Your Questions About Green Living

James asks…

Does Yahoo know about Synthetic trees? Global Warming?

Apparently, some scientist guy has come with a way to fight global warming. For Real. A scientist has invented an artificial tree designed to do the job of plants.

But the synthetic tree proposed by Dr Klaus Lackner proposes does not much resemble the leafy variety.

“It looks like a goal post with Venetian blinds,” said the Columbia University physicist, referring to his sketch at the annual AAAS meeting in Denver, Colorado.

But the synthetic tree would do the job of a real tree, he said. It would draw carbon dioxide out of the air, as plants do during photosynthesis, but retain the carbon and not release oxygen.

If done to scale, according to Dr Lackner, synthetic trees could help clean up an atmosphere grown heavy with carbon dioxide, the most abundant gas produced by humans and implicated in climate warming.

He predicts that one synthetic tree could remove 90,000 tonnes of CO2 in a year – the emissions equivalent of 15,000 cars.

“You can be a thousand times better than a living tree,” he said.

Carbon sinks

For now, the synthetic tree is still a paper idea. But Dr Lackner is serious about developing a working model. His efforts suggest the wide net of ideas cast by scientists as they face the challenge of mitigating climate change.

Dr Lackner believes that carbon sequestration technology must be part of the long-term solution. Global reliance on fossil fuels will not decrease any time soon, he said, and developing countries cannot be expected to wait until alternatives are available.

The technology calls for two things – seizing carbon and then storing it. Direct capture of CO2, from power plants for example, is the simplest, according to Dr Lackner. But this doesn’t work for all polluters. A car can’t capture and store its carbon dioxide on-board; the storage tank would be too large.

“It’s simply a question of weight,” he said, “for every 14 grams of gasoline you use, you are going to have 44 grams of CO2.”

The alternative is to capture emissions from the wind. In this case, a synthetic tree would act like a filter. An absorbent coating, such as limewater, on its slats or “leaves” would seize carbon dioxide and retain the carbon.

Dr Lackner predicts that the biggest expense would be in recycling the absorber material.

“We have to keep the absorbent surfaces refreshed because they will very rapidly fill up with carbon dioxide,” he said. If an alkaline solution such as limewater were used, the resulting coat of limestone would need to be removed.

Dr Lackner is considering other less-alkaline solutions to prevent carbonate precipitation.

“There are a number of engineering issues which need to be worked out,” he said.

Home use

A synthetic tree could be planted anywhere. A small one could sit like a TV on the lawn to balance out the CO2 emitted by one person or family.

But more practically, said Dr Lackner, a device the size of a barn would sit in the open air, near repositories for easy transportation and storage of carbon.

He estimated that 250,000 synthetic trees worldwide would be needed to soak up the 22 billion tons of CO2 produced annually.

But not everyone is rooted to the idea. Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineer Howard Herzog thinks Dr Lackner’s design won’t hold together on the scale he proposes.

He said you would expend more energy in capturing the CO2 – in keeping the slats coated in absorbent and disposing of it – than you’d save.

“Once the solvent captures the CO2, it holds it on tight,” said Dr Herzog, “and it’s going to take a lot of energy to break those bonds.”

He said that much more research is needed on the technology.

“The idea of air capture is seductive and would really be great to have,” said Dr Herzog, “but it’s important to separate out the concept from the technical details.”

‘Early days’

Meanwhile, Dr Lackner is pursuing his idea for carbon storage. While he was at the US Department of Energy‘s Los Alamos National Laboratory, his team worked on a storage method based on a natural chemical process known as rock weathering.

When CO2 binds with magnesium, it creates carbonate rocks which, according to Dr Lackner, retain carbon permanently and safely.

Currently, he said, the process is still too expensive to develop on a large scale.

But Dr Lackner is optimistic that the costs for carbon capture and storage will come down.

“This is still the early days of climate solutions,” he said.

The Expert answers:

Just to add – the report is a bit out of date. Since it was written the scheme has been trialed on a small scale and the chemistry has evolved. There is also a similar proposal by Dr David Keith

The current proposal for Prof Lackner’s method is to use sodium hydroxide, this reacts with the CO2 in the air. The NaOH can be recovered for reuse and the byproduct used as synthetic fuel.

