Plants are among the world’s best carbon sinks, but there’s a side to the plant-CO2 love affair that’s rarely discussed. When carbon dioxide rises, plants […]

The post The strange, controversial way plants trap CO2 appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve doubtless caught at least a passing reference to the plight of the […]

The post Discovery: Rising CO2 depletes pollen’s nutritional potency, bees suffer appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new study by European researchers highlights the important contribution of greenhouse gases (GHGs) other than carbon dioxide to climate change and suggests policy measures to help reduce their impact. The study provides improved estimates of the current GHG balance of Europe, taking nitrous oxide and methane into account.

One method that has been proposed for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is to ‘fertilise’ the ocean to encourage phytoplankton (algae) blooms. A recent study has outlined the environmental, legal and social implications of large-scale fertilisation of the sea with urea in the Sulu Sea off the coast of the Philippines.

A recent study has examined the implications of CO2 leaking from storage sites under a variety of scenarios over 100,000 years. The findings suggest that ocean storage of CO2 (prohibited in the EU) would lead to long-term warming of the atmosphere, higher sea levels and acidification and dead zones in the ocean. In contrast, geological storage with low-leakage rates (1 per cent per 1000 years) would lead to conditions similar to a low-emissions future. This implies that

Technological advances in European cement production could reduce energy consumption by up to 10% and CO2 emissions by 4%, according to a new analysis. The research suggests that initial costs of some of the pending technological improvements could be recouped in as little as a year.

Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is likely to cause some soils to release large quantities of two potent greenhouse gases (GHGs), nitrous oxide and methane, according to a recent analysis. The results suggest that the contribution of soils and terrestrial ecosystems to slow climate change has been overestimated.

The world’s ocean ecosystems will suffer warming, increased acidity, low oxygen and reduced primary food supply as a result of rising CO2 and this is likely to have dramatic environmental and social impacts, a new study concludes. It predicts that the most vulnerable low-income countries, where 870 million people are dependent on marine ecosystems, would be affected if CO2 emissions are not tackled.

Deep-water fish living along the Irish-UK continental slope remove more than a million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, according to a recent study. Continental slope ecosystems play an important role in carbon sequestration, which should be considered before exploiting deep-water resources, say the researchers.

Rising levels of atmospheric CO2 will increase the severity of wheat diseases, reducing yields and threatening food security, a new study suggests. Researchers found that levels of two common wheat diseases increased significantly when plants were grown with elevated CO2. Furthermore, disease levels were even worse when the plants and pathogens had been acclimatised to the higher concentrations of CO2 beforehand.

The benefits of CO₂ cuts made now, such as avoided floods and droughts, will be felt within the lifetimes of most people alive today, new research indicates. The study’s authors say their work dispels myths that the main effects of CO₂ emissions will not be felt for many decades. They estimate that it could take 10 years for the maximum warming effects of a one-off CO₂ emission to occur.

A new method of processing food waste into fertiliser has been outlined in a recent study. The process uses a digester system with microorganisms to break down organic waste into fertiliser. The resultant fertiliser was used in a low-energy greenhouse to produce a range of food crops. The method is a potential way to utilise food waste and reduce the energy consumption of food production as part of a circular economy.

In 2008, the injection of CO2 started at Ketzin in Germany, Europe’s first onshore carbon storage site. A recently published paper has reported on the findings of experiments conducted on the rocks at Ketzin, which contributed important information about their safety and feasibility for storing CO2. No significant changes to the rocks were observed 15 months after they had been injected with CO2.

Power plants are a major source of CO2 emissions and contributor to global warming. This study reports on a portable technology to remove CO2 from their combustion exhaust gases. Pilot testing on a coal burning plant in Poland captured thousands of kilograms of CO2 per day. This could be a viable future means of mitigating CO2 emissions from the power generation sector.

Emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have fallen significantly across Europe since 1960. According to recent research, this is caused by a combination of factors including improved energy efficiency, a changing fuel mix and specific emission control measures. At the same time CO₂ emissions have only increased moderately, mainly due to improvements in energy efficiency.

Water and carbon dioxide (CO2) can be converted into ‘solar thermochemical fuel’ using energy from the sun and very high temperatures. A new study has analysed the production of this fuel and found that, under favourable future conditions, costs could be as little as €1.28 per litre, with close to zero life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although suitable as a substitute for any hydrocarbon fuel, it could be particularly useful as a much-needed alternative for energy-dense jet fuel.

