was clear on the wall of an imminent downfall of the Shiv Sena after the BJP won the 2014 Lok Sabha and established itself as the sole torchbearer of Hindutva. The BJP was miffed when the Sena walked out of the pre-poll alliance in 2019 and formed the government with the Congress and the NCP with Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister.An MVA leader admitted that the rebellion had hit the Shiv Sena across its strongholds in Thane, Konkan and Marathwada regions where the rebel MLAs hail from and dealt a blow to the organisation, and that Thackeray's emotional pitch in his farewell address could make little impact. "Shiv Sena's days were numbered when the BJP emerged as a sole torchbearer of Hindutva. It was only a matter of how the Sena would go down -- fighting or whimpering," said political analyst Venkatesh Kesari. He said the workers had deserted the party, a fact that was reinforced when there was little anger within the party ranks against the latest rebellion. The earlier rebellions by Bhujbal and Rane had witnessed widespread protests and rampage by Shiv Sainiks, who ensured the defeats of the two leaders in subsequent elections."The chessboard in Maharashtra has changed. Uddhav may not win immediately. But, Balasaheb's image will continue with Uddhav who will be the heir and Shinde will be seen as a rebel who betrayed," said Kumar Ketkar, senior journalist and Rajya Sabha member of Congress said. Kesari said the BJP had been consistent in its long-term planning, strongly believing that it should be the sole party which can take up the cause of Hindutva. "It was easier for the BJP to capture and hijack the Shiv Sena as it had worked with them for decades and knew their weak points. They tried to join hands with the NCP, but failed," he said. Ketkar credited the failure of the BJP to align with the NCP to Sharad Pawar's understanding of the saffron party's long term plans.Ketkar, however, believes that it is too early to write the obituary of Shiv Sena, an organisation that enjoyed tremendous grassroots support. "The Shiv Sena is not at all finished. The Shiv Sena will rise. Whether it will rise in electoral and power terms in the near future is a different question," he said, adding that the toppling game in Maharashtra has not gone down well with the electors. "This was not an ideological fight, it was a naked fight for power. Eknath Shinde's credibility will not grow beyond Thane, Uddhav's credibility will rise across Maharashtra and perhaps in the rest of the country,” Ketkar said.&nbsp;The Sena's rise in Maharashtra has been steady since its birth in 1966. It scored big wins in Thane municipal elections the next year and had its mayor in Bombay in 1971. It remained a player in civic bodies in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane with the odd legislator in the assembly. Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray embraced the Hindutva issue in 1987, raising it fervently in the assembly bypoll in Vile Parle. The Sena candidate won the election which was set aside by the Supreme Court and Thackeray was disenfranchised for six year for seeking votes in the name of religion.The Sena aligned with the BJP in 1989 and stormed to power in Maharashtra in 1995 with Manohar Joshi as the chief minister. The senior Thackeray stayed away from any constitutional office and took pride in holding the ”remote control” of the government. With presumed heir-apparent Raj Thackeray finding himself in legal tangles, Thackeray brought his son Uddhav as Shiv Sena working president in 2004, which led to splits in 2005 and 2006 by Rane and Raj Thackeray respectively. However, with Balasaheb Thackeray firmly in the saddle, the Sena weathered the storm. With senior Thackeray at the helm, the BJP played second fiddle in the state, an equation that changed in 2014 with the emergence of Narendra Modi on the national stage.&nbsp;—PTI

‘Eknath Shinde's credibility will not grow beyond Thane, Uddhav's credibility will rise across Maharashtra and perhaps in the rest of the country’ Hit by a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde and the resignation of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena finds itself at political crossroads once again, the first big challenge for the party after the death of founder Balasaheb Thackeray in 2012.

