(Press-News.org) Contact information: Kim Luke
kim.luke@utoronto.ca
416-978-4352
University of Toronto
New long-lived greenhouse gas discovered by University of Toronto chemistry team
Chemical appears to have highest global-warming impact of any compound to date
Scientists from U of T's Department of Chemistry have discovered a novel chemical lurking in the atmosphere that appears to be a long-lived greenhouse gas (LLGHG). The chemical – perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA) – is the most radiatively efficient chemical found to date, breaking all other chemical records for its potential to impact climate.
Radiative efficiency describes how effectively a molecule can affect climate. This value is then multiplied by its atmospheric concentration to determine the total climate impact.
PFTBA has been in use since the mid-20th century for various applications in electrical equipment and is currently used in thermally and chemically stable liquids marketed for use in electronic testing and as heat transfer agents. It does not occur naturally, that is, it is produced by humans. There are no known processes that would destroy or remove PFTBA in the lower atmosphere so it has a very long lifetime, possibly hundreds of years, and is destroyed in the upper atmosphere.
"Global warming potential is a metric used to compare the cumulative effects of different greenhouse gases on climate over a specified time period," said Cora Young who was part of the U of T team, along with Angela Hong and their supervisor, Scott Mabury. Time is incorporated in the global warming potential metric as different compounds stay in the atmosphere for different lengths of time, which determines how long-lasting the climate impacts are.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is used as the baseline for comparison since it is the most important greenhouse gas responsible for human-induced climate change. "PFTBA is extremely long-lived in the atmosphere and it has a very high radiative efficiency; the result of this is a very high global warming potential. Calculated over a 100-year timeframe, a single molecule of PFTBA has the equivalent climate impact as 7100 molecules of CO2," said Hong.
###
The research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and was published online at Geophysical Research Letters on November 27, 2013.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Angela C. Hong
Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto
ahong@chem.utoronto.ca
416-948-3011
Cora Young
Department of Chemistry, Memorial University
Cora.young@MUN.ca
709-763-8428
New long-lived greenhouse gas discovered by University of Toronto chemistry team
Chemical appears to have highest global-warming impact of any compound to date
2013-12-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Network theory to strengthen the banking system
2013-12-09
Network theory to strengthen the banking system
This news release is available in Spanish.
Since the beginning of the financial crises that erupted in 2008, numerous governments have injected public funds into the banking system in order to prevent the failure of some ...
Morphing material has mighty potential
2013-12-09
Morphing material has mighty potential
Composite invented at Rice may find use in bioscaffolds, optics, drugs
HOUSTON – (Dec. 9, 2013) – Heating a sheet of plastic may not bring it to life – but it sure looks like it does in new experiments at Rice University.
The materials ...
Scientists scale terahertz peaks in nanotubes
2013-12-09
Scientists scale terahertz peaks in nanotubes
Rice U. researchers find plasmonic root of terahertz signals in some carbon nanotubes
HOUSTON – (Dec. 9, 2013) – Carbon nanotubes carry plasmonic signals in the terahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum, but only if they're ...
Research team finds way to make solar cells thin, efficient and flexible
2013-12-09
Research team finds way to make solar cells thin, efficient and flexible
Converting sunshine into electricity is not difficult, but doing so efficiently and on a large scale is one of the reasons why people still rely on the electric grid and not a ...
Researchers develop world's highest quantum efficiency UV photodetectors
2013-12-09
Researchers develop world's highest quantum efficiency UV photodetectors
Advance in ultraviolet detection technology could aid early missile detection, chemical and biological threat detection
Researchers from Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering ...
Surviving ovarian cancer: Rutgers scientists attack drug resistant cancer cells
2013-12-09
Surviving ovarian cancer: Rutgers scientists attack drug resistant cancer cells
New drug delivery system successfully treats advanced-stage ovarian cancer in mice
Scientists at Rutgers University have developed a targeted drug delivery system that they believe could ...
A stopwatch for electron flashes
2013-12-09
A stopwatch for electron flashes
Physicists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich and the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics measure the duration of energetic electron pulses using laser fields.
A stopwatch made of light can determine ...
Study finds rivers and streams release more greenhouse gas than all lakes
2013-12-09
Study finds rivers and streams release more greenhouse gas than all lakes
Rivers and streams release carbon dioxide at a rate five times greater than the world's lakes and reservoirs combined, contrary to common belief.
Research from the University of Waterloo ...
Hard rock life
2013-12-09
Hard rock life
Scientists are digging deep into the Earth's surface collecting census data on the microbial denizens of the hardened rocks. What they're finding is that, even miles deep and halfway across the globe, many of these communities are somehow ...
NASA's IRIS provides unprecedented images of sun
2013-12-09
NASA's IRIS provides unprecedented images of sun
The region located between the surface of the sun and its atmosphere has been revealed as a more violent place than previously understood, according to images and data from NASA's newest solar observatory, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Robotic space rovers keep getting stuck. UW engineers have figured out why
New research shows how immigration status can become a death sentence during public health crisis
University of Toronto Engineering researchers develop safer alternative non-stick coating
Good vibrations: Scientists use imaging technology to visualize heat
More ecological diversity means better nutritional resources in Fiji’s agroforests
New global study shows freshwater is disappearing at alarming rates
Scientists create an artificial cell capable of navigating its environment using chemistry alone
A little salt is good for battery health
Deep-sea fish confirmed as a significant source of ocean carbonate
How to keep kids with eating disorders home after hospital stay? Therapy
Sex differences affect efficacy of opioid overdose treatment
Aligning AI with Human Values and Well-Being
Engineering the next generation of experimental physics
The scuba diving industry is funding marine ecosystem conservation and employing locals
BATMAN brings TCR therapy out of the shadows
Surrogates more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness, study finds
Columbia Engineering researchers turn dairy byproduct into tissue repair gel
Global estimates of lives and life-years saved by COVID-19 vaccination during 2020-2024
Potential trade-offs of proposed cuts to the NIH
New research simulates cancer cell behavior
COVID, over 2.5 million deaths prevented worldwide thanks to vaccines. One life saved for every 5,400 doses administered
Scuba diving generates up to $20 billion annually
Scientists advance efforts to create ‘virtual cell lab’ as testing ground for future research with live cells
How DNA packaging controls the “genome’s guardian”
Simplified models, deeper insights: Coarse-grained models unlock new potential for ionic liquid simulations
Gorillas’ personal circumstances shape their aggression towards groupmates
Which signalling pathways in the cell lead to possible therapies for Parkinson's disease
Identifying landslide threats using hydrological predictors
First graders who use more educational media spend more time reading
Exploring the meaning in life through phenomenology and philosophy
[Press-News.org] New long-lived greenhouse gas discovered by University of Toronto chemistry teamChemical appears to have highest global-warming impact of any compound to date