Lighter Cargo Ships
I was surfing through Popsci when I came across an article about a new kind of expanding aluminum. The process starts with manufactured powder that when heated, creates a tough foam that is strong but light. The aluminum foam was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology in Chemnitz in Germany. This foam (along with other materials of course) could be used to make lighter hulls for cargo ships.
Whats the big deal with that? This could significantly reduce the CO2 emission coming from these giant ships. I searched the internet to see how much the ships put out, and they put out about as much as 50 million cars annually. With all the buzz about making cars more efficient, it is easy to overlook the fact that most carbon emission comes from the transportation of goods rather than people. To reduce CO2 emissions, technologies like lighter materials or more efficient engines for large vehicles (rather than private vehicles) are a must.
Article about aluminum foam: New Foaming Metal Could Form Lighter Hulls For Cargo Ships
Information about cargo ship emissions: One Container Ship Pollutes As Much As 50 Million Cars
Comments (3)
January 25, 2011 at 7:49 PM
That's pretty cool! Might have other applications. Space rover 2.0 could land on less hospitable locations than Mars? Sounds good to me!
January 25, 2011 at 8:42 PM
Yay for less CO2 emissions...good way to clean up our air a little more. There are so many simple ways we can help keep this earth clean and this idea is one of them. Very nice article!
January 26, 2011 at 9:09 AM
I think that superior materials like this or nanotubes are going to be one of the huge pushes for technological development in the future, just as steel was in the past.
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