'Shiv Sena Is Not Finished, It Will Rise'

Washington:&nbsp;Warmer oceans can lead to large amounts of methane being released from the seabeds which may amplify climate warming. A new study develops a method for increasing emissions of methane from seabeds.Vast reservoirs of the potent greenhouse gas methane are stored beneath the sea in a solid ice-like combination with water. This solid is known as methane hydrate. For over three decades, various concerns have been raised that warming the seafloor may cause this methane to be rapidly released, perhaps even reaching the atmosphere where it would cause further climate warming. Happily, this methane hydrate is mostly located beneath the seafloor and under hundreds of meters of seawater. Even if warming melts, this methane hydrates and releases methane gas, the natural microbial filters present in the seafloor were expected to destroy most of the methane before it ever reaches the open seawater.However, there have been some gaps in our knowledge of the relevant seafloor processes. In particular, can seafloor warming be rapid enough that methane hydrate could melt so fast that the released methane would overwhelm and ultimately bypass the natural microbial filters? "The microbial filter layer in the sediment -- we call it the 'sulfate-methane transition', where methane is removed -- is somewhat delicate," explains Assistant Professor Christian Stranne at the Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University. "The filter layer takes many years to form and reach peak methane-consuming efficiency. The filter is a living thing, made of microorganisms that consume methane under anaerobic (no-oxygen) conditions. The filter also moves up and down within the sediment, depending on the rate at which methane is reaching it."In a new study, just published in Communications Earth and Environment, Stranne and colleagues from Stockholm University and Linnaeus University have combined a new model of the biological behaviour and vertical movements of this microbial filter with existing models of seafloor sediments' physical behaviour. The physical parts of the model include processes such as how cracks form and methane can move up through the sediment after methane hydrates melt.Christian Stranne explains: "Imagine that the amount of methane rising through the sediment suddenly increases, as might happen if methane hydrate begins to melt faster. It can take decades for the filter to adjust itself to consume methane at the new rate. Our new study shows that during the time that the filter is not reestablished, substantial methane can leak past the filter, and into the ocean water."Despite this "window of opportunity," methane from melting hydrates that reaches the seawater faces further methane-destroying processes. These processes make it nearly impossible for substantial methane from methane hydrate melting to reach the atmosphere. However, methods, as demonstrated in this study, can be applied to other regions where seafloor-released methane is much shallower and is more likely to reach the atmosphere, such as the Arctic continental shelves, according to Christian Stranne."Methane hydrates are a massive storehouse of carbon, so it remains important to understand how they interact with ocean changes, and potentially, the atmosphere, over long and, in the case of our study, rather short timescales. We now know that there is indeed a possible process for melting methane hydrates to temporarily bypass what was previously thought to be a strong filter in the sediment," says Christian Stranne.The warming rate is, however, of great importance: "Our results suggest that if our oceans warm at a pace significantly lower than 1 °C per 100 years, the filter can keep up with the pace and remain highly efficient. Unfortunately, we see higher warming rates than that in some of our oceans." —ANI

Warmer oceans can lead to large amounts of methane being released from the seabeds which may amplify climate warming. A new study develops a method for increasing emissions of methane from seabeds.