There’s more about the chemical processes and the two schemes in a previous answer I provided to a similar question – http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmcxWxraYWy4WH2VFGCA0h0jzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070822201803AAFxofS

Betty asks…

When will we have the resolve to build more Nuclear Power Plants; which emit NO CO2 into the Environment?

“The nuclear option should be retained precisely because it is an important carbon-free source of power.”

“Taking nuclear power off the table as a viable alternative will prevent the global community from achieving long-term gains in the control of carbon dioxide emissions.”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University

As of 204, France produced 78% of its energy needs from Nuclear Power, while at the same time the United States produces only 20%, while generating 57% of its Electricity from Coal that accounts for 90% of CO2 emissions.

http://nuclearinfo.net/Nuclearpower
http://www.policyalmanac.org/environment/archive/nuclear_energy.shtml
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France
WOW … amazing! Realst1 calls me a Right Wing (extremist) while the next person, BossH, calls me a Socialist!
BossH: Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) is a Generation IV Reactor for both electricity and hydrogen production.

Toshiba has applied for a license to build a 4S Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (Generation IV) in the United States.

http://nuclear.inl.gov/gen4/lfr.shtml

The Expert answers:

Funny how you people don’t want to become a socialist nation but keep whining about how a government that exerts a huge amount of control over energy businesseses is doing what you want done.

The reason why France is doing it so heavily is because their government forces the change.

In America we allow corporations to make the change when it is economically feasible for them to do so.
Waiting until Genertaion IV nuclear power plants are finished being tested, before building new technology that will produce power and hydrogen fuel from the energy lost fromt he system, is more economically feasible for corporations. If you notice we are working closely with the French to develop and implement the technology.

Http://gif.inel.gov/roadmap/pdfs/gen_iv_roadmap.pdf

As soon as the Generation IV nuclear power plants are ready, the nuclear power companies will start spending 40 bilion each plant to build them, instead of spending it to build obsolete technology that does not produce hydrogen fuel.

Nancy asks…

it is true that fish oil can help against manic depression?

http://www.oism.info/it/farmaci/alternative_naturali/olio_di_pesce_contro_depressione_maniacale.htm

The fish oil can help against manic depression.
Effectiveness of Omega 3 oils in dealing with manic depression, schizophrenia, depression, hyperactivity, the LDCs, etc..

Dr. Ann Blake Tracy: In September 1998 the National Institute of Health conducted a seminar on the effectiveness of Omega 3 oils in dealing with manic depression, schizophrenia, depression, hyperactivity, the LDCs, etc.. Now a new study supports those reports. Although the study was addressed only to oil fish, linseed oil is not recommended because it exposes a potential toxicity-toxicity due to polluted waters where the pesci.________________________________________
Scientists believe they have found a surprising new ally in their efforts to understand and treat acute sudden changes of mood of manic-depression fatty acids of fish. A clinical experiment at Harvard University on 44 patients suffering from manic depression, or bipolar, have had positive results with fish oil the experiment was stopped after 4 months and all patients were put into care with 14 capsules daily.
The fish oil is rich in fatty acids omegs-3, a family of polyunsaturated fatty long chain that have been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and other health benefits. The highest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids are in the eye and brain, where neurobiologi believe are essential for the proper functioning of cell membranes. If the levels of omega-3 fatty acids are too low, have assumed, then the streets are essential chemical sopraffatte may arise and mental disorders.
The study conducted at Harvard was the first significant scientific gaze on the effects of fish and its fatty acids on manic-depression that is estimated to affect between 1 and 2 percent of Americans at some point in life. The disorder produces surges from the levels of energy and mood abnormemente senior maniacalità of acute depression, and is generally treated with drugs other than those prescribed for unipolar depression, the most common form of depression. (It has been estimated that 20 percent of Americans suffer from some form of depression throughout life).
But some researchers believe that omega-3 fatty acids play an equally important role in unipolar depression. Joseph Hibbeln of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, has discovered an amazing correlation between the consumption of fish and depression. The society in which people eat much fish, he discovered, have markedly lower levels of depression compared with the society in which people did not eat much fish. Does his work “suggestive” rather than conclusive.
Stoll said that it unbeaten in fish as a possible cure for manic depression when he reviewed the literature on compounds from the effects similar to traditional drugs such as lithium and Valproato. “Wherever the guardammo were the omega-3,” he said. “We had heard of the omega-3 to medical school, but there was given much attention since then.” While fish oil has long been used as a dietary supplement safe, doctors warn that may oxidize if not is stored properly.

