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Scientists are exploring how to use asbestos in mining waste to store large amounts of carbon dioxide in the air to help deal with the climate crisis.
Asbestos is a natural mineral that was once widely used as heat insulation and flame retardant in buildings. These uses are well known for their carcinogenic properties, but have been used in certain car brakes and ceiling and roof tiles in the chlorine industry. Although 67 countries currently ban the use of fiber materials, the United States is not one of them.
Now, researchers are focusing on certain types of fibrous asbestos, which are waste products from mining. According to Eos, the extremely high quality that makes asbestos dangerous for inhalation also makes it well equipped to capture carbon dioxide particles floating in the air or dissolved in rain. The report details that the high surface area of fibers makes them “highly reactive and easy to convert” into harmless carbonates when mixed with carbon dioxide. This process occurs naturally when asbestos is exposed to greenhouse gases.
According to the MIT Technology Review, these stable materials can lock in greenhouse gases for millions of years and have proven to be a viable option for absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Scientists hope to offset the “large” carbon emissions from mining activities first, and then expand efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Gregory Dipple, the lead researcher in the field, told the MIT Technology Review: “In the next decade, decarbonizing mines will only help us build confidence and expertise in order to reduce emissions. And the real mining is carried out.”
According to Kottke Ride Home Podcast host Jackson Bird (Jackson Bird) reported that when these substances enter the ocean through runoff, mineralization also occurs. Marine organisms use these ions to make their shells and bones eventually become limestone and other captures. Carbon rock.
Carbon storage is a necessary means to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Without it, we are unlikely to achieve our “carbon goals” and avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.
Scientists are also exploring how to use waste from other mining industries such as nickel, copper, diamonds and platinum to capture carbon. They estimate that there may be enough material to stop all the carbon dioxide that humans have ever emitted, and more, Bird reports.
Now, most substances are fixed in solid rocks that have never been exposed to the air, which will initiate those chemical reactions. This is why scientists studying carbon removal are trying to find ways to increase exposure and speed up this usually slow response in order to turn mining waste into a powerful promoter of resistance to the climate crisis.
The MIT report details how many interventions were tested by digging up materials, grinding them into finer particles, then spreading them into thin layers, and then spreading them through air to increase exposure The reaction surface area of the carbon dioxide material. Others require heating or adding acid to the compound. Eos reports that some even use bacterial mats to initiate chemical reactions.
“We are looking to speed up this process and transform it from a pile of asbestos waste into a completely harmless carbonate deposit,” said geomicrobiologist Jenine McCutcheon, who is committed to turning abandoned asbestos tailings into harmless Magnesium carbonate. Gymnasts and rock climbers use white powder material to improve grip.
Roger Aines, director of the Carbon Program at Lawrence Livermore National Lab, told the MIT Technology Review: “This is a huge, undeveloped Opportunity, can eliminate a lot of carbon dioxide.”
The report goes on to say that proponents of the new strategy worry about costs and land restrictions. Compared with other shrinking techniques such as planting trees, this process is costly. It may also require a large amount of land to spread enough new unearthed materials to significantly reduce carbon emissions, making it difficult to scale up.
Bird also pointed out that the entire process may consume a lot of energy, and if it is not carefully weighed, it may offset the carbon capture benefits it is trying to create.
Finally, there are many concerns surrounding the toxicity of these materials and the safety of handling them. The MIT Technology Review pointed out that spreading asbestos dust on the ground and/or spreading it into dust to increase air circulation has caused safety hazards for nearby workers and residents.
Bird concluded that despite this, the new program may be “a promising option for adding many other solutions, because we all know that there will be no panacea for the climate crisis.”
There are thousands of products out there. Many people will do exactly the same thing, or almost exactly the same, but with subtle differences. But some products contain toxic compounds that may harm us or our children. Even the simple task of choosing toothpaste can make us feel anxious!
Some effects of extreme weather can be seen-for example, half of the flat corn in Iowa was left behind after the Midwestern United States was hit hard on August 10.
The Mississippi River basin spans 32 states in the United States and two provinces in Canada, covering an area of more than 1.245 million square miles. Shannon1/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
The flow meter measurement results show that the amount of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from the Mississippi basin state to the Gulf of Mexico fluctuates drastically every year. Heavy rain will produce higher nitrogen content. Adapted from Lu et al. , 2020, CC BY-ND
From 1958 to 2012, in very severe events (defined as the heaviest 1% of all daily events), the percentage of precipitation decline increased. Globalchange.gov
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In many ways, the Texas story of the last century is the state’s pious allegiance to the principle that humans dominate nature.
From air pollution caused by cars and trucks to methane leaks, many of the same emissions that cause climate change also harm public health.
Post time: Nov-05-2020