Environmental News
Environmental News from Boulder, Colorado
Boulder County Resource Conservation offers funding for Zero Waste programs
Oct 9th
County will allocate $50,000 for reuse, recycling and composting programs
Boulder County, Colo. – If your organization has been looking for money to fund a project that focuses on waste reduction, reuse, recycling and/or composting, then look no further.
The Boulder County Resource Conservation Division is allocating $50,000 for its 2013 Zero Waste Funding Program, and applications are now being accepted. The deadline for applications is 12 Noon, Monday, Nov. 19.
Zero Waste Funding initiatives provide an opportunity for businesses, organizations and individuals within our community to contribute to Boulder County’s long-term vision of moving towards Zero Waste. This vision is outlined in Boulder County’s Zero Waste Action Plan.
In addition to the programs supported in prior years, Boulder County is encouraging programs with an emphasis on demonstrated resource diversion (new tons diverted from disposal) for businesses, residents and governmental buildings. We will continue to accept and consider applications for programs that fall outside of this limited focus.
A pre-proposal workshop will be offered from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct.17, at the Education Room, Boulder County Recycling Center, 1901 63rd St., Boulder. Attendance is required for all applicants. The workshop will provide answers to questions about the program and the application process, as well as other details.
The minimum funding amount available for a project is $1,000 with a maximum of $10,000. Local governments, non-profit organizations, school districts, schools, private companies and individuals may apply as long as the scope of work is in Boulder County or the City and County of Broomfield and insurance requirements are met.
Proposals must be received at the Boulder County Resource Conservation Division office by 12 Noon, Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 to be considered.Project funding will commence in January 2013. To obtain an application, email jljohnson@bouldercounty.org or call 720-564-2226.
CU study: Graphene membranes may lead to enhanced natural gas production, less CO2 pollution
Oct 8th
The findings are a significant step toward the realization of more energy-efficient membranes for natural gas production and for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plant exhaust pipes.
Mechanical engineering professors Scott Bunch and John Pellegrino co-authored a paper in Nature Nanotechnology with graduate students Steven Koenig and Luda Wang detailing the experiments. The paper was published Oct. 7 in the journal’s online edition.
The research team introduced nanoscale pores into graphene sheets through ultraviolet light-induced oxidative “etching,” and then measured the permeability of various gases across the porous graphene membranes. Experiments were done with a range of gases including hydrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, nitrogen, methane and sulphur hexaflouride — which range in size from 0.29 to 0.49 nanometers — to demonstrate the potential for separation based on molecular size. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter.
“These atomically thin, porous graphene membranes represent a new class of ideal molecular sieves, where gas transport occurs through pores which have a thickness and diameter on the atomic scale,” said Bunch.
Graphene, a single layer of graphite, represents the first truly two-dimensional atomic crystal. It consists of a single layer of carbon atoms chemically bonded in a hexagonal “chicken wire” lattice — a unique atomic structure that gives it remarkable electrical, mechanical and thermal properties.
“The mechanical properties of this wonder material fascinate our group the most,” Bunch said. “It is the thinnest and strongest material in the world, as well as being impermeable to all standard gases.”
Those characteristics make graphene an ideal material for creating a separation membrane because it is durable and yet doesn’t require a lot of energy to push molecules through it, he said.
Other technical challenges will need to be overcome before the technology can be fully realized. For example, creating large enough sheets of graphene to perform separations on an industrial scale, and developing a process for producing precisely defined nanopores of the required sizes are areas that need further development. The CU-Boulder experiments were done on a relatively small scale.
The importance of graphene in the scientific world was illustrated by the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics that honored two scientists at Manchester University in England, Andre K. Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, for producing, isolating, identifying and characterizing graphene. Scientists see a myriad of potential for graphene as research progresses, from making new and better display screens and electric circuits to producing tiny biomedical devices.
The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation; the Membrane Science, Engineering and Technology Center at CU-Boulder; and the DARPA Center on Nanoscale Science and Technology for Integrated Micro/Nano Electromechanical Transducers at CU-Boulder.
–
Public hearing scheduled for Climate Change Preparedness Plan
Oct 6th
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the Climate Change Preparedness Plan developed earlier this year for the county in partnership with the City of Boulder.
When: Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 9 a.m.
Where: Boulder County Courthouse, third floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder
The draft plan was released for public comment in January and February and has since been revised in response to those comments and offered to the City of Boulder for review.
“This plan is an important step toward integrating our existing public health, emergency management and resource management plans in the context of the changing climate,” said Boulder County Sustainability Planner Lisa Friend. “Thanks to this process, we’ve identified where gaps might be in our planning – whether in disaster recovery, water resource management or educating vulnerable populations about extreme heat – and we’ve already begun to close them.”
The plan is available for review on the county’s Climate Change Preparedness Plan webpage (visit www.BoulderCounty.org and search “climate change plan”). For additional information, contact Lisa Friend at 303-441-3522 or lfriend@bouldercounty.org.