Study: Warmer Oceans Lead To Release Of Methane From Seabeds

Washington: According to new research, scientists have discovered a new technique of converting methane gas into methanol using light and dispersed transition metals such as copper.As per a study published in Chemical Communications, the reaction was the best obtained to date for the conversion of methane gas into liquid fuel under ambient conditions of temperature and pressure (25 °C and 1 bar respectively).The term bar as a unit of pressure derives from the Greek word for weight (baros). One bar is equivalent to 100,000 Pascals (100 kPa), which is very close to the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level (101,325 Pa).The results of the study are an important step in making natural gas available as an energy source for the production of alternative fuels to gasoline and diesel. Although natural gas is considered a fossil fuel, its conversion into methanol emits less carbon dioxide (CO2) than other liquid fuels in the same category.In Brazil, methanol plays a key role in biodiesel production and in the chemical industry, which uses it to synthesize many products.Furthermore, methane capture from the atmosphere is crucial to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, as the gas has 25 times the potential of CO2, for example, to contribute to global warming."There's a great debate in the scientific community about the size of the planet's methane reserves. According to some estimates, they may have double the energy potential of all other fossil fuels combined. In the transition to renewables, we'll have to tap into all this methane at some point," Marcos da Silva, first author of the article, told Agencia FAPESP. Silva is a PhD candidate in the Physics Department of the Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar).The study was supported by FAPESP via two projects (20/14741-6 and 21/11162-8), by the Higher Research Council (CAPES, an agency of the Ministry of Education), and by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, an arm of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation). According to Ivo Freitas Teixeira, a professor at UFSCar, Silva's thesis advisor and last author of the article, the photocatalyst used in the study was a key innovation. "Our group innovated significantly by oxidizing methane in a single stage," he said. "In the chemical industry, this conversion occurs via the production of hydrogen and CO2 in at least two stages and under very high temperature and pressure conditions. Our success in obtaining methanol under mild conditions, while also expending less energy, is a major step forward." According to Teixeira, the results pave the way for future research into the use of solar energy for this conversion process, potentially reducing its environmental impact still further.PhotocatalystsIn the laboratory, the scientists synthesized crystalline carbon nitride in the form of polyheptazine imide (PHI), using non-noble or earth-abundant transition metals, especially copper, to produce active visible-light photocatalysts.They then used the photocatalysts in methane oxidation reactions with hydrogen peroxide as an initiator. The copper-PHI catalyst generated a large volume of oxygenated liquid products, especially methanol (2,900 micromoles per gram of material, or umol.g-1 in four hours)."We discovered the best catalyst and other conditions essential to the chemical reaction, such as using a large amount of water and only a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, which is an oxidizing agent," Teixeira said. "The next steps include understanding more about the active copper sites in the material and their role in the reaction. We also plan to use oxygen directly to produce hydrogen peroxide in the reaction itself. If successful, this should make the process even safer and economically viable."Another point the group will continue to investigate relates to copper. "We work with dispersed copper. When we wrote the article, we didn't know whether we were dealing with isolated atoms or clusters. We now know they're clusters," he explained.In the study, the scientists used pure methane, but in future they will extract the gas from renewables such as biomass. According to the United Nations, methane has so far caused about 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial age. Methane emissions from human activity could be reduced by as much as 45% in the decade ahead, avoiding a rise of almost 0.3°C by 2045.The strategy of converting methane into liquid fuel using a photocatalyst is new and not available commercially, but its potential in the near term is significant. "We began our research over four years ago. We now have far better results than those of Professor Hutchings and his group in 2017, which motivated our own research," Teixeira said, referring to a study published in the journal Science by researchers affiliated with universities in the United States and United Kingdom, and led by Graham Hutchings, a professor at Cardiff University in Wales.&nbsp;—ANI

According to new research, scientists have discovered a new technique of converting methane gas into methanol using light and dispersed transition metals such as copper.

Scientists Discover New Technique To Convert Methane Gas Into Liquid Methanol

Washington: NASA sensors will soon help scientists detect methane emitted by landfills across the globe, according to the US space agency.
A new project from a nonprofit group, Carbon Mapper, will use NASA instruments and data to measure emissions from solid waste sites such as landfills across the globe.
Currently, there is limited actionable information about methane emissions from the global waste sector.
"A comprehensive understanding of high-emission point sources from waste sites is a critical step to mitigating them," said Carbon Mapper CEO Riley Duren.
"New technological capabilities that are making these emissions visible - and therefore actionable - have the potential to change the game, elevating our collective understanding of near-term opportunities in this often overlooked sector," Duren added. Observations from the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) and other NASA science instruments will be part of a global survey of point-source emissions of methane from landfills. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, the source of roughly a quarter to a third of global warming caused by humans.
The aim of the new initiative is to establish a baseline assessment of global waste sites that emit methane at high rates.
This information can support decision-makers as they work to reduce the concentration of the gas in the atmosphere and limit climate change, said NASA.
Methane produced by the waste sector contributes an estimated 20 per cent of human-caused methane emissions.
Methane is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere.
"NASA JPL has a decade-long track record of using airborne imaging spectrometers to make high-quality observations of methane point-source emissions," said Robert Green, EMIT's principal investigator at JPL. After the first year of the Carbon Mapper project, the researchers will conduct a broader survey of more than 10,000 landfills around the world using two satellites in the Carbon Mapper satellite programme. —IANS

NASA sensors will soon help scientists detect methane emitted by landfills across the globe, according to the US space agency.