The Expert answers:

The thing with these claims is that they work differently for different anatomies…

Fish oil, which is rich in Omega-3 and a very essential fat for the brain MAY benefit some people (people for instance who actually can ‘synthesize’ this digested material into their body). Others who despereatly need certain substances (like with anatomical or chemical malfunctions), may not be able to synthesize these molecules into their system. Untill thorough studies can proove this, you can try it out and see for yourself if it does work for you or not. But be cautious: just because something works for many many people (or not) doesn’t mean that it will (or won’t) work for you as well. Some people have allergies, others don’t. There is some simplification, but no generalization when it comes to biology/medicine etc.

Ken asks…

HELP ME TO HELP YOU…….WANT TO DO Something FOR MANKIND….?

hey guys i have some great ideas …..some innovative ideas too….i have some rare ideas in mind which would help my country as well as our beloved earth….like alternative source for producing electricity…a car that runs on a very less amount of energy(without fossil fuel)…..new system for railways that would reduce accidents as well as explosions….and some innovations for fun like a bike with pulleys which can do stunts safely….and more ideas….i have read abt many ideas which are printed in newspapers…..but i dont think they are of that worth…..i think my ideas are more useful and scientific…..
but the problem is that i am not able to explore my talents to the general people or the world…plz guide me or suggest me some platform through which i can show my potential.. like if there is any institute or some media…give me contact info…who knows may be my ideas will change the world……plz help me to help you…

The Expert answers:

Please dont loose heart

this is a site with some positive news
http://goodnewsindia.com/index.php/gni

please refer the following sites which may be very helpful to you. But this is only the first step and a lots and lots of hurdles are yet to come in ur journey any way best of luck.

The national innovation foundation: http://www.nif.org.in/
http://www.sristi.org/cms/
http://www.gian.org/
http://knownetgrin.honeybee.org/honeybee.htm

to submit your innovations
http://knownetgrin.honeybee.org/knownet_share.htm

to submit your ideas visit
http://knownetgrin.honeybee.org/idea_bank.htm

http://www.indiainnovates.com/inventors_of_india.htm

Start a blog then.

Maria asks…

Help Me TO HELP YOU….WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR MANKIND….?

hey guys i have some great ideas …..some innovative ideas too….i have some rare ideas in mind which would help my country as well as our beloved earth….like alternative source for producing electricity…a car that runs on a very less amount of energy(without fossil fuel)…..new system for railways that would reduce accidents as well as explosions….and some innovations for fun like a bike with pulleys which can do stunts safely….and more ideas….i have read abt many ideas which are printed in newspapers…..but i dont think they are of that worth…..i think my ideas are more useful and scientific…..
but the problem is that i am not able to explore my talents to the general people or the world…plz guide me or suggest me some platform through which i can show my potential.. like if there is any institute or some media…give me contact info…OR some website or email id…who knows may be my ideas will change the world……plz help me to help you…

The Expert answers:

Ok, first off we’re not going toward global warming.

Why?

Tripoli Libya (why Libya because its one of the countries that hasn’t change much during past 10 years other cities have grown considerably so the temperature from those cities would be higher for sure).

1999 Average Temperature 21.4
2007/08 Average Temperature 20.3

Difference of 1.1 Deg C, i.e. We’re not going toward global warming we just came out of Solar Maximum, now we’re in solar minimum.

If you look at past trends we’re on the peak of High temperature, temperature will just fall from here on, next solar maximum will be 2015 after this there would be 27 years gap between next solar maximum i.e. Lots of cold weather.

Wanna do something good for Earth then try to find more green house gases because if the world goes 2-3 Deg C warmer its not a problem, yes sea level will rise by 23cm and yes we’ll have hot summer.

But overall average rain will increase, increase in crops, frankly I don’t care about certain tree growing somewhere, not my problem, I do care if the world goes into mini ice age, which will mean end of many life as food production will go down, decrease in rainfall, many countries in africa will have huge problems with famine.

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