DonH
2011-06-06 21:35:00 UTC
Alright, how hard is this to accomplish?
After all, there is the analogy with sewage; and raw sewage is no longer
allowed to flow into public gutters, and into the sea, but is purified so
only an irreducible minimum ends up as "waste water". Chimneys shit into
the air.
What does chimney smoke consist of, and can its components be treated, so
any chimney ends up emitting only a residual - CO2?
Of course, the slobs and deadbeats of the coal-fired power industry
don't want any disturbance of their lifestyle, at least not without
extensive feather-bedding, but the matter has become rather serious, so
something needs to be done.
Yes, there is the option of a carbon tax or carbon trading, but, in a
human population rushing to Doomsday, these two feeble moves allow air
pollution to continue - a bit like shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic.
Renewables? Not a bad option, but wind turbines are ugly, and
photo-electric cells are inefficient. Tides and geothermal have yet to be
implemented.
So, continued burning of fossil fuels is desirable (gas is best),
provided the recycling of smoke is implemented - and why not? What's so
difficult?
Scrubbers can remove dust particles; and cooling towers remove steam,
and heat (or reuse it by cogeneration). Only CO2 is seemingly difficult,
but photosynthesis, with algae (then used as stock feed) is possible.
All of which may be costly, but not prohibitively so.
If chimneys cannot be abolished, they can be purified.
That leaves vehicle exhausts...
After all, there is the analogy with sewage; and raw sewage is no longer
allowed to flow into public gutters, and into the sea, but is purified so
only an irreducible minimum ends up as "waste water". Chimneys shit into
the air.
What does chimney smoke consist of, and can its components be treated, so
any chimney ends up emitting only a residual - CO2?
Of course, the slobs and deadbeats of the coal-fired power industry
don't want any disturbance of their lifestyle, at least not without
extensive feather-bedding, but the matter has become rather serious, so
something needs to be done.
Yes, there is the option of a carbon tax or carbon trading, but, in a
human population rushing to Doomsday, these two feeble moves allow air
pollution to continue - a bit like shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic.
Renewables? Not a bad option, but wind turbines are ugly, and
photo-electric cells are inefficient. Tides and geothermal have yet to be
implemented.
So, continued burning of fossil fuels is desirable (gas is best),
provided the recycling of smoke is implemented - and why not? What's so
difficult?
Scrubbers can remove dust particles; and cooling towers remove steam,
and heat (or reuse it by cogeneration). Only CO2 is seemingly difficult,
but photosynthesis, with algae (then used as stock feed) is possible.
All of which may be costly, but not prohibitively so.
If chimneys cannot be abolished, they can be purified.
That leaves vehicle exhausts...