NASA Sensors To Detect Methane Produced By Landfills Globally

Thane: In a bizarre crime spree, thieves apparently lurked freely among thousands of devotees, including women, at a 2-day spiritual congregation addressed by self-styled 'guru', Dhirendra Krishna Shastri at Mira Road town and targetted many women attending.  According to the Mira Road police, after the 26-year-old Shastri's discourses ended, at least three dozen women have lodged complaints of their gold chains being stolen during the two-day congregation.  As per the complaints, the victims have lost their gold chains, mostly 'mangalsutras', weighing between 5 gm to 25 gms, either made in pure gold or with other metals.  The Mira Road Police have pegged the total value of the stolen booty at a staggering Rs 4,87,000!  The event of Shastri - which had sparked off a political row here - was held at the sprawling Salasar Central Park grounds, attracting more than 200,000 devotees, including a large number of women.  At one point, due to poor management, it led to a near-stampede on Saturday in which one woman devotee was injured after which the local police had started security checks and crowd control at the entry points to the venue.  Many women had been lured by Shastri's purported "miracles" and "healing powers", and had come in hopes of some cure, but some returned not only disappointed but minus their gold chains/mangalsutras, said an official.  The organisers, the Shantaben Mithalal Jain Charitable Trust, had invited Shastri - the head priest of Bagesgwar Dham in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur - for the event even as some rationalist groups had opposed it and written to police not to grant permission.  Besieged with so many complaints, the Mira Road Police have lodged a common FIR for the first three dozen women victims, and are scanning the CCTV footage of the venue to identify the chain-snatchers in the huge crowds and catch the culprits. IANS

Thieves apparently preyed on thousands of devotees, including women, at Dhirendra Krishna Shastri's two-day spiritual congregation in Mira Road town.

Gold chains worth Rs 4.90 lakh stolen in Bageshwar Dham godman's congregation

Mumbai (The Hawk): Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has successfully commissioned a new Gas Collecting Station (GCS) in its Bokaro Coal Bed Methane block. It is the first gas collecting cum gas compression station in the Bokaro CBM (Coal Bed Methane) Block. This marks a major achievement in bringing ONGC on the CBM map of India as a bulk CBM producer. GCS-Bokaro is a major production installation in Patch-A of Bokaro CBM Block of ONGC-IOCL Joint Venture (Participating Interest: 80:20) with ONGC as the JV operator. CBM Asset has executed a tie-in agreement with GAIL for pipeline connectivity with its Urja Ganga Pipeline for the sale of gas from GCS-Bokaro. In addition, the Asset has facilitated the signing of Gas Sales Agreements (GSAs) with five gas customers, realizing the highest-ever premium of USD 7.1 per MMBTU over Brent linked base crude oil price of ~USD 14 per MMBTU. The GCS- Bokaro project, including its well site facilities and pipeline network was conceived by CBM Asset and executed by the consortium of M/s Tata Projects Limited and M/s Corrtech International Pvt. Ltd. under a contract awarded by OES, Delhi. The total cost of the project is around Rs.441 crore. GCS-Bokaro is designed to process 1 MMSCMD of CBM gas and handle 750 m3/day of produced water. The installation is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including gas and water-headers, gas separator, gas filters, Dresser-Rand Make Process Gas compressors, Molecular Sieve based Gas Dehydration Unit, flare system with remote ignition, produced water handling system, RO system, captive power generation system, instrument air system, cooling water and fire-fighting systems, among others. Currently, 55 wells are connected with GCS-Bokaro and are flowing well fluids, including CBM gas and produced water, which have been used for the PGTR (Performance Guarantee Test Run) and commissioning of the installation. Unlike conventional gas wells, CBM wells require dewatering through artificial lift pumps before achieving sustained gas production. The successful mammoth task of commissioning of GCS-Bokaro is a result of meticulous planning, round-the-clock operations, supervision, monitoring, and coordination among various teams from across diverse disciplines.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has successfully commissioned a new Gas Collecting Station (GCS)

