“In spite of ourselves we’ll end up a-sittin’ on a rainbow.”---John Prine
Despite humanity’s best efforts to destroy the planet, the Earth is hanging in there better than might be expected. While the environmental benefits of the Covid-19 pandemic---cleaner air and water---are just a temporary sop, there are several seldom-spoken-of surprises all around us. A new census indicates that the wild tiger population in India has risen a startling 33% from four years ago. The mountain gorilla numbers in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are increasing due to conservation efforts which make the gorillas the most protected species on the planet. After 40 years of research and conservation efforts, the government of Tanzania has finally created a new national park which will protect the habitat of numerous rare species of plants and wildlife, including the endangered Udzungwa Red Colobus monkey.
After hundreds of years of declining population, the California Condor has reached a major milestone---the 1000th chick has been hatched since conservation efforts began in the 1980s. In 1982, North America’s largest bird was nearly erased, with just 22 remaining. Today, there are 300 wild birds and another 200 in captivity. The South Atlantic humpback whale population is also booming. A study in October of 2019 put the whales’ number at 25,000, almost the same total thought to exist before whaling drove the numbers down severely.
Since the 1950s, Zambia has lost nearly 90% of its elephants due to poaching, but that illegal nightmare has been curbed and has fallen by half. The massive reduction in poaching was caused by an aggressive community-based program which focuses on involving the people who live near the parks. The program offers education and training in alternative ways of making a living, drawing people away from the financial incentives of poaching. We’re not in zip-a-dee-doo-dah country yet but some of the fog may be lifting. It's Earth Day 50. Take a whiff on me.
May The Forest Be With You
“I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree. For damn sure, a trillion of ‘em!”---Joyce Kilmer
Okay, how many trees does it take to save a planet? This one, in particular. Here’s a clue—there are three trillion of them now, about half living in tropical or subtropical forests. So, roughly 400 trees for every human. Twelve thousand years ago, before the advent of agriculture, Earth boasted twice as many. Blame the farmers if you want, but don’t complain if you like your soybeans. Any guesses?
If we’re to believe the brilliant Crowther Lab at Swiss University ETH Zurich, and we certainly are, we need another trillion. That would be enough to sequester more than 60% of anthropogenic carbon emissions. Sure, you say, but where would we put them all? Is there enough room? Listen pal, have you ever been to Oklahoma? Then you get my drift. Hell, we could put half a trillion right here in Fairfield and still have room left over for another barbecue joint.
As with any good idea, this one has its critics. One of them, Joseph Veldman, is worried we'll put the trees in all the wrong places. Listen, Joe, it’s okay. We’re not going to put them in Yankee Stadium or Vatican Square. We got this.
If you’re wondering, 13,629,563,106 trees were planted by February 4 of this year. Then Earl Johnson’s clicker broke and he probably missed a few hundred more. So you can see, we’ve got a little way to go. If you’re not busy Saturday, put on your mask and planting shoes and drop by the seed factory. We’ll fix you up.
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| On a clear day, you can see forever. Pretty soon: past forever. |
Air Aid
If we want to hedge our bets a little on the considerable powers of trees, let’s see what the M.I.T. geniuses are up to. We’ve been big admirers of the other boys from Cambridge for decades now--- ever since many years ago a gaggle of them rolled the world’s largest snow boulder onto Memorial Drive just outside Boston during the five-o’clock rush hour, snarling traffic for hours. Fun is fun, but now they’re getting serious.
M.I.T. postdoc Sahag Voskian, who came up with the idea and T. Alan Hatton, a celebrated professor of chemical engineering have devised a new way of removing carbon dioxide from a stream of air. The new system can work on the gas at virtually any concentration level, even down to the roughly 400 parts per million currently found in the atmosphere. Most methods of removing CO2 from a stream of gas require higher concentrations, such as those found in the flue emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants. A few variations have been developed that can work with the low concentrations found in air. The new method, however, is significantly less energy-intensive and expensive, according to Voskian and Hatton.
The technique, based on passing air through a stack of charged electrochemical plates, is described in a recent paper in the journal Energy and Environmental Science. The device is essentially a large, specialized battery that absorbs carbon dioxide from the air (or other gas stream) passing over its electrodes as it is being charged up and then releases the gas as it is being discharged. In operation, the device would simply alternate between charging and discharging, with fresh air or feed gas being blown through the system during the charging cycle and then the pure, concentrated carbon dioxide being blown out during the discharging.
As the battery charges, an electrochemical reaction takes place at the surface of each of a stack of electrodes. These are coated with a compound called polyanthraquinone, which is composited with carbon nanotubes. The electrodes have a natural affinity for carbon dioxide and readily react with its molecules in the airstream of feed gas, even when it is present at very low concentrations. The reverse action takes place when the battery is discharged---during which the device can provide part of the power needed for the whole system---and in the process ejects a stream of pure carbon dioxide. The whole system operates at room temperature and normal air pressure.
Not as good as the big snowball, of course, but not bad for city boys.
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| Ishmael rowed the boat ashore. Cheaply. |
Say What?
1. GCL System Integration Technology Company is investing $2.54 billion to construct the world’s largest solar-panel manufacturing plant in eastern Hefei province in China. The facility will be able to produce 60 gigawatts of solar panels a year, according to a GCL filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange on March 27. The plant’s maximum output is double the 30 gigawatts of capacity installed in all China in 2019 and would be able to supply almost 51% of solar installments worldwide.
