RSID: <<2022-06-10T15:01Z MFSK-32 @ 15750000+1500>> [feed]

Welcome to program 258 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:37 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:44 MFSK32: Fabric converts CO2 to bicarbonate*
  7:44 MFSK64: Agrivoltaic projects and climate change
12:50 MFSK64: This week's images*
28:38 MFSK32: Closing announcements

* with image(s)

 

Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on Twitter now: @SWRadiogram

From New Atlas:

Fabric-based filter converts flue gas CO2 into bicarbonate

By Ben Coxworth
June 03, 2022

Scientists have announced an interesting new means of removing
carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas emissions, which would create
a usable substance. It's a sheet of treated cotton, which
converts CO2 gas into bicarbonate.

The current version of the flue gas filter was created by
researchers at North Carolina State University, who started by
dunking a two-layer sheet of cotton in a liquid solution
containing a crustacean-derived material known as chitosan.

The chitosan served as a glue, allowing a naturally occurring
enzyme called carbonic anhydrase to be added as a coating. That
enzyme accelerates a reaction in which CO2 and water combine to
form bicarbonate, which is the main ingredient in baking soda.

The completed filter was twisted into a spiral, which was then
stuffed inside a tube. An air mixture made up of CO2 and nitrogen
(simulating flue gas emissions) was then pumped through that
tube, along with a water-based solution. Reacting with the water
and the carbonic anhydrase, much of the CO2 was converted into
liquid bicarbonate that trickled down the filter and out of the
tube, where it was collected.

When the air was pumped through the tube at a rate of 4 liters (1
US gal) per minute, 52.3 percent of the CO2 in that air was
harvested using a single sheet of the filtration material. When
two sheets were stacked and twisted together, that figure rose to
81.7 percent. Even after being washed and dried five times, the
material retained much of its functionality.

That said, the scientists still need to determine how well a
scaled-up version of the technology would work in an actual flue
gas chimney, where gas emission rates can exceed 10 million
liters per minute.

A paper on the study, which is being led by postdoctoral
researcher Jialong Shen, was recently published in the journal
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Source: North Carolina State University

https://newatlas.com/environment/fabric-filter-carbon-dioxide-bicarbonate/

Image: Even after being washed and dried multiple times, the
material remains effective.

Sending Pic:146x194C;





Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...


 

RSID: <<2022-06-10T15:07Z MFSK-64 @ 15750000+1500>> [feed]
 

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

From Deutsche Welle:

Climate change puts agrivoltaic projects in Northern Africa in
the spotlight

With record-high temperatures in Northern Africa and worries
over food security rampant from Egypt to Morocco,
agrivoltaic projects in the region are getting ever more
attention.

Sergio Matalucci
30 May 2022

As food and energy security emerge as top priorities in several
regions, an innovative use of existing technologies might help
serve both: Agrivoltaic projects allow energy production and
agricultural activity on the same land, potentially increasing
farming productivity.

Several agrivoltaic pilot programs, in partnership with mainly
European research centers and agencies, are underway on the
African continent. Results are nearly in for the research phase
of one such one project in Algeria, Watermed4.0, according to
German research organization Fraunhofer ISE, one of eight
institutions involved.

"We only had the first harvest of potatoes so far. Early data had
some promising results: under the agrivoltaic installation there
was a significantly higher yield and size of the crop compared
with an uncovered reference field - about 16% more," Brendon
Bingwa, project manager of Agrivoltaics Africa at Fraunhofer,
told DW. Additional work will provide more data and evidence, he
added.

The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ) noted that sharing experiences is essential for new
processes like agrivoltaic programs. "It would be desirable if
data and experiences on projects in this field were shared
publicly for further assessment," a spokesperson told DW.

Helpful change in microclimate

The shading effect and ensuing improvement of the microclimate in
the areas below photovoltaic modules are among the main benefits
of agrivoltaic projects, which could not only increase
agricultural productivity, but also allow the cultivation of new
crops.

These technologies will be increasingly crucial amid climate
change, said Ezio Terzini, manager of the photovoltaic and smart
devices division at the ENEA, Italy's public research agency. The
agency has partnered in a proposed agrivoltaic project led by
environmental organization Green Cross International to build a
five-megawatt photovoltaic power plant in an agricultural region
in Morocco.

"Many formerly fertile agricultural areas located in mild climate
zones now suffer from progressive infertility due to rising
temperatures or water scarcity," Terzini told DW. "Other areas
are exposed to extreme weather phenomena. Agrivoltaic projects
could help with both, restoring fertile conditions to areas in
progressive abandonment."

