Do Politics Hurt the Move Toward Green Energy?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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Increasingly, city planners and civil engineers are looking at methods of using green energy. Because so many are concerned about global warming and other issues caused by pollution, green energy has become a major part of politics. However, some are questioning whether politics has lowered the level of discourse about green energy.

When issues become politicized, people often seem to lose the ability to think rationally. Party affiliation has proven to be strong, and people are rarely swayed by rational arguments and impartial analysis. As a result, people will often believe what their party says about green energy. Someone who believes that green energy is expensive is unlikely to change his or her mind. Likewise, someone who believes that natural gas is inherently dirty will not be persuaded by arguments about harm reduction and the importance of affordable energy. However, the politics of energy policy seems to be cooling. As green energy becomes more affordable, political parties will be more likely to reach compromises.

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*by andreascy*

Urban Farming Is A Green Way to Improving Cities

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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Urban Farming is a process of growing foods within vastly populated towns and cities. These regions use up a lot of our foods and needed resources. A meal could journey greater than 4,000 miles to get from the farm to the markets and restaurants. Growing food nearer to the areas of greater demand decreases the amount of gasoline required to transport it from start location to its final destination. 

Minimizing the number of trips saves money and time. Additionally, this strategy can decrease maintenance cost of transporting vehicles. As a result, there is less need to purchase new vehicles. Toxic gases spewed into the atmosphere is greatly reduced. Urban agriculture is not restricted to fruits and vegetables.

It calls for raising livestock in the midst of the metropolis. Our "carbon "food-print" is the amount of greenhouse gases produced as meals go through the food system. Humans contribute to nitrous oxide emission when we consume food sprayed with chemical fertilizers.

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*by andreascy*

Science Nation : Science for a Sustainable Future

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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Princeton University physical chemist Emily Carter is using fundamental scientific principles to create computer simulation tools that will help predict the behavior of different materials including renewable fuels. 

The research, which is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has a broad range of applications including, improving thermal barrier coatings for jet engines, developing new materials for lightweight vehicles to improve fuel efficiency and creating novel materials for use in non-fossil fuel sustainable energy production.

*by andreascy*

New Efficient Way to Recycle Carbon Dioxide Pollution

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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Scientists in the United States have discovered a new, inexpensive way to remove excess Carbon Dioxide (or CO2), from the atmosphere, as well as from large industrial exhaust sources, such as factory smokestacks. Researchers at the University of Southern California's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute say their new CO2 extraction method achieved some of the highest rates ever reported for removing the potentially climate-changing greenhouse gas from the air under humid conditions. 

Most scientists believe that industrial carbon dioxide emissions are major contributors to global warming. The accelerating increase in the Earth’s average surface temperatures also is believed to be triggering significant changes in climate, including more intense storms, more severe floods and droughts, and major shifts in rainfall patterns. 

Study co-author and Loker Institute director Professor Surya Prakash said the CO2 extraction technique involves a plastic-like substance dispersed in a sandy material called fumed silica.

Prakash says the goal of the research was to create an efficient way to capture excess CO2 from the air and recycle it for use in the production of all the fuels and carbon-based products now made from refined petroleum. He adds that the extracted carbon dioxide also can be permanently isolated from the environment. 

Prakash says he expects to see his team’s CO2 recycling technology in commercial use within three to five years. The USC researchers say the fumed silica materials they developed for the CO2 extractor are much cheaper, more energy efficient and more chemically stable than existing extraction devices. They also report that the new materials can be used multiple times without losing their efficiency.

Prakash said he and his colleagues tested the new materials in humid air because capturing CO2 in humid conditions is especially difficult, and provided realistic conditions for the experiment since most air contains moisture. A report on the new USC study is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. 

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*by andreascy*