Planetary Ruin

The Georgia Institute of Technology wants to make a hydrogen-fueled vehicle that separates and stores carbon dioxide until it can be sequestered

The Georgia Institute of Technology has thrown one more idea into the mix: a zero-emission, hydrogen-powered car that would separate carbon dioxide from liquid fuel and gather it for sequestration underground or in the ocean. Further down the line, the scientists envision transforming that captured CO2 into more fuel, creating a sort of cycle.

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JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s second-largest tin producer, PT Koba Tin, should stop using sub-contractors to mine tin as the company faces its second investigation into alleged illegal mining, a senior government official said on Friday.

Indonesia is the world’s No. 2 tin producer after China. A government crackdown on illegal tin mining in the Bangka-Belitung islands since late 2006 has led to the closure of several small smelters.

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While sampling blended biodiesel fuels purchased from small-scale retailers, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that many of the blends do not contain the advertised amount of biofuel.

Marine chemist Chris Reddy and colleagues sampled pure biodiesel and blends from more than a dozen distributors across the United States. When testing fuels listed as 20 percent biodiesel (commonly known as B20), they found that the actual percentage of biofuel ranged from as little as 10 percent to as much as 74 percent. Only 10 percent of samples met the specifications for biofuel blends required for vehicles of the U.S. Department of Defense, one of the leading consumers of the products.

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BEIJING (Reuters) – China heightened pressure on polluters on Thursday, passing legislation that allows for stiff fines against heads of companies that foul its scarce water resources.

The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law which was passed ahead of the annual full session of China’s parliament, or National People’s Congress, which opens next week, will take effect on June 1, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

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LONDON (Reuters) – Just two countries have so far met a deadline on Thursday to give their industry permits to emit carbon dioxide, the European Union’s executive Commission said, likely delaying a 2008 carbon spot market.

Thirteen countries have submitted the necessary information to the Commission to be able to allocate EUAs, and of these, five have received Commission approval to issue.

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