Small DIY Stirling engine charges cell phone

This is my most useful Stirling engine so far. Running on a 3-wick candle it will run for hours and charge a cell phone or run small electronic devices. On an alcohol flame it runs much faster and will run larger loads as shown in the video. It seems to be quite durable as well. The main change I’ve made is to make the displace/regenerator from a spiral sandwich of aluminum mesh and steel wool. This seems to keep the steel wool from compacting and shifting around, a problem I had been experiencing.

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Recycle your Mobile Phone

The world we live in is always changing. Since the turn of the twentieth century, technology has progressed in leaps and bounds. Each new invention has been honed, sold to the masses, and quickly superseded by a newer, better, faster model, or replaced by a superior product. This progression in technology has become faster and faster, particularly in the past fifty years, and it seems as though since the turn of this century, technology has been evolving at the speed of light.

Mobile phones are a perfect example of the type of technology which is constantly changing, evolving, and updating. Since the mid-nineties, the advent of the mobile phone has exploded. What was once a luxury accessory for yuppies in the 80s and early 90s suddenly became the product that changed the way we lived. Almost overnight, there was a cell phone extravaganza. Mobiles were made suddenly available to everyday folk, and within a few years, owning a mobile phone was not simple luxury, it was a necessity. Nowadays, it seems as though we’ve moved on from simple requirement. The ‘emergency-use-only’ phone is a thing of the past, replaced by the must-have phone of the future.

483 million mobile phones were sold in 2003. In Britain, around 70% of the population own their own cell. And they’re not only used for calls. Phones can be used to text, for using the internet, and so, so much more. A person’s life is in their phone. Lose it, and you feel like you’ve lost an arm.

With the countless technological developments taking place around us, it seems there are new phones available for consumers to buy every month. Londoners alone purchase 1.3 million phones each year. And each one promises you the latest technology, the cleverest applications, the fastest internet speeds, and the best call and text packages for your money. So you buy a new one. After while you get bored. So another phone is purchased. And the cycle goes on. With this techno lust comes a sad downside: more and more unwanted mobile phones are being sent to the scrapheap.

The world we know is in crisis. Everywhere we look, we are being reminded how humans have destroyed the planet, and how we continue to do so, ravaging the earth without a thought for its future. And this is particularly true of the West. We destroy rainforests, pollute seas, and cause the extinction of numerous beasts, all because of our consumerist culture.

For many years it was easy to turn a blind eye. Yet, despite our errors, there seems to be an uprising against the destruction of our planet and its inhabitants. The past ten years has seen an increase in charities protecting our world, raising money for all causes. This idea that we are responsible, that we need to take the issues into our own hands, and make amends for our past errors, has begun to permeate our day-to-day lives. We are more aware of exhausting energy, so we endeavour to turn off the lights, and make sure the power sockets are off.

One of the most important things we can do as humans to project our environment is to remember the three Rs: reduce, re-use, and recycle. You may already recycle your food, paper, cans and glass. But how else can you help? Electronic equipment is often left on the scrapheap. Particularly mobile phones. Unfortunately, a great number of mobiles are left around the house after being replaced by the newer models, gathering dust. You might think nothing of throwing your phone away, or putting it in a drawer never to be seen again. But recycling your mobile phone can be a key part of doing your bit. Not only to save the planet, but for many other reasons.

Let’s say a few months ago, you purchased a new handset. It’s sleek and sexy and stylish, nothing like your old phone. So the old one went straight in the bin. And you thought nothing of it. Here’s what happens to your old faithful friend.

The refuse collectors take it away, and it eventually ends up in a land fill site. Slowly, over time, you old phone begins to degrade, breaking down over the years, becoming part of the earth. Each model of mobile phone is different, of course, but most are made with toxic substances, some of which are the most dangerous known to man: Cadmium (present in the battery, which alone can pollute up to 600 thousand litres of water), Palladium, Rhodium, and Beryllium to name a few. Shockingly, they can also contain arsenic and mercury. But perhaps your phone didn’t end up in a land fill site. Maybe it was dumped into the sea…

This is why we need to start reducing our waste, re-using our old possessions, and re-cycling things we no longer use.