Agrivoltaic projects can also produce electricity to pump and
desalinate water, opening the doors to agriculture in difficult
regions and desert areas.

Export potential

Terzini pointed out that the southern shores of Mediterranean
countries have long boosted the spread of photovoltaic
installations over large areas, exacerbating the trade-off
between electricity and food production. While electricity is a
medium-term necessity, food production is the short-term
priority. "The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine is
looming over a serious food crisis that will significantly affect
Africa - we need to find solutions for increasing food production
in this area," Terzini said.

This potential is significant. According to Fraunhofer's project
manager Bingwa, the agrivoltaic projects would go beyond simply
easing local food security concerns. "The project in Algeria is
an example: Strawberries are the second crop. Production would
satisfy local markets and allow exports, thanks to cold storage
facilities, which are not part of the ongoing project, but would
be an added advantage if implemented."

Future agrivoltaic projects could indeed use electricity to power
cold-storage facilities to shield crops from high temperatures,
prolonging the shelf life of the harvested crops.

This additional service would be controlled by data-based control
systems, which are currently being tested to optimize water use.

"I hope that we will witness progress from this demonstrator
phase to building them in communities in the next five years,
with wider impacts on the region," Bingwa said.

A stronger local economy would also positively impact job
markets, eventually decreasing the probability of migration
flows.

Business models

The Algerian project shows how institutions from different
countries - including Algeria, Germany, Spain and Turkey - can
successfully combine their technological know-how. Spain's
University of Murcia, for example, brought its expertise in
digitalization to Watermed4.0.

The next step is to find a suitable business model to make these
experimental systems pay off. According to Bingwa, public funding
is critical to the research, but private investors and local
players are also needed to make these projects viable and
replicable.

Solar-powered irrigation systems

The research-phase agrivoltaic projects combine several
technologies, including solar-powered irrigation systems. The
German development agency GIZ and the Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations have already worked on these
systems.

The UN said that these systems require reinforcing the technical
capacities of local staff and farmers. They were designed to
"enable advisers and service providers to provide broad hands-on
guidance to end-users, policymakers, and financiers. Thus, risks
related to system efficiency, financial viability and the
unsustainable use of water resources can be minimized," a FAO
spokesperson told DW.

FAO is currently working on three projects in Egypt, Tunisia, and
Libya. The Rome-based organization said that projects in
strategic regions could provide good practice examples, allowing
operations to be scaled up. That will also require the
collaboration of local policymakers, which will need to create
the framework for investments.

"Strong institutions and clear policy vision help advance the
adoption of such technologies," the spokesperson concluded.

https://www.dw.com/en/climate-change-puts-agrivoltaic-projects-in-northern-africa-in-the-spotlight/a-61972022

 

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

This week's images ...

The view from our hotel balcony in San Francisco, including Coit
Tower, San Francisco Bay, and distant mountains ...

Sending Pic:216x127C;







This red-billed leiothrix in Horningsham, Wiltshire, England,
native to subtropical Asia, has become an invasive species in the
UK. https://bit.ly/3QbcZ08 ...

Sending Pic:208x130C;









A newly hatched green iguana at the terrarium in Chennai's snake
park. https://bit.ly/3MyKEOf ...

Sending Pic:190x175C;









A ladybug (lady beetle) in rural south-west Oregon.
https://bit.ly/3H5oou8 ...

Sending Pic:205x133C;







Pylons of electricity power lines during sunset in Brasilia,
Brazil, June 6. https://reut.rs/3NCfJlw ...
 
Sending Pic:188x172C;







Flowers and the sea at West Pentire, Cornwall, England.
https://bbc.in/3H5cPTY ...

Sending Pic:202x152C;

Early morning fog over Edinburgh. https://bbc.in/3aKMkH2 ...

Sending Pic:300x222;

A summer wildflower along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in
Washington DC. https://wapo.st/3QmOXiW ...

Sending Pic:205x156C;






Our painting of the week is "House in August" by Canadian artist
Christopher Pratt, who died June 5. https://bit.ly/3H5re2u ...

Sending Pic:203x143C;

Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...


 

RSID: <<2022-06-10T15:28Z MFSK-32 @ 15750000+1500>> [feed]



This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK32 ...

 

Shortwave Radiogram is transmitted by:

WRMI, Radio Miami International, wrmi.net

and

WINB Shortwave, winb.com


Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

Twitter: @SWRadiogram or twitter.com/swradiogram

I'm Kim Elliott. Please join us for the next Shortwave
Radiogram.