“Hi, Bella,” Felix said as he pet his cat friend. He gave her food and asked her to eat well. Bella meowed in response. Felix was feeding the stray cats in his neighborhood. His friends, Orak, Verum, and Scorch were helping him.
“Wait a second, I have interesting news to tell you,” Felix remembered suddenly.
“What is it?” Verum said.
“Cats reminded me of the brilliant solution researchers came up with to reduce global warming. They are going to use cat litter,” Felix said.
“How?!” Orak looked on with a perplexed expression.
Felix explained, “Global warming is the increase in Earth’s temperature. Cat litter is a grainy material that absorbs a cat’s pee and poop. It is made of clay called zeolite.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, came up with an easy and cheap solution to reduce methane emissions in the atmosphere. They are going to use zeolite found in cat litter to do that!”
“Are methane emissions harmful to the environment?” Scorch said.
“Yes, methane emissions are a major contributor to global warming. It is a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gasses trap heat. Excess heat leads to global warming. Methane is emitted during mining, dairy farming, and some methods of agriculture. It needs to be taken out of the atmosphere,” Felix said.
Felix continued, “The researchers treated zeolite with a little copper. It created a material that could absorb methane from the air!
Zeolite clays are cheap. They are also available in abundance. So, this is a great way to help reduce global warming!”
“Splendid!” Scorch said.
“Where will the method be implemented?” Verum said.
“It will be implemented in dairy barns and coal mines. The team has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue developing the method and the equipment,” Felix informed.
“Good luck to the team!” Scorch said.