The focus of this section is on the quantitative assessment of the impact of oil price fluctuations on inflation. For that purpose, the empirical evidence provided by an OECD study is briefly described. The study considered a permanent oil price increase of about $10, vis-a`-vis a baseline where oil prices were projected to remain at the $20–25 level (this shock corresponds to a price increase of about 40–50%). The OECD study presents estimates of the impact on GDP, world trade growth, and inflation, for the G7 countries. The estimates were obtained through the simulation of the OECD macro-econometric model Interlink, assuming fixed nominal exchange rates, real interest rates kept at baseline levels, and unchanged real government expenditures. The main results of this exercise, with respect to the impact on oil prices inflation, are reported in Table I. (more…)

Acid deposition and the associated particulate nitrates and sulfates are implicated in the deterioration of certain sensitive ecosystems, decreased visibility, negative human health effects, and increased degradation of certain stone building materials and cultural resources, especially those made of limestone and marble. Fine particulate nitrate and sulfate particles associated with acid deposition are implicated in aggravating cardiorespiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic bronchitis, especially in urban areas. In many cases estimating the impact of acid deposition on various ecosystems can be a difficult process because acid deposition is only one of many impacts that can effect a response. However, wet and dry acid deposition has been documented as a major factor in the following ecosystem responses. (more…)

The word “laser” is an acronym for “light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation.” Lasers of all kinds consist of several basic components: an active medium, an outside energy source, and an optical cavity with carefully designed mirrors on both ends. One of the mirrors is 100 percent reflective while the other is somewhat less reflective, so a beam can be emitted. The active medium is inside the optical cavity and is excited with an external energy source (typically electricity). For the cavity to emit laser radiation, the active medium has to achieve an unusual energy state called “population inversion.” (more…)

Drying is one of the most important post harvest steps. It enhances the storage life of the crop products, minimizes losses during storage, and saves shipping costs. The drying process is the removal of water from the wet surface of the food. In this process, heat is transferred by convection and radiation to the surface of the produce. This heat raises the temperatures heat and evaporates the moisture from the exterior of the agricultural products, diffusing the interior moisture to the surface and replenishing the evaporated surface moisture. (more…)

More than 48% of the raw material fiber used for paper production (chemical pulp or mechanical pulp) in the United States in 2002 was recovered or reclaimed, with recovered paper contributing 37.7% and wood residues 10.6%. The total has been more or less constant, with the percentage of recovered paper increasing and that of wood residues declining recently due to their increased use in oriented strand board and composite panels. Primary fibers are a renewable, domestic resource, much of which is currently supplied by tree plantations. Short-rotation forestry can be used to further increase the productivity of these plantations. (more…)

Formaldehyde is an essential chemical substance made use of widely by manufacturers’ of building and construction materials and household/residence products. It’s also a by-product of coal combustion as well as specific other organic and natural processes. Formaldehyde is available in substantially large levels of concentrations either inside or outside. Formaldehyde vapors tend to be odorless unless of course in higher concentrations. (more…)

Although some scientists and critics still dispute that human caused greenhouse gases are causing climate change, the majority of scientists and climate experts assert that global warming is a serious problem that could have devastating consequences unless action is taken to reduce fossil fuel emissions. In 2007, for example, the Nobel Prize–winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body charged by the United Nations with summarizing the best climate science, concludes that evidence of the warming of our climate is “unequivocal.” (more…)

Advanced technology global electrical grids may be more promising for renewables energy. With current transmission lines, even if costs per kilowatt-hour of PV arrays and turbines declined drastically and production rates were increased to millions per year like mass-produced automobiles, the grids of the United States and the world could not handle the load management demands. Power must flow where needed, when needed. Existing grids are hub-andspoke networks designed for central power plants tens to hundreds of kilometers from users. These need to be re-engineered into ‘‘smart grids’’––a global Internet and superhighway system for electricity. (more…)

Approximately 40% of Earth’s population is ‘‘off the grid,’’ mainly in developing countries. Wireless power transmission envisioned by Nikola Tesla a century ago is feasible today. Microwave beams can propagate power efficiently along lines-of-sight over long distances. Orbiting microwave reflectors could form the basis of a global electric grid.

An advanced technology path to electrification is the solar power satellite (SPS) proposed by Peter Glaser. Solar flux is about 10 times higher in space outside Earth’s shadow cone than the long- term average at the surface of spinning, cloudy Earth, and power from space can be beamed by microwave efficiently through cloudy skies to the surface where it is needed. (more…)

Air-blown circulating fluidized bed gasifiers are of interest because they produce a good quality, low calorific value (LCV) gas (4–6 MJ/Nm 3 ) and possess a very high carbon conversion efficiency while allowing high capacity, good tolerance to variations in fuel quality, and reliable operation. The high and homogeneously distributed temperatures and the use of particular bed materials, such as dolomite, favor tar cracking. Successful tar cracking can also be achieved using secondary circulating fluidized bed reactors. Also, successful tests on catalytic tar cracking have been performed, for example, by introducing nickel compounds into the gasifier. Sulfur control is made easier because of the significant reduction that can be achieved by adding limestone or dolomite to the gasifier bed. (more…)