Hacking° - Space Apps Challenge

Hacking°| Warming Planet, Cool Ideas

Project Details

The Challenge | Warming Planet, Cool Ideas

Your challenge is to examine existing space and Earth projects and systems and adapt them into specific technologies that help stabilize or improve the Earth’s weather, and/or eliminate processes that cause global warming. Your solution could be a technology, a movement, an idea – let your imagination have no bounds!

Carbon Filter

Our project relies on the elimination of the PM10 and CO2 from the exhaust of the cars in the atmosphere with the support of the carbon filter.

What is HACKING°?

Our project relies on the elimination of the PM10 and CO2 from the exhaust of the cars in the atmosphere with the support of the carbon filter.

What’s the scope of our team?

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” (Hellen Keller)

Our goal is to improve the air quality in our country and to create a better environment for the future generations. The proposal represents an adaptation and a mediator between the present state in which the transportation system is based on fossil fuels and the distant future that will be based mostly on electric cars. In this in between time we need to take action in order to stop carbon dioxide emissions, because in Romania we don’t have the suitable infrastructure to implement immediately this initiative. The project will be implemented in our country in the near future and we are enthusiastic hoping that it will be implemented at even if on larger scale, in others regions that would require this.

“We cannot tell the Earth to cool down and we can’t stop the sun to low the temperature, but we can teach people to keep what we have.”

Argumentation

The appearance of motor vehicles on combustion and polluting enterprises has led to disturbance of the balance of the carbon dioxide circuit in nature, with too many sources of pollution being added.

1. Pollution in Romania

According to Romania-Insider, a number of 22 cities in Romania were included in the ranking "The most polluted cities of the world" of 2018, of which 3000 cities from all over the world were included.

2. Case study: Bucharest.

The warning received by Romania from the U.E. with reference to the high level of pollution of Bucharest.

In the event of a conviction, we are in danger of paying penalties of two hundred thousand euros per day.

The station in the center of Bucharest shows on a regular working day that the pollution index with PM10 (generated by industry, traffic) was 113.18 micrograms / metric, double value compared to 50 micrograms / metric, the maximum limit allowed by the EU.

The Romanian Health Observatory shows that 23,000 Romanians die every year because of the diseases caused by pollution.

Bucharest ranks 5th among the European capitals with the busiest traffic in the world.

Solution

Solving the problem is finding an affordable solution that does not involve a conscious change in behavior, so that the solution is appropriated by the target audience.

An affordable device capable of accomplishing this task is the carbon filter: it is a simple but useful technology that is mounted on the exhaust pipe.

In its internal structure, it has a screen that separates the solid carbon particles from the rest of the gas to be released into the air.

The concept is durable and reusable, being emptied every 300 kilometers traveled by the driver in specially arranged containers, thus storing carbon.

The carbon filter is a way by which the atmospheric carbon can be reduced up to 85-95%, thus improving our living conditions and at the same time preserving our comfort zone.

Feasability of the project

The resources needed to implement the project will be made available from the public budget. Romania's GDP for 2018 was about 200 billion euros. Amount needed to implement the project: 1 billion euros (0.5% of GDP).

Expenditure structure per product

The sources from which the prices were taken: in the case of the Kaalink device, the estimation was made on the basis of the reference to the prices of substitute products (similar products, but with different specifications. For example, filters with the same purpose, but for single use. The prices of the products were taken from Amazon and AliExpress, so a disposable product for the same purpose can be purchased at an average price of $ 35. Kaalink's business model is based on targeting. for large clients, which is why the price per unit was not listed on the site, its establishment being strongly influenced by the size of orders).

- 350 euros (the average price on websites of an item);

- 2100 the total number of gas stations in the country (according to a 2014 study, the last one on this topic);

- 16 million devices (the optimal number to start with, 2 / car, to have a reserve base from the beginning).

- Reserve Kaalink (we estimate that in order to maintain the percentage of users over 95% permanently, we need a device reserve base in order to be able to meet the demand for devices arising from their possible failure);

- Carbon storage spaces: we considered that such spaces are necessary in the event that the carbon resulting from the use of the device will not be processed (internally) or exported as raw material in the first months from the beginning of the project (benchmarks: link). It was assumed that, in order to successfully store larger quantities of carbon, to rent one storage space for each 2 gas stations (the place where the respective dumps are located);

- The sanitation company: it will be contracted in order to collect the carbon accumulated in the dumps (Price reference: Link);

Return of investment

The main way in which the state will recover its investment will be through an extremely small addition for the vehicle tax, of 15 lei per month for each car owner (180 lei annually), for the next 3 years. Annually, about 306,382,978 euros will be collected. In just 3 years and 4 months, the entire purchase will be fully amortized, at which time the contribution will be reduced from 15 to 5 lei / month (60 lei annually). From that moment, with the money raised from the tax of 5 lei, the recurring expenses will be paid (the cleaning company that will periodically empty the dumps and which will transport the carbon to the storage spaces, the expenses with the purchase of Kaalink to have reserves and the rent for the spaces for storage). With the 5 lei paid monthly by the car owners, annually, the amount of 102,127,659 euros will be collected.

On the other hand, our recurring expenses represent only 31,125,958 euros. With the remaining 71,001,701 euros, any factories can be financed in order to exploit the resulting carbon. At the same time, there are potential markets for the obtained carbon, processing plants or other fields such as pharmaceuticals, or agriculture.

Webography

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ecopolis.org.ro/media/files/studiu_calitatea_aerului_bucuresti.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFPLImVAeyDNhXtmPOl6Kn12yxIEA

https://solarimpulse.com/global-warming-solutions

http://masinaelectrica.ro/harta-statii-incarcare/

https://www.numbeo.com/pollution/region_rankings.jsp?title=2019-mid®ion=150

https://www.numbeo.com/pollution/region_rankings.jsp?title=2019®ion=150

https://www.acea.be/statistics/article/interactive-map-correlation-between-electric-car-sales-and-the-availability

https://www.numbeo.com/pollution/country_result.jsp?country=Romania

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/proxy/alfresco-webscripts/api/node/content/workspace/SpacesStore/4aeb0b17-8122-41af-852b-7864b1e4050c/MENUET_course_environment_ro.pdf

https://www.romania-insider.com/ec-romania-court-poor-air-quality

https://www.intechopen.com/books/air-quality-measurement-and-modeling/air-pollution-monitoring-a-case-study-from-romania/

https://www.romania-insider.com/premature-deaths-air-pollution-romania