This report evaluates emission mitigation options to achieve net-zero carbon emissions through marginal abatement cost (MAC) curves for the existing plants in the fertiliser industry. MAC curves were developed
Carbon dioxide is the devil molecule of our time. Yet a pioneering band of researchers would like us to see it differently - as a valuable resource. They are developing a collection of technologies to retrieve some of the CO2 that would otherwise pollute the atmosphere, using its carbon atoms to form hydrocarbons. Feb 27, 2008
New solar technology greatly improves performance A new coating for solar panels could lead to more efficient solar collection. The energy from sunlight falling on only 9 percent of California's Mojave Desert could power all of the United States' electricity needs if the energy could be efficiently harvested, according to some estimates. Unfortunately, current-generation solar cell technologies are too expensive and inefficient for wide-scale commercial applications. A team of Northwestern University researchers has developed a new anode coating strategy that significantly enhances the efficiency of solar energy power conversion. A paper about the work, which focuses on "engineering'
ONGC is collaborating with Norway's StatoilHydro on carbon management projects WHILE MOST OIL companies avoid speaking of climate change, India's ONGC has taken the issue head on. The oil and gas giant has signed an agreement with Norway's StatoilHydro to explore carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), clean development mechanism (CDM) and other carbon management projects. StatoilHydro, which runs one of the largest CCS projects in the world, will help ONGC's facilities suck C02 out of the atmosphere and pump it underground for storage. This reduces excessive levels of the gas in the atmosphere and lowers the risks of abrupt climate change. But for oil companies, there is an added benefit of pumping C02 underground, as it is also Recovery or EOR acts on the same principle, but uses C02 to extract hard-to-reach oil. By trapping C02 underground, ONGC will also earn revenues by selling carbon credits through the CDM. These credits can be sold to companies that have been unable to take their own C02 emissions below legally permissible limits.
EVERY silver lining has its cloud. At the moment, the world's oceans absorb a million tonnes of carbon dioxide an hour. Admittedly that is only a third of the rate at which humanity dumps the stuff into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, but it certainly helps to slow down global warming. However, what is a blessing for the atmosphere turns out to be a curse for the oceans.
Solar cells generate electricity from sunlight without producing' pollution, but some environmentalists have been concerned about the potential negative impact of this photovoltaic technology. This is because the manufacture of solar cells involves toxic metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium and produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. However, the first comprehensive study of the pollutants produced during the manufacture of solar cells gives them a reassuringly clean bill of health. Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York report that photovoltaic cells produce far fewer air pollutants than conventional fossil fuel technologies when manufacturing is fully accounted for. The study will appear next month in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, Vasilis Fthenakis and colleagues gathered data from 13 solar cell " manufacturers in Europe and the US over three years. The cells included four major commercial types: multicrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, ribbon silicon and thin-film cadmium telluride The study concluded that generating electricity from solar cells reduced air pollutants by about 90 per cent compared with using electricity generated in conventional power stations
The report by K.Van Oost et al., "The impact of agricultural soil erosion on the global carbon cycle" (26 October 2007, p. 626) raises two serious concerns. First, the eroded soil is severely depleted of its soil organic matter (SOM) pool, which is preferentially removed by surface runoff because it has low density and is concentrated in the surface layer. Second, the process of soil erosion by water entails three distinct stages : (i) detachment, (ii) transport/redistribution, and (iii) deposition. (Letters)
One million tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide are dissolved into the oceans every hour, a process that helps maintain the Earth's delicate carbon balance. But CO2 also makes seawater more acidic, and too much of it can wreak havoc on a marine species.
If two scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct, people will still be driving gasoline-powered cars 50 years from now, churning out heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
Porsche, whose cars are seen as an emblem of wealth and success in London's financial district, is planning a legal challenge to prevent its customers from paying an increased congestion charge in the UK capital. The German company intends to seek a judicial review aimed at quashing the plan by Ken Livingstone, London's mayor, to impose a
If two scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct, people will still be driving gasoline-powered cars 50 years from now, churning out heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