If you have an old mobile phone, you might wonder exactly what you can do with it. Let’s take a look at the three Rs. Well, you can’t reduce a mobile phone. But you can certainly re-use it.

Yes, around 70% of the population already has a phone. But what about the remaining 30%? That’s still a significant amount. True, some people might say they don’t really need one. But have a think. Some of them might not be able to afford to buy their own. Some people might be afraid of technology, and may need someone to show them exactly how it works. And others might just be completely overwhelmed by the choice. If you think about it, it’s likely you know someone without a phone. Someone older, perhaps. Why not offer to give it away to them? An older person might even need it more than you ever did. Try to donate it to a friend or a family member.

If you can’t find anyone to give your mobile phone to, then do the next best thing: recycle it.

As mentioned before, some of the contents of your phone can be toxic and extremely dangerous. But other components of it contain many different materials to make up your whole handset. Some mobile phones include materials such as ceramics, silicon, copper, iron, epoxy, zinc, and nickel, to name but a few, and even precious metals such as bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and titanium. These metals are usually contained within the phones circuit board. Obviously, there is not a great deal in a single handset. But think how many mobile phones exist in the world today. If we managed to extract 0.2 grams of gold from 80 million handsets, we would have a giant lump of gold weighing 16 metric tons, which could be smelted down for use in other phones in the future.

The minerals, such as lead and copper, which are present in the handsets, are mined in places such as the Congo and in American rainforests. In order to mine, trees are felled and the natural land is scarred from urbanisation and deforestation. Yet, if we extract the minerals sufficiently, as above with the metals, we could significantly reduce the need for mining and consequential destruction of the natural earth.

All of these metals are in high demand, meaning that the countries which produce them naturally are suffering.  And it is not only the natural world that suffers.

In some cases, children are exploited and forced to work at stripping the phone handsets and removing the precious metals. This occurs in countries where there is high demand for such materials. Not only is the exploitation wrong, but these children often end up contracting terminal diseases, such as cancer, due to the toxicity of the substance they deal with on a daily basis.

Hopefully, this will encourage you to consider recycling your own old mobile. If you’re convinced, you have a few different options when it comes to recycling. Recycle Mobile Phone. You can register your details with your chosen company; pop it in the post, and shortly afterwards, you’ll receive your cheque in the mail.

It seems to be a fairly new concept for many, but there are still many companies out there which provide schemes for recycling your handset. They will recycle it safely on your behalf, and some companies will even pay you for the privilege. You may not get a lot of money, but it’s something. The reason for payment is simple: they can earn much more from extracting the metals and selling them back to phone companies. Your phone is very valuable to them. And if, after they have stripped the re-usable parts from it, they’re left with bits they can’t use, they will be disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly way.

Most of these phone-buying companies can be found on the internet. Just do a quick search and click on a few sites, or find the all here at Recycle Mobile Phone.

However, if you’re feeling particularly saintly and want to do more for the environment and your fellow man, many charities have mobile phone recycling schemes. You won’t get money for donating your handset. The charity will keep the profits, so you’re not only helping the environment, you’ll be supporting a charity too. Most of the charities will either pass the phone on to those in need of one, or will recycle it for use in other handsets.

A lot of people make excuses not to recycle, mainly because they don’t have time. But recycling phones is fast and easy to do. Some companies will even send you an envelope in the post for ease. Another big excuse a lot of people have for not recycling their old mobile phones is that there is a good reason not to: it’s broken. It sits in the cupboard or is thrown out because the screen is cracked, the battery is dead, the keys no longer work properly, or it just won’t switch on anymore. Or maybe you’ve lost some of the parts for it. That doesn’t matter when it comes to recycling. The phone is going to be taken to pieces anyway, stripped and sold for parts!  Even if it’s the oldest handset imaginable, an early model from the early 90s, it can still be recycled.