ONGC's Coal Bed Methane Block In Bokaro Commissions New Gas Collecting Station

Thane: Regional Disaster Management Unit officials said that two people had been killed and at least 22 others were fear trapped when a residential building collapsed in Bhiwandi town in Thane, the home district of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Saturday afternoon.
At around 1 p.m., a 10-year-old ground-plus-three storey building collapsed in the Vardhaman Compound in Wall village on the outskirts of Bhiwandi.
District and police officials, together with medicos, fire fighters, the Thane Disaster Response Force, and other organisations, went to the scene shortly afterward to begin rescue and relief efforts.
Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Kapil Patil, who represents the Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency, also went to the scene, along with Collector Ashok Shingare and other officials.
Eleven injured people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the government hospital by Saturday evening.
Two bodies have been recovered so far; those of a woman called Laxmidevi R. Mahato (26) and a man named Navnath Sawant (40) have been turned over to the police for autopsy and other formalities.
At least 22 more people may still be buried under the rubble, and rescuers are working hard to find them.—Inputs from Agencies

Regional Disaster Management Unit officials said that two people had been killed and at least 22 others were fear trapped when a residential building collapsed in Bhiwandi town in Thane, the home district of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Saturday afternoon

Thane building crash kills two, 22 feared trapped

THANE: 28-year-old motorcyclist was knocked down and killed by a car on Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai, police said on Sunday.
The incident took place on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday when the victim who was on his two-wheeler was knocked down by a speeding car, an official from NRI Sagari police station said.

The victim Pukharn Gulab Sharif, a resident of Koparkharine, sustained severe injuries and was rushed to a hospital, where he died on Sunday morning, he said.
An offence under sections 304(a) (death by negligence), 279 (rash driving) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act has been registered against the errant car driver, the official said. PTI

28-year-old motorcyclist was knocked down and killed by a car on Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai, police said on Sunday.

On Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai, a car murdered a 28-year-old biker.

Motorcyclist killed in hit-and-run in Navi Mumbai

New Delhi (The Hawk): India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and its Kyoto Protocol (KP), and the Paris Agreement (PA). As a Party to the UNFCCC, India periodically submits its National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Update Reports (BURs) to the UNFCCC which includes national Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory containing information on methane emissions. As per India’s third Biennial Update Report, India’s methane emissions in 2016 (excluding LULUCF) were 409 million tone CO2e of which, 73.96% was from Agriculture sector, 14.46% from Waste sector, 10.62% from Energy sector and 0.96% was from Industrial Processes and Product Use sector. Under the Paris Agreement, India has submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which does not bind it to any sector specific mitigation obligation or action. The goal is to reduce overall emission intensity of its GDP and improve energy efficiency of its economy over time and at the same time protecting the vulnerable sectors of economy and segments of our society. However, India remains steadfast in its commitment in framing and implementing its actions to combat climate change. The ongoing measures to reduce methane emissions are as follows: The National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), implemented by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, involves climate resilient practices including methane reduction practices in rice cultivation. These practices contribute to substantial reduction of methane emissions. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project has developed several technologies with mitigation potential for methane from rice viz. (a) System for Rice Intensification – The technique has potential to enhance rice yield from 36-49% with about 22-35% less water than conventional transplanted rice; (b) Direct Seeded Rice – The system reduces methane emissions as it does not involve raising nurseries, puddling and transplanting. Unlike transplanted paddy cultivation, standing water is not maintained in this system; and (c) Crop Diversification Programme – Methane emissions is avoided due to diversion of paddy to alternate crops like pulses, oilseeds, maize, cotton and agro forestry. Capacity building programmes are conducted through Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the country for creating awareness on climate resilient practices. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) is implementing National Livestock Mission, which inter alia, includes Breed Improvement and Balanced Rationing. Feeding livestock with superior quality balanced ration is helping to reduce methane emissions from the livestock. Government of India promotes green fodder production, silage making, chaff cutting, and total mixed ration under National Livestock Mission with a view to reduce methane emissions from livestock. Through initiatives like ‘The Gobar (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) –Dhan’ scheme and New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme, cattle waste utilisation is being incentivised, in addition to production of clean energy invillages. The Gobardhan scheme, inter alia, supports biodegradable waste recovery and conversion of waste into resources and reduction of methane emissions. This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

