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Is There Anything We CAN’T Do With Carbon Nanotubes?
Cleaning up toxic spills has always been a problem. It’s hard, and it’s expensive, and you have to be thorough. But things might have just got easier: Scientists from the Peking University and Tsinghua University have created a sponge like no other. It is made of carbon nanotubes – regular carbon atoms arranged in a specific cylindrical shape – and can absorb organic pollutants from the surface of water (such as oil and solvents) up to 180x its weight (!) without absorbing water (see video below to see how light it is). And once its full of toxic liquids, the best part is that you can just wring it and start again. Via:TreeHugger
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A new tool that helps to assess the mix of uses needed for truly sustainable projects highlights the importance of looking at the big picture. Sustainable masterplanning will help engineers and architects win the battle for lower carbon emissions, something tighter Building Regulations alone cannot achieve. That’s the belief of Hilson Moran’s director of sustainability Matt Kitson. Via. BSD
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Vertical axis wind turbines are an intriguing technology that most people still know little about. The turbines we are accustomed to use blades to turn a horizontal axis (which is often housed in the little cupola on the top of the turbine’s tall stem). Vertical axis turbines turn a vertical shaft (picture a barber’s pole) to generate power. Helix Wind, a US maker of some very slick looking vertical axis wind turbines, has struck a deal with a West African telecom company to power cell phone towers with wind. This allows the towers to operate autonomously without transmission lines or diesel generators. Via:treehugger
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GREEN HORIZONS An increasing amount of electricity is being generated by solar panels in California and wind turbines in Texas.
By KATE GALBRAITH
Texas cares little for environmental niceties. Its governor, Rick Perry, bashes the Environmental Protection Agency at every opportunity, and recently branded the climate bill that passed the House of Representatives a “legislative monstrosity.”
Yet the oil-and-gas state has nonetheless emerged as the nation’s top producer of a commodity prized by environmentalists: wind power. Eager developers are covering its desolate western mesas with giant turbines. The world’s largest wind farm began operations in Texas this month, and the state now has close to three times as much wind capacity as Iowa, the second-ranked state.
California, by contrast, has all but stifled wind developers. The state built several big wind farms in the 1980s — but has added very few since, because of the cost and delays of complying with stringent state environmental regulations. The early turbines killed thousands of birds, for instance, and that memory lingers. Via:NYTimes
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