印度发明家把污染转变成墨水

Indian Inventors Turn Pollution into Ink

Workers at an Indian start-up company are busy cutting up pieces of metal and using them to make unusual devices.

Company officials say these devices will capture smoke from diesel¹ generators³ and turn it into ink.

Young engineers believe the technology will help to clean up the air in New Delhi, India’s capital. Its air quality is among the dirtiest in the world.

People often blame the millions of cars on the streets of New Delhi for the air pollution. But another big reason is the city’s diesel generators. Industries and buildings use the huge machines to light up homes and offices during power outages. These outages often strike in the summer months.

Arpit Dhupar is one of three engineers who set up the start-up company Chakr Innovation. He says that pollution from cars and other vehicles get all the media attention, but adds that “the silent polluters are the diesel generators.”

Dhupar decided⁴ to find a way to fight air pollution three years ago. At the time, he saw a wall blackened from the smoke coming from a diesel generator².

This sight led to the creation of Chakr Innovation. Dhupar had personally experienced the effect of the air pollution. He developed breathing problems while growing up in Delhi.

As the dirty air becomes a serious health issue for many Indians, business leaders are looking at ways to improve air quality.

Experts estimate that motor vehicles are responsible for 22 percent of particulate⁵ matter emissions⁶ in Delhi. Experts say that diesel generators are responsible for about 15 percent of those emissions. That air pollution travels deep into the lungs and can cause many kinds of breathing problems.

After over two years of research and development, Chakr Innovation has begun selling devices to capture pollution from diesel engines. To date, the devices have been set up in 50 places, including private businesses.

The technology involves cooling the air pollution in a “heat exchanger” where the dirty particles come together. These are then moved into another area that captures 70 to 90 percent of the particulate matter. The carbon is isolated⁸ from the emissions and turned into ink.

One of the first businesses to work with Chakr was the law office of Jyoti Sagar. Sagar’s daughter has long suffered from the harmful effects of Delhi’s deadly air. He said the technology “is very impactful, but is beautifully simple.”

“Let’s be responsible and let’s at least not leave behind a larger footprint of carbon. And if we can afford to control it, why not? In the end, it’s good for all of us.”

In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about improving Delhi’s air by reducing vehicular pollution and enacting⁹ stronger rules for vehicle manufacturers. But the same has not happened for diesel generators. There are efforts to punish businesses that dirty the air, but this often leads to them finding ways to get around the rules.

Tushar Mathur works at Chakr Innovation. He feels that turning smoke into ink is a useful solution. He calls the technology “a win-win between businesses and the environment.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

diesel – n. a type of fuel that is used in vehicles with diesel engines

emissions – n. something sent out or given off

generator – n. a machine that produces electricity

ink – n. a colored material used for writing and printing

isolate⁷ – v. to set apart from others; to separate

impactful – adj. having a forceful effect

1 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

2 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

3 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 particulate   

adj.微小的；n.微粒，粒子

参考例句：

• A special group was organized to dig up the particulate of the case.成立了一个专门小组来查明该案件的各个细节。
• Lungs retain relatively insoluble particulate material.肺脏内留有不溶解的颗粒物质。

6 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

7 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

9 enacting   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Generally these statutes apply only to wastes from reactors outside the enacting state. 总之，这些法令只适宜用在对付那些来自外州的核废料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• In addition, the complexion of enacting standards for live working is described. 另外，介绍了带电作业标准的制订情况。