Unintended side effects to Clean Air?

Prize Designs Clean Air
#1

With each of our XPRIZE competitions we seek to understand and design for the externalities of the solutions competitors might develop.

We imagine water usage could be a key component of a solution in air pollution emissions removal. Should we include a parameter limiting water usage? What about a scoring matrix that incentivizes the use of greywater over fresh, potable water?

Additional areas of interest to our team are energy consumption and waste disposal. Should waste streams have the requirement to be monetized, as in the case of Smog Free Rings?

What are appropriate, but audacious parameters around each of those externalities?

#2

Hi @TerryMulligan
If a solution is intended to clean ambient air, it might also be necessary to consider what should not be removed from the air. Many plants depend on the wind to carry their pollen for fertilization–a system that removes fine particulates from ambient air might interfere. Billions of small insects might also be lost. What would be the ecological implications?

#3

Hello @carlbozzuto , @ckellogg , @avidela , @alanDRI , @mccubbin ,
It would be nice to get your inputs on Prof. Devinny and Terry’s questions. Thanks.

#4

Unintended side effects to clean air is the triggering of high level of airborne organic hydroperoxide with unknown implications to air quality and human health.

#5

Hi @hopkepk , @djaffe , @Joonas , @Ananya_Roy , @bartc
We would love to have your feedback on the prize parameters for the Clean Air Competition. Please join the discussion. Thanks.

#6

Hi @hannusalmela , @jwangjun , @LizC , @dwcollins1960 , @bontempi ,
Please let us have your feedback on various prize parameters like, water, energy, cost and waste disposal. What could be an audacious yet achievable metrics for Clean Air Competition.

#7

@TerryMulligan , @jamesburbridge
**Water: **
Consumption of water should be brought down to bare minimum. One simple solution is to provide a single water tap in a household and taking water to the place of need (Kitchen, wash rooms. gardens etc.) in buckets. this will lower the consumption per household by about 25%, as an estimate.
Energy
Air conditioning should be limited to the persons only and not the whole room or house space. If weather inside a mosquito net is controlled in place of the whole room, we save about 75% of energy. For the purpose, even a mini A/C running on 12 volt electricity may work.
In a concert, conference, seminar etc., if a helmet type of gear is provided to every individual, the total electric consumption will be only about 05%.
Waste disposal
Kitchen solid waste can be easily composted.
Grey water recycling is not much of a problem.
It is the Black water that is of concern.
We have to realize that Black water minus the bacteria’s and pathogens is a boon for the agriculture. All bacteria and pathogens are eliminated if we heat the black water to 70 degree Celsius for 15 minutes only. After that the cooled water can be fed to the fields. Solar water can be used to heat the water up to 70 degrees.

#8

General ambient air pollution is listed as a carcinogen by the WHO and it contains many known individual carcinogens (diesel soot, PAHs, benzene, etc.). Any efforts to remove gases and particles from the air needs to think through what would be done with the waste streams. Another advantage of pollution prevention.

#9

It can be recycled. Can be converted to CO2. Is that ok?

#10

Organics can be oxidized to CO2 and water vapor. The implication would be that the particulates are collected on something like filter paper and then the filter paper would be collected and sent to an incinerator where the organics would be destroyed at high temperature. Incinerators have very stringent emissions standards. For CO2, you would still need a CO2 capture system.