New Nanoscale Filter Can Desalinate Water 100 Times More Efficiently

Although this is not directly air related, this could be a game-changer for regions suffering for lack of fresh water. Climate change is already worsening droughts worldwide, and this trend is only going to increase as global temperatures rise. A new type of filter developed by Lockheed Martin uses sheets of a carbon material called graphene with nano scale holes which allow water to pass through easily but trap salt molecules. Compared to current filters it takes 100 times less energy to push the water through the filter, and if this technology can scale up it could be shaped into filters that could retrofit current desalination plants.
From the report:

The process, officials and engineers at Lockheed Martin Corp say, would enable filter manufacturers to produce thin carbon membranes with regular holes about a nanometer in size that are large enough to allow water to pass through but small enough to block the molecules of salt in seawater. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.
Because the sheets of pure carbon known as graphene are so thin - just one atom in thickness - it takes much less energy to push the seawater through the filter with the force required to separate the salt from the water, they said.
The development could spare underdeveloped countries from having to build exotic, expensive pumping stations needed in plants that use a desalination process called reverse osmosis.
"It's 500 times thinner than the best filter on the market today and a thousand times stronger," said John Stetson, the engineer who has been working on the idea. "The energy that's required and the pressure that's required to filter salt is approximately 100 times less."

Desalination plants are huge consumers of electricity and with demand for fresh water constantly rising this method could help reduce electric consumption worldwide. Desert regions with ocean access could use solar powered desalination plants which could allow for irrigation in places where it once was prohibitively expensive. As I said, not directly air related but a development that could have huge implications for energy use in the future and that does affect air quality.

Western Tribes Defend Sacred Sites Against Coal Export Plan

Photo: Paul Anderson for The New York Times

Chuck Boyer operated a skiff that brought people from their fishing boats to shore to watch speeches during a protest against the building of North America's largest coal terminal at Cherry Point, Wash.

Tribes in the Pacific Northwest have allied with environmental groups to oppose a plan to build six coal export terminals along the west coast. The coal would then be transported to the booming markets of Asia where industrial air pollution is far less regulated and air regularly reaches unhealthy levels of pollutants. The proposed plan would disrupt traditional fishing sites as well as disturbing numerous sacred sites according to tribal leaders and elders.

Why should this concern us thousands of miles away?

Because air pollution does not respect national boundaries and already pollution from China reaches the air above us where it can come back to earth in rain and snow to contaminate our lands and waters. This and the fact that coal is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions that are increasing global temperatures to ominous levels are enough reasons to oppose this new coal export capacity. Despite what some political ads say, the main reason coal production has fallen so drastically in the US is not overzealous government regulation but competition from suddenly cheap and abundant natural gas. Coal companies are just trying to shift their smoky product to another market so they can continue to remove mountaintops at their leisure. The world economy needs to transition away from the unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels and the sooner we realize that burning coal is nineteenth century technology unfit for a twenty-first world the sooner we can transition to more sustainable sources of energy. Coal is also a significant source of mercury which can find its way up the food chain through a process called bioaccumulation. This has led to alarmingly high mercury levels among First Nation people in arctic Canada.

Coal is a bad deal for all involved and the government needs to do more to assist families whose livelihoods depend on coal to transition away from it because eventually the government will realize that the price of coal energy is far higher for the planet than just the cost of a ton of coal.

Coal Power

The Minnesota Legislature passed two bills that would lift the current regulation on carbon dioxide emissions at coal-fired plants. In Minnesota coal-fired plants are required to offset their carbon dioxide emissions. The plants must not contribute any additional carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The law regulating these emissions was passed four years ago as part of a package to increase alternative energy production in Minnesota. Some claim that the law is too restricting and that coal plant production cannot occur because the offset practices are too expensive. The House and Senate will vote on the bills in April.

The environmental impacts that occur from burning coal for energy are numerous, including more than emissions of carbon dioxide. We need to use alternative energy and clean up the current energy production. Coal is a fossil fuel, and there is only a limited amount of that coal in the earth. We are going to run out of these fossil fuels, and in the meantime, we are damaging the planet by burning them without the most effective clean burning methods. Americans use a great amount of energy and because we are unwilling to give up our current standard of living, we need to plan for the future and plan how to use our current resources in the most appropriate way.

If we are going to continue with burning coal, we need to use the best technology we have to produce the fewest emissions and cause the smallest environmental impact. We have only one planet and we are very dependent on that planet for survival.

Image from the Energy Bulletin.

"Cash for Caulkers" - President Obama's New Energy Efficiency Rebate Program

The White House has announced a new plan to improve energy efficiency in American homes and create jobs in the slumping construction and manufacturing sectors. Called Homestar, the plan would give rebates of up to $ 3,000 to homeowners for energy saving upgrades.

Improvements covered under the program include windows, doors, HVAC systems, insulation, water heaters and more. Most of these products are made right here in the U.S.A., and some right here in Minnesota. I think this program will prove very popular, and I hope Congress sees that this will pay off by both creating jobs and reducing our energy use.

Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality

Now that winter is here most of us are trying to find ways to keep our heating bills down, but many people are unaware of the mold issues that can arise from trying to save money on heat.

Often I see people hanging heavy drapes or blankets over windows to block heat loss. While this does stop some heat, the moisture in the room goes right through the blanket and condenses on the cold surface of the window. This creates an ideal habitat for mold growth. A much better solution for window insulation are the plastic window film kits. The plastic stops the moisture from getting to the window, and generally the plastic will stay above the dew point temperature so little condensation will form.

I have also seen people detach the dryer hose from the outlet to keep the heat indoors. This practice leads to far too much humidity in the home, which will find a cold surface to condense on and lead to mold growth. It seems a shame to blow heat outdoors, but mold can cause serious health issues and can be difficult to eradicate.

If you would like more information on saving energy while improving indoor air call me at 475-2415 ext. 35 or stop by my office at Trust Lands, 27 Store Road.

From The "Practice What You Preach" Department

A couple of months ago I posted on how everyone should clean and check their wood stoves for leaks before the heating season. Mine was clean and ready, and I didn't think it had any leaks - until I discovered one last night.

I only fire it up when it gets below zero to save on propane, so with temperatures forecast to get down around ten to fifteen below and winds at 25-30 mph I thought I had better stoke up a nice fire.

A few hours later the fire was burning nice and hot, but my wife said she could smell an occasional whiff of smoke. I checked the dampers and vents and everything seemed fine, so I sat and watched the stove and pipe and sure enough - a short puff of smoke came out from where the flue damper was. The wind was strong enough to overpower the hot smoke and the pressure buildup caused the leak. I will need to replace that section of pipe, but in the meantime I will try to find some high temperature putty or tape as a solution for the winter.

I guess the moral of the story is; don't assume your stovepipe has no leaks until you watch it in windy conditions or test it under pressure.

An Easy Way To Save Energy And Reduce Mold

The chill in the air the last few mornings has got me thinking about getting ready for winter and how much propane I will use. With prices rising to the stratosphere there are some easy steps you can take to help save energy and money.

On many homes both new and old you will see condensation running down the inside of windows in the winter. Often this can lead to mold growth and even rot the window frames. But an easy and inexpensive solution to this is to use a plastic film window insulating kit on the inside of the window. This extra layer of insulation keeps the surface of the plastic above the dew point so moisture will not condense out of the air onto the film.

Also it is a good idea to replace worn out weatherstripping and caulking around the house. If you heat with wood be sure your chimney is clean and leak-free, and do not dry large amounts of wood in the house. Wood bark can contain a variety of mold types, and combined with the moisture given off from the drying wood can create mold problems elsewhere in the house.