Innovation_Two Commented Videos not to be Overlooked_Your Company (profit and loss) and even Country (Survival) bottom lines in Greatest Danger

2 Extremely Important links:

1. Posted on the 21 May 2009 Video in French, with my comments in english.

Political Solution to combat Climate Change effectively_One and only one indispensible measure required to substantially reduce CO2-GHG emissions

2. While in the process of setting up a new quadruple video album, followers will perhaps have noticed that a very influential video by Cambridge Univ's Prof. David "withouthotair" Mackay. Please, please take a few minutes to view it.

NB. Both authors, one French, one British, reach very similar conclusions as to the extent of energy policy changes required and to the urgency with which the measures must be taken ie.Get out of fossil fuels!

New comments-Conversations with B.J. Sovacool on Nuclear Power Plant, Coal Fired Power Generation, GHG emissions

Link to post and first conversations with B.J. Sovacool on Energy related power generation Life Cycle Analysis and Implications.

What is the weight of good, peer reviewed serious scientific studies in the face of marketing and communication campaigns, often based entirely on the "historical cost analysis accountancy model" in order, it seems, to slow industrial resolve to progress to meet the newly highly recommended world standards (reduction of CO2 by 90%_in some short time... when we start in earnest ) notably in Coal Fired Power Generation by CCS-carbon capture and sequestration.

A link to a video was brought to my attention, whereby The American "so called Clean" Coal Coalition, arguably focus their pitch at children, once upon a time an offence in UK at least, and go on to hold the public to ransom on the grounds of employment in "mislead" industrial enterprises whereby capture and storage of CO2 has to all extent and purpose not begun.

From my professional past, I too am faced with the same dilemmas! Do my past professional skills in High Temperature Energy Materials area fit the new markets which are looming clearly as renewable energy, especially non-fossil fuels, electricity dominated markets. Some are far advanced in their choice of energy sources, some in policies they recommend often forcefully.

The link to this recent conversation is:

Life-Cycle Analysis of Nuclear Fuel Route_Cradle-to-Grave, GHG-CO2equivalent emissions_Nuclear Inspections

Please do not hesitate to join in.

F1, Formula One Racing's contribution to Innovations_20 ways F1™ is changing our world

Mea Culpa! When your wrong your wrong.

"Have you ever wondered how the glamorous sport of Formula 1™ relates to your own daily life?" asks the the London Science Museum. Even living near the French F1 racetrack at Nevers_Magny-Cours as we do, I for one can quite definitely reply, with a loud NO. And as if this is not enough, in a recent post (Monday, March 23, 2009 exactly) entitled:
On the Usefulness of Formula One ( F1 ) motor racing, following a lead by the Economist, I described F1 as a "land of dreams":

"Dreams,dreams, dreams all I ever need are ....dreams, dreams, dreams! In times such as ours, could such lullabies be "part of the problem and not part of the solution"?Dreams? OK, as long as its during your regenerating sleep otherwise keep it short."

Well I shall try and keep my mea culpa short as mea culpas should be.

It turns out that, 10 days later, from a tiny news snippet which appeared in my favourite materials magazine Materials World (MW) , in April 09, I twigged that others may not share The Economist correspondent's opinion and to some extent my own puritanical feelings about motor sport in particular and in general, to boot.

I read, with no ill feelings, and even some (professional) thanks, that the Science Museum in London had taken a different attitude to the question. Their exposition Fast Forward:

20 ways F1™ is changing our world seriously belies my previous impressions on the usefulness of F1 racing.

The Museum, whose free entry exposition runs from Wed 11 Mar 2009 - Mon 05 Apr 2010, explains that;

"Motor racing is about much more than the incredible speeds and the extraordinary human feats that we see on the racetrack, thrilling as they are.

It's about a different kind of thrill, one shared by F1™ professionals, scientists, manufacturers and designers alike. These are people who think up radical new applications for F1™ technology, and test and modify their ideas to come up with innovative products.

This temporary exhibition showcases 20 examples where F1™ technology is impacting on our lives, from changing the way we look after patients and design our sports equipment, to maintaining the heating systems in our homes."

Fuller online support material is given by 5 or 6 videos whose duration is 1mn or less

Fast Forward videos on YouTube. and a photo album
Fast Forward photo album on Flickr.

Materials (and design) of course play an important role.

Well worth an introductory web visit, and of course, if in London well worth a live visit.

More...
Current Science, Engineering, Everyday Things, Transport all at the Museum

Still more subjects...
Art, Energy, Environment, Medicine and Biology, Space, Transport.

Nota Bene:

Funnily enough MW featured on the same page "Industry and Innovation" perhaps a more far reaching innovation in the form of a top of the range, electric vehicle by the company Liberty Electric Cars.

