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The chemistry prize focused on the business of making molecules. That requires linking individual atoms together in specific arrangements -- a difficult and slow task. Until the beginning of the millennium the year 2000, chemists had only two methods -- or catalysts -- to speed up the process, using either complicated enzymes or metal catalysts.
"One way to look at their work is like molecular carpentry," said John Lorsch, director of the NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences. "They've found ways to not only speed up the chemical ["]joining["]," he said, "but to make sure it only goes in either the right-handed or left-handed direction."
List said he did not initially know that MacMillan was working on the same subject and figured his hunch might just be a "stupid idea" -- until it worked.
The term synthetic fuel refers to liquid fuels obtained from ["]blending["] hydrogen produced by electrolysis with carbon-containing gases. One of the most promising ways of creating this fuel is via the Power-to-Liquid (PtL) process, which involves three main steps. First, electricity, ideally from renewables such as wind, solar or hydro, is converted into hydrogen via electrolysis. Second, concentrated CO2 is obtained either from factories (cement, steel, etc.) or from direct air CO2 capture machines. Finally, the resulting synthetic gases are purified and fed into a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, which completes the PtL cycle by producing a liquid fuel that meets international standards.
First, electricity, ideally from renewables such as wind, solar or hydro, is converted into hydrogen via electrolysis. Second, concentrated CO2 is obtained either from factories (cement, steel, etc.) or from direct air CO2 capture machines. Finally, the resulting synthetic gases are purified and fed into a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, which completes the PtL cycle by producing a liquid fuel that meets international standards.
The fans are embedded in shipping container-sized boxes, and once the [CO2] is separated, it gets mixed with [HO2] then travels through snaking, fat tubes deep underground, where the [C] cools and solidifies.
"Think of it like a vacuum cleaner for the atmosphere," Julio Friedmann, an energy policy researcher at Columbia University who attended the plant's ribbon-cutting ceremony, told Insider. "Nothing else can do what this tech does."
The villagers - from India's indigenous, or Adivasi, communities - hail from the Hasdeo area in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, one of the largest contiguous stretches of dense forest on the subcontinent, which is rich in biodiversity and wildlife, including elephant corridors that are critical for forestation. But the Hasdeo Arand forest is also rich in coal - and it's a resource India can't seem get enough of these days. [...] Boosting coal production to 1 billion tonnes Coal still accounts for nearly 70 percent of India's electricity generation. While the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter is committed to transitioning to renewable energy, India's quantum[BWAH!], self-reliant growth will be largely powered by the "dirtiest fossil fuel".
Coal still accounts for nearly 70 percent of India's electricity generation. While the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter is committed to transitioning to renewable energy, India's quantum[BWAH!], self-reliant growth will be largely powered by the "dirtiest fossil fuel".
"Nationally, there are 55 new coal mines planned and there are expansion plans for 193 existing mines. Eighty percent of the new expansion is on Adivasi land and they are going to bear the brunt of it," said Jo Woodman, senior researcher at Survival International, a UK-based ["]tribal rights["] group. Mining companies enter a once-protected zone
Mining companies enter a once-protected zone
Underinvestment in coal production Anne Josey of the Pune-based Prayas (Energy Group), a research organization working on energy policy, blames poor planning on the part of the government for the problem. "The working-capital crunch faced by power-generating companies, especially state-owned firms, which are seldom paid on time by cash-strapped distribution companies, has also contributed to this crisis," Josey told DW. [...] M K Venu, a prominent economic analyst, has a similar view of government responsibility.... "Even the private sector delayed coal production as the government also took its eye off the ball and did not give follow-up clearances for exploiting new coal blocks," Venu added. "Thus, the Modi government has created a new mess in the coal sector, and by extension, in the supply of thermal power."
Anne Josey of the Pune-based Prayas (Energy Group), a research organization working on energy policy, blames poor planning on the part of the government for the problem.
"The working-capital crunch faced by power-generating companies, especially state-owned firms, which are seldom paid on time by cash-strapped distribution companies, has also contributed to this crisis," Josey told DW. [...] M K Venu, a prominent economic analyst, has a similar view of government responsibility.... "Even the private sector delayed coal production as the government also took its eye off the ball and did not give follow-up clearances for exploiting new coal blocks," Venu added. "Thus, the Modi government has created a new mess in the coal sector, and by extension, in the supply of thermal power."
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