There are many ways you can give back to the world. Try starting with your phone.

There’s also one last important piece of advice before you recycle your mobile phone. It’s not nice to think about it, but unfortunately we live in a world where crime is rife, and identity fraud is commonplace. Before you send off your handset, delete all of your details, including your address book, your passwords if you have an internet phone, and all of your texts. If it gets into the wrong hands, you could be paying for it for a long time.

We need to start taking responsibility for our actions. Recycling your mobile phone is the next step. Out of all of the old and unused mobile phones that exist in our society, astonishingly, only 2 percent of them are currently being recycled. It’s a horrifically low number. This is a figure we can slowly change, but only if we are willing to try. Make that change: hunt around in your drawers and under your bed for your old handset and do the right thing. And once you’ve done it, don’t keep the information to yourself. How many people are in your phone’s address book? Because that’s how many people you should be telling to do the same thing. Encourage other mobile users to recycle as well. Each individual mobile counts. With a little effort, we can increase that percentage, make a difference to the world in which we live, and make it a better place for future generations. Do your bit: recycle you mobile phone today.

NorthGeek Review: Sony Ericsson Naite eco-friendly GSM phone

This phone from Sony Ericsson (on Fido in Canada) is environmentally friendly, and a pretty good phone! Check out northgeek.com for more.

How to recycle your cell phone battery

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Recycle Your Mobile Phone & Help Environment

When you buy a new cell phone what you do with your old phone? Just throw in the drawer or pass it your friend or someone else! You are not alone in doing so. Have you ever thought about recycling your mobile phone? Perhaps you are not aware about it! Again you are not alone. 97% people don’t recycle their phone.

In a recent worldwide survey, conducted by Nokia in accordance with the global consumer survey, it is found that only 3% of people recycle their mobile phones. The survey was conducted in 13 countries including Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, UK, UAE, US, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil, and 6500 people were interviewed. The survey was conducted to help Nokia find out more about consumers’ attitudes and behaviors towards recycling.

Unawareness: The prime concern

Nearly half the people are even not aware of the fact that their mobile could be recycled. Two-third of the interviewers said they did not know how to recycle an unwanted device while 71% were unaware of where to do this. If each of the 3 billion mobile owners brought back just one unused device, even a mobile phone battery charger, 240 000 tonnes of raw materials can be saved and it will help reduce the greenhouse gases to the same effect as taking 4 million cars off the road.

The survey highlighted that on an average, each person own five mobile phones. 4% of these are being thrown into landfill and 44%, are simply being kept at homes never used. Some mobile phones are given another life, one-fourth are passed to friends or family, and 16% are sold in emerging markets.

74% of consumers don’t think about recycling their phones, whereas 72%, think recycling makes a difference to the environment. The result was uniformly found in different countries with 88% of people in Indonesia not considering recycling unwanted devices, 84% in India, and 78% of people in Brazil, Sweden, Germany and Finland.

Helping the environment

80% of any Nokia device is recyclable. The precious materials within these devices can be reused to help make new products such as park benches, kitchen utensils, metal musical instruments or dental fillings. According to Markus Terho, the director of environmental affairs at Nokia, “Using the best recycling technology nothing is wasted. Between 65 – 80% of a Nokia device can be recycled. Plastics that can’t be recycled are burnt to provide energy for the recycling process, and other materials are ground up into chips and used as construction materials or for building roads. In this way nothing has to go to landfill.”

Nokia has collection points for unwanted mobile devices in 85 countries around the world. People can drop off their old devices at Nokia stores and 5,000 Nokia Care Centers. To find their nearest take-back point, people can visit www.nokia.com/werecycle.

