AWE International | Issue 25
CO2 Capture and Storage
With climate change mitigation remaining high on the agenda of key decision makers across the world, the portfolio of technological solutions to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is ever expanding. One medium-term solution is CO2 capture and storage (CCS), a technique through which carbon emitted from fossil fuel combustion is captured from the combustion process, transported and then permanently stored, usually underground either terrestrially or at sea.
Emissions Monitoring
This work sets out to determine the extent to which the economic value of power generation from landfill gas differs from the market value of the CO2 equivalent landfill gas. To achieve this purpose, a cost-benefit model has been created in order to identify the different costs and revenues associated with a landfill operational site. Three different scenarios have been analysed: small, medium and large landfill sites, all of them based in the UK.
Environmental Laboratory Testing
The market for environmental testing laboratories has changed enormously over the last three years as a result of a seismic shift in the UK market and numerous changes in legislation. In order to survive, analytical companies have had to be adaptable, far-sighted and innovative in their provision of the comprehensive service that their clients require. The reduction in market size, particularly with respect to soil testing (as this is heavily dependent upon a thriving construction industry), has raised the level of competition in the market and laboratories need to focus on efficiency and excellent customer service.
Environmental Noise Monitoring
European legislation is calling for ‘noise action plans’. How good are current models based on prediction, and can a new technology provide a fuller reporting method? Richard Barham, a researcher at the National Physical Laboratory’s Acoustic Group, outlines current legislation and how improved measurement can help to meet it.
Hyperspectral Imaging Technology
What do bruised fruit, crime scenes and the United States of America’s Declaration of Independence have in common? Our understanding of all three areas has been enhanced through the use of hyperspectral imaging.
Measuring Soil Content
Stable isotope analysis of light elements, namely those of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur and hydrogen, are increasingly used in research across a wide range of topics including soil science. Stable isotope analysis offers a unique tool to study biochemical processes occurring in soil ecosystems.
Monitoring of Sea Water Desalination
Sodom and Gomorrah, lying in the desert heat, were the cities to which God sent Abraham in order to find righteous men in the heart of evil. It was where Lot and his family were living, and from whence they emerged into the world. The area has always been rich in drama and emotions. And, indeed, the project of bringing water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea has always been controversial. On one hand, it may benefit the residents of the area and promote peace in the Middle East and around the world; on the other hand, the radical ecological upheaval may cause unpredictable and irrevocable damage.