A new UK study suggests that there are associations between obesity, physical activity, and levels of CO2 emissions from transport. These associations seem mostly to reflect the fact that obese people tend to travel longer distances by motorised forms of travel. They may also partly reflect less ‘active travel’ by bicycle or walking by obese people.

Speed constraints for aircraft are put in place, at some airports, to minimise noise pollution in local areas, however, such practices can be very fuel-inefficient. New research has now shown that relaxing departure speed limits could substantially reduce CO2 emissions, while maintaining acceptable noise levels.

Predicting the effects of changing levels of atmospheric gases on agricultural crops is vital to ensuring food security under global environmental change. As well as yield, impacts on the nutritional value of crops must be considered. A new study has now shown that increased ozone decreases yields and increases the proportion of protein in the grain. Conversly, elevated levels of CO2 boosts wheat yields, but it also reduces protein proportion in two different ways.

Magnesite has long been known as a CO2 absorber, but the slow rate of its growth made it a poor carbon storage option. Until now.

The rural Cheshire community has slashed emissions by nearly a quarter over the past decade.

Scientists have created a microbe that converts carbon dioxide into biofuel, a discovery that might boost the battle against climate change.

We hear a lot about carbon dioxide when we talk about climate change, but sometimes here's why too much CO2 in the atmosphere is a bad thing.

A greenhouse gas that is thought to have a potent impact on global warming was detected in trace amounts in the atmosphere.

Just in time for a new U.S. report on climate change, a stunning animation shows how much we've already altered Earth's air.

Scientists with NASA unveiled the first carbon maps obtained by the spacecraft, named the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2.

Earth's atmosphere hasn't had this much CO2 in human history, and possibly not since the Pliocene Epoch about 3 million years ago.

The new U.S. plan to limit power plant emissions is 645 pages long. Here's what you need to know.

New analysis of basalt rock formations on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. reveals the possibility of cleaner coal.

Private brokerage service Ecostreamjet purchases carbon credits to offset emissions generated by each flight.

New high-rise called Tao Zhu Yin Yuan (“ The Retreat of Tao Zhu”) by Vincent Callebaut provides luxury housing and 'hope for a better tomorrow' in Taiwan.

Energy-related CO2 emissions will be 7 percent lower than their 2005 level of nearly 6 billion metric tons in 2020, according to new government data.

We don't want greenhouse gas emissions, but we do want energy. What if we could bury one to get more of the other?

Humanity is not only moving too slowly in curbing CO2 emissions — we're moving the wrong direction.

Artificial photosynthesis could produce the perfect clean fuel to run everything.

･ Supporting an energy management system with low-CO2 distributed power generation and self-consignment ･ Switch to CO2-free hydrogen fuel planned for the future

The U.S. and China are forming an uneasy alliance as the world warms and a U.N. climate conference looms.

Phenom Health launches new product, NO2 Shred. Rapid market acceptance and summer promotions drive sales records for the company.

Associates at the largest oxygen concentrator distributor in the world give their opinion why they have sustained unprecedented growth in the past few years.

COLDFALL Corporation is accepting Transmute Coins, cryptocurrency from its patrons as payment for transmutation of tires, plastics, coal, and carbon-based materials.

By The University of Sheffield Giant icebergs leave trail of carbon sequestration in their wake – a month after they have passed Geographers analysed 175 satellite images of ocean colour which is an indicator of phytoplankton productivity at the ocean’s … Continue reading →

Fuji released their new flagship camera this month, the X-Pro2. It is the first X-series camera to feature a 24MP sensor (compared to 16MP before) and it has a very interesting hybrid optical & electronic view finder. When I first […]

The present invention related to a method of manufacturing a polycarbonate including the process of copolymerizing epoxide compound and CO2 using cobalt(III) or chromium(III), where the ligands contains at least 3 ammonium cations, central metal has formal −1 charge, and conjugated anions of the two cationic ammonium groups are acid-base homoconjugation, as catalyst. According to the present invention, the initial induction time can be reduced when the said polycarbonate is manufactured and it is possible to improve the activity of the catalyst and the molecular weight of the obtained polymer.