Top 5 Reasons to Recycle Your Cell Phone

Technology is constantly evolving, especially in the realm of cellar devices. You can’t turn on your TV without being bombarded by the newest, fastest, sleekest cell phone model. Each one comes with more capabilities and bells and whistles. So the time comes in every cell phone’s life to say goodbye. Change is good, but what happens to your old friend? Does it end up in a junk drawer? In an old box somewhere? If you’re like millions of Americans, it ends up in the trash….and this can be a serious problem. Recycling cell phones is an easy process which has many benefits. Below are 5 reasons why recycling your cell should be a priority.

Cell Phones Contain Toxic Materials

That sweet gun metal finish, back lit LCD screen, and QWERTY keypad come at a price, and that price is toxic materials. Most all cell phones these days contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Yeah, arsenic. When you toss it in the trash, it ends up in an incinerator or landfill, where those materials can combust causing some major environmental issues. These materials often times sweep into the soil or drinking water which ends up affecting a lot more than just the landfill they get dumped in. Many of these materials like cadmium and lead are known to cause liver and lung cancer in humans. With the average shelf life of a cell phone peaking out at 18 months, it’s easy to see how these little devices can result in a much larger problem.

All Those Phones Add Up!

When was the last time you met someone without a cell phone? Nowadays kids take notes via text message and surf myspace on their iPhones. Just about everyone has a cell, and they all want the newer, better version coming out next year. If the average cell phone user is only holding on to a phone for 18 months, that creates a LOT of waste. The EPA predicts that more than 150 MILLION cell phones are thrown away each year. That’s 75,000 tons of toxic material waste every single year. There is no sign of those numbers slowing or decreasing in the future. By recycling your phone, you are helping to cut down on this growing problem.

Just Because It’s Not New, Doesn’t Mean It Can’t Work

Wait, you’re telling me that my phone only has a 7 mega pixel camera, but this super new phone has a 16 mega pixel camera?? I’m ready to upgrade. But that doesn’t mean that Mr. 7 mega pixel no longer works. In fact 80% of the 150 million cells that are thrown out each year are in perfect, or close to perfect working order. When you recycle your phone, it is thoroughly inspected for its quality and whenever possible, it is refurbished and resold. But how does this benefit you? You’ve moved on to higher quality pictures and unlimited texts. By recycling your phone, you’ve helped keep production costs down, and in turn it keeps product costs down as well. That’ll come in handy next time you upgrade.

Even If Your Phone Is Dead, It Can Still Be Recycled

You spilled coffee on your phone, your dog chewed it up, and the screen is dead? It can still be recycled even if it can’t be reused. Many times broken phones still have many working parts which are reused in the production of new phones. Even in the event your old faithful phone is truly dead, all the metals and materials used to make it can be broken down and reused to make new cell phones. By recirculating the materials, it can significantly cut back on the need for new metal mining. All this is done in a completely environmentally safe process.

Recycle and Get Involved

November 15th is “America Recycles Day”. This national holiday is in its 11th year and going stronger than ever. Through the countless efforts of many local and national recycling and environmental facilities millions of Americans will learn what they can do to help. According to the EPA, if only 1 million cell phones were recycled, they could produce enough energy to power 1,940 homes with electricity for a full year! If 150 million phones got recycled that’d mean electricity for 291,000 homes. What better way to be a part of ARD than by starting off with recycling your old cell phone.

If you’d like more information on cell phone recycling, or if you’d like to find out what you can do to help, contact GRC Recycling, http://www.grcrecycling.com/

Samsung Blue Earth Professional Blue LED Car Charger for your Phone with digital rapid and slow charge features!

• Professional Quality and Custom Design make this charger uniquely superior to all others!
• This Housing is made of ABS high impact plastic. It’s ergonomic design is durable, unique, and long lasting.
• Integrated Digital Charging circuitry allows precision fast charging and phone protection!
• Cable is thin but with heavy duty shielded due to high quailty coiled wire extending up to six feet long.
• This charger is a permanent replacement for all other car chargers, including the OEM charger. Make this your final accessory purchase for your phone!

Product Description
Samsung Blue Earth (Eco Friendly, Solar Powered Version) Professional Blue LED Car Charger for your Phone with digital rapid and slow charge features!

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