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Namaste
Panditji...
I want to know about plants that absorb maximum carbon dioxide (CO2), chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) and other harmful gases. I can then keep them in the house or plant them in our
surroundings to keep the place pollution free. It would be great if you can tell me.
I would be so thankful to you.
Saumya Pandey
Andhra Pradesh
Dear Saumyaji,
Plants need CO2 for photosynthesis, a process carried out by the green pigments called
chlorophyll. Therefore, logically, the greener a plant is, the more CO2 it absorbs. I am
sorry that I would not be able to tell you which take in the maximum. No plant absorbs
CFCs directly.
Did you know countries like Australia and USA are doing exactly what you are
suggesting? A growing tree uses up more CO2 so they are planting trees to absorb the
million kilos of CO2 that they are throwing up into the atmosphere. And most of these
‘carbon sinks’ are being planted in developing low-income countries in exchange
for debts. But is this a solution? How much land will you require to keep planting trees
to keep absorbing the CO2? Don’t you think that we should be attacking the cause of
this pollution, rather than finding out cures?
We, a team of about eight students of the Bharathidasan Institute of
Management, Tiruchirappalli, have taken up a short-term project titled ‘Demand
Estimation for Eco-friendly bags’. We would like to restrict the project to
Tiruchirappalli city/dictrict.
As a first step, we are trying to define what exactly is an ‘Eco-friendly
bag’. We will be thankful if we are able to obtain an objective definition.
We request your help, please.
N Prasanna Venkatesan.
Bharathidasan Institute of Management Tiruchirapalli
 Dear Venkatesanji,
Defining an eco-friendly bag is a tough thing. But the following factors should be
considered when we do so:
1. material
2. origin of the material
3. multiple usability
4. ease of disposal
5. life cycle
6. labour rights
I know this is a stupid question but my one day brother went up to our
fireplace and let out a fart. My dad, who's an EMT, told him to get away or else his butt
would be on fire. I wonder if it is true that if you fart and light a match your butt
could catch fire and why? My mom and sister say it won't happen but I and my dad say it
will. I know it will because my science teacher did it and he said his butt went on fire
but they won't believe me.
Melinda La Plante
Via email
 You seem to know quite a bit, as
is apparent from the subject of your letter, about ‘methane’. The combustion of
a substance depends on its calorific value and the amount of the substance present. Even
in the case of highly combustible fuels like petrol and diesel, a small drop will not
cause a big fire if there is no more of the fuel nearby. LPG and CNG all the more do not
easily catch fire because being gases, they spread very quickly. Quite a large amount is
required to catch fire. So, and I am not smiling when I write this, first of all, to cause
a fire, you would need to fart quite a big one and second, because our farts contain
methane, which is combustible, while your butt might not exactly catch fire, it would
certainly be heated up a bit!
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