The disclosed embodiments relate to pulse oximetry. An exemplary pulse oximeter comprises a probe that is adapted to be attached to a body part of a patient to create a signal indicative of an oxygen saturation of blood of the patient, and a processor that is adapted to receive the signal produced by the probe, to calculate an SPO2 value based on the signal, to detect a plurality of pattern types of SPO2 indicative of pathophysiologic events, and to produce an output indicative of a detected one of the plurality of pattern types.

A system and method for reducing the CO2 in a gaseous stream between 33% up to and even in excess of 90%, by reducing CO2. A gaseous stream that includes substantial amounts of CO2 is provided to a reaction chamber along with H2O (steam) and a carbon source such as charcoal, coke or other carbonaceous material. Carbon is provided to the chamber at a ratio (C/CO2) of between about 0.100 to 0.850, and between about 0.200 to 0.900 of H2O to the provided CO2. The CO2, H2O and carbon are heated to between about 1500° F. and about 3000° F. at about one atmosphere to produce syngas (i.e. carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2)) and reduces the amount of CO2. The Syngas may then be cleaned and provided to a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reactor or a Bio-catalytic synthesis reactor to produce a fuel, such as Methanol, Ethanol, Diesel and Jet Fuel.

The present invention relates to a method for producing hydrogen, with reduced carbon dioxide emissions, from a hydrocarbon mixture. In said method, the hydrocarbon mixture is reformed so as to produce a synthetic gas that is cooled, then treated in a shift reactor so as to be enriched with H2 and CO2. Optionally dried, said mixture is treated in a PSA hydrogen purification unit in order to produce hydrogen. The residue is treated by means of partial condensation with a view to capturing CO4 before said residue is sent as fuel to reforming.

A CO2 amine scrubbing process uses an absorbent mixture consisting of an alkanolamine CO2 sorbent in combination with a non-nucleophilic base. The alkanolamine has oxygen and nitrogen sites capable of nucleophilic attack at the CO2 carbon atom. The nucleophilic addition is promoted in the presence of the non-nucleophilic, relatively stronger base, acting as a proton acceptor. The non-nucleophilic base promoter, which may also act as a solvent for the alkanolamine, can promote reaction with the CO2 at each of the reactive hydroxyl and nucleophilic amine group(s) of the alkanolamines. In the case of primary amino alkanolamines the CO2 may be taken up by a double carboxylation reaction in which two moles of CO2 are taken up by the reacting primary amine groups.

A carbon fuel combustion process, employing an air gas separation unit, a combustion unit operating either with air or with an oxidizer leaner in nitrogen than air, coming from the air gas separation unit, and a unit for compressing and/or purifying the CO2 coming from the combustion flue gas, wherein the power consumed by the air gas separation unit and/or the flow of oxygen produced by the air gas separation unit and/or the capture of the CO2 coming from the combustion flue gas are variable over time is presented.

The present invention describes a method of optimizing CO2 concentration to increase the specific growth rate of Anammox bacteria and methanogens in wastewater and sludge treatment, as well as novel systems and methods of treating wastewater and sludge. The specific growth rate or doubling time of the Anammox bacteria and methanogens were determined to be sensitive to dissolved CO2 concentration. Optimizing dissolved CO2 concentration increases the specific growth rate of the Anammox bacteria, which may be used as an alternative biological nitrogen removal process for the treatment of domestic wastewater. In the method and system of treating sludge, the CO2 stripper returns biogas with low CO2 concentration to the headspace of an anaerobic digester in order to lower the headspace CO2 concentration and therefore, the soluble CO2 concentration. The lower soluble CO2 concentration increases the specific growth rate of the methanogens for a more efficient anaerobic digestion process.

The invention relates to CO2 capturing binder with an amortized environmental cost, the method of manufacture thereof by means of selecting, purifying and optimizing the carbide lime paste for use as a cementing material, and aggregates for the manufacture of lime paints and slurries, stuccos, mortars and concretes having multiple applications in the construction industry, in architectural restoration, in public works and land conditioning, object of the present invention. It is basically characterized in that the raw material is the residue in the form of sludge generated in the industrial manufacture of acetylene (C2H2) from calcium carbide (CaC2) the fundamental component of which is calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) in highly reactive nanometric formations treated in a specific manner according to the invention.