2. Renewable energy sources are set to account for nearly 21% of the electricity used in the United States for the first time this year, up from 18% last year and 10% in 2010. Industry analysts expect the renewal business to continue growing in the next few years even as oil, gas and coal companies struggle financially or seek bankruptcy protection. In many parts of the world, including Texas and California, wind turbines and solar panels now produce electricity more cheaply than natural gas and coal.
3. Ishmael Essome Ebone has discovered the ultimate raw material for building boats, and it’s free. The young man from Cameroon was first inspired to build his “Eco-boats” as a student back in 2011 and after they immediately proved successful, he invested all the money he had into his nonprofit Madiba & Nature. The company collects plastic waste---primarily drink bottles---from around the region and turns a formerly useless product into boats for ecotourism guides and needy fishermen. Very spiffy.
4. The Sierra Energy company is now prepared to tackle all the non-recyclable garbage which usually winds up in landfills. Sierra claims their new blast furnace can vaporize heaps of trash, converting them to clean energy without leaving any waste or emissions. Their fuel, made from the FastOx technology, is reportedly 20 times cleaner than California fuel standards require. All of the gases generated by the chemical process are captured for reuse to replace fossil fuels which power airplanes or for use as fertilizer, hydrogen or ethanol.
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| What a blast! Sierra's new vaporizer furnace. |
5. The nuns of St. Patrick’s would never believe this, but scientists are on the verge of creating artificial photosynthesis to generate renewable energy from the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. They’re hooting in disbelief back at the convent but if the boys are successful and can produce large amounts, it could be a crucial step in mitigating climate change. According to Heinz Frei from the Berkeley Lab, “There are two challenges we still have to meet. One of them is scalability. If we want to keep fossil fuels in the ground, we need to be able to make energy in terrawatts---an enormous amount of fuel. And we need to make a liquid hydrocarbon fuel so we can actually use it with the trillions of dollars worth of existing infrastructure and technology.” Not a piece of strudel, but not impossible either. Heinz is almost giddy with anticipation.
6. Florida’s own Stillwater Brewery has come up with a shrewd way to reduce dangerous plastic waste. They’ve made their six-pack rings biodegradable. Not only that, but this packaging is even safe for critters to snack on since it’s made from barley and wheat ribbons. The brewery tells us, “Since our inception, our goal has been to maintain the Earth by giving back through ocean-based charities such as Coastal Conservation Association and by being the first brewer to package and sell our beer with the Eco Six-Pack Rings. This is the first ring made from by-product waste and other compostable materials.” We like it. Every year, around one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed by six-pack rings, which can take up to 1000 years to dissolve. But tell us guys---how’s the beer?
7. A supermarket in Denmark celled WeFood is fighting global famine by selling products that are past their sell-by dates or have damaged packaging, cutting the cost to consumers by 30%-50%. WeFood is not only useful for low-income shoppers but also anyone concerned about the giant food waste problem we currently face. The store is completely volunteer-operated and the profits go to charity initiatives in developing countries. An estimated one-third of the food produced in the world is thrown away each year, while almost 800 million undernourished people don’t have enough to eat.
Take Me For A Ride In Your Car, Car.
When the subject of automotive engineering comes up, noone talks about the Dutch. Until now, that is. A group from Eindhoven whose prototype car won the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge three straight years has now jumped to the front of the line with the planet’s first long-range solar car---the four-passenger, all-electric Lightyear One. The prototype has generated over 100 orders for the vehicles, to be filled in 2021. Only 100? Well, the going price is $127,000, so Dick the ditchdigger can’t afford one. Just wait, though, they’ll be going for peanuts in ten years.
“This moment represents a new era of driving,” claims Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear. “Two years of dreaming, thinking and working hard have led to this milestone, which is a giant leap towards achieving our mission of making clean mobility available to everyone.” Lightyear was founded in 2016 after receiving enough accolades, grants and investor euros to develop their working prototype in a mere two years.
The slick Lightyear One has been engineered “using only the principles of physics to produce maximum efficiency. This car will get the most out of every ray of sunshine,” says Lex. His engineers were able to produce a 4-passenger luxury car that requires only half the energy consumption of others in its class. Its battery is two-thirds the size of a Tesla S equivalent, but provides longer range---up to 800 kilometers (497 miles) if driving in full sun, not so much in Seattle or Podgorica.
The car is constructed from high-tech materials to have the lowest weight possible while maintaining stringent passenger safety. The roof and hood are comprised of five square meters of integrated solar cells in safety glass so strong that a fully-grown adult can walk on them without causing dents. The vehicle is propelled by four independently driven wheels, so no energy is lost in transit from the engine to the wheel. The car can be charged at a charging station or a regular electrical outlet.
The final step, according to Hoefsloot, will be to provide truly sustainable cars that are more affordable to use than the combustion automobiles. “That will be the tipping point—building a model affordable to most drivers,” he says. “We expect to do it sooner rather than later.” Until then, you can order one of the current models for a reservation fee of a mere 119 euros. Be the first in your neighborhood. All the girls will swoon. So will your accountant.
That’s all, folks….
bill.killeen094@gmail.com