 India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Measures To Reduce Methane Emissions

Washington: A study found a newly proposed mechanism in which blowing mineral dust combines with sea spray to create Mineral Dust-Sea Spray Aerosol (MDSA). According to the findings, sunlight activates MDSA to produce a large number of chlorine atoms, which then use photocatalysis to oxidise atmospheric methane and tropospheric ozone. The study finds that MDSA is the main source of atmospheric chlorine over the North Atlantic. MDSA is primarily made up of blowing dust from the Sahara Desert mixed with sea salt aerosol from the ocean. A portion of the money used to conduct Maarten van Herpen et al.'s study, "Photocatalytic Chlorine Atom Production on Mineral Dust-Sea Spray Aerosols over North Atlantic," came from the nonprofit group Spark Climate Solutions. It contains a recently proposed mechanism by which sea spray and mineral dust are combined to form Mineral Dust-Sea Spray Aerosol (MDSA). The results show that sunlight activates MDSA, releasing a significant amount of chlorine atoms that then use photocatalysis to oxidise atmospheric methane and tropospheric ozone. According to the study, MDSA is the primary contributor to atmospheric chlorine over the North Atlantic. MDSA is primarily composed of sea salt aerosol combined with blowing dust from the Sahara Desert. A portion of the money used to conduct Maarten van Herpen et al.'s study, "Photocatalytic Chlorine Atom Production on Mineral Dust-Sea Spray Aerosols over North Atlantic", came from the nonprofit group Spark Climate Solutions. It contains a recently proposed mechanism by which sea spray and mineral dust are combined to form Mineral Dust-Sea Spray Aerosol (MDSA). The results show that sunlight activates MDSA, releasing a significant amount of chlorine atoms that then use photocatalysis to oxidise atmospheric methane and tropospheric ozone. According to the study, MDSA is the primary contributor to atmospheric chlorine over the North Atlantic. MDSA is primarily composed of sea salt aerosol combined with blowing dust from the Sahara Desert. —ANI

A study found a newly proposed mechanism in which blowing mineral dust combines with sea spray to create Mineral Dust-Sea

Sahara Dust Enhances Removal Of Methane: Study

Thane (Maharashtra): A moving car caught fire on the Mumbra Bypass road in Maharahtra's Thane, an official said on Monday.  The incident took place on Sunday late at night, the official added.&nbsp;
There were seven occupants — women, two women, and three children — in the car when it caught fire, an official in the Thane Municipal Corporation informed, adding that they were pulled out safely.
The car was heading to Thane from Panvel. As soon as they received word of the incident, firefighters reached the spot and doused the flames.
However, the cause of the fire hasn't been ascertained as yet. Further details are awaited.
—ANI

A moving car caught fire on the Mumbra Bypass road in Maharahtra's Thane, an official said on Monday. 

The Hawk

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Maha: Man gets 2 years RI for flashing school girl

Sunil Aswal

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Maha: Man gets 2 years RI for flashing school girl

Sunil Aswal

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