CO2 Storage CCS and or CCU CO2 Use, Geological _Applied Earth Science Input,EU-China Geologists Co-operate to Find Onshore CO2 Sinks

There are more questions than answers in this post, sorry.

My friends and colleagues at MW-Materials World have pointed once more to good approaches and co-operation between Geologists in the EU and in China to fully determine sites suitable for CO2 storage and sequestration: Capturing carbon dioxide in China by MW's reporter R. Mehta.

Perhaps as any good interview should MW's R. Mehta report, raises more questions for comment and debate than answers. The conversation between MW's R. Mehta and Mike Stephenson appears to be good news, and it most certainly is. However I deliberately chose the word storage as opposed to sequestration,favoured perhaps by those concerned with geological time scales. Don't get me wrong, experience in high reliability energy materials (aero-engine, nuclear, petrochem..) strongly recommends aiming for the highest standards, the imponderables of practise can lead to a somewhat lower standards. On the other hand, I believe that engineers and policy makers, not to mention the now GW-GHG sensitive, general public would like estimates, orders of magnitudes, of what "significant onshore storage" means and better we would all appreciate hard facts and best "state of the art" decisions. I recently heard that two French Parliamentarians (independently of political bias) already consider, that globally, there are insufficient suitable CO2 storage-sequestration site (I'll check political quotes). They hope to lead a CO2 users "Lobby". I would expect that the French Deputies have consulted our colleagues at BRGM-France's Geological and Mining Research Authority. That being said the fact that BGS_EU-China are concerned with energy generation is also good news. My scant blogged Venn diagramme: 1. Mining, 2. Power Generation, 3. Materials focused on CO2 sequestration (practice) and many IOM3-Maney online publications still indicates that CO2 storage and sequestration is the weak-link in in-situ global main power generation processes(ie. fossil fuel based). I would be pleased of any reaction and further information following this report, interview and conversation. Finally it is good news that the main new main CO2 emitter over-taking USA, (I believe) is getting involved and accepts assistance.

Links are provided on MW's Environment and Sustainability page5, March 2009 .

Further Reading:
1.EU-China CO2-coach programme
2.NZEC
3. BSG-British Geological Survey's Nascent Site
4. EU Scientific Authority for CO2 storage pdf. News Release 16 March2009. and direct link to the site CO2 GeoNet

Link Life-Cycle Analysis of Nuclear Fuel Route_Cradle-to-Grave, GHG-CO2equivalent emissions_Nuclear Inspections

Life-Cycle Analysis of Nuclear Fuel Route_Cradle-to-Grave, GHG-CO2equivalent emissions_Nuclear Inspections

Tyre Recycling

I have just added the The European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) website to my recycling list on my left hand side menu bar for easy reference. Road transportation tyres and alternatives are quite obviously a Pan-European issue.

ETRA claims to be the only European organisation devoted exclusively to tyre and rubber recycling. Founded on 23 September 1994 with 19 members in 5 countries. Today, ETRA has ±250 members in 47 countries including the 25 EU Member States.ETRA membership reflects both the public and private sectors involved in the environmentally safe disposition of post-consumer tyres.

The site (1) contains news items from 2004 to date with conference archives still under construction.

Here are a few figures to play around with in our LCA-Life Cycle Assessments.

"Estimates are that 250,000,000 used tyres are accumulated each year in the countries of the 15 EU. This could supply 45% of European virgin rubber uptake. Only 24% of used tyres is recycled, mostly in low demanding, low price products, that yield low economical profit, stopping R and D investment (most of companies along the recycled rubber supply chain are SMEs). In consequence, the main use of tyres is as fuel substituting one environmental problem for another due to emissions."(2)

This link together with the original research project CRIOSINTER-project link were brought to my attention by the "Research EU" magazine N° 58 Dec08-Jan09.

Here are a few quotes taken from Research EU upon which all car and truck users, but most especially the industrial tyre manufacturers are cordially invited meditate upon.

Business as usual?

"Tyre manufacturers prefer incineration"! According to ETRA's co-founder Valerie Shulman, "The problem is
that recycled rubber is a direct competitor to their own products!" and she further criticises " When tyre manufacturers sign contracts committing them to the incineration path for anything up to 25years they are jeopardizing the future of a sustainable society that is reliant on the emergence of a new recycling-based economic sector"[energy efficient, low carbon emissions path, based on a Full Life Cycle Assessment methodology let me add.]

Sources:
1. The European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA)

2. CRIOSINTER-project reference

No_Holds_Bard: Deforestation_ A Joke to Illustrate a very Serious and Fundamental Global Problem_Human Economic System in Question

No_Holds_Bard: Deforestation_ A Joke to Illustrate a very Serious and Fundamental Global Problem_Human Economic System in Question

Not many jokes on my Conversation pages so here is one.

As a bonus the post lists_archives other related links to my posts on the "Limited natural resource issue" underlying our economic system.

Back to basics.