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“What’s your favorite color?” is a common question, particularly among children. However, there is a new color that might offer a partial solution to global warming by one day eliminating the need for air conditioning
WBNS news reports that a research team at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, the US, have invented the world's whitest paint that could efficiently deflect enough sunlight to make air conditioning (AC) unnecessary.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency AC only contributes a portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. But that threat will continue to grow as temperatures rise with climate change, and people install more AC units. Responding to this threat, the researchers sought to replace the need for conditioning power with a paint so white it could cool off buildings from the sun's rays.
Cool research findings could cool temperatures!
In the 2021 research published in American Chemical Society Journal, the authors note that they focused on two key elements to give the paint its whiteness. The first is the potency of the chemical compound barium sulfate (BaSO3) that massly reflects light. The second is that BaSO3 particles vary in size allowing the paint to reflect and scatter more incoming light.
The ultra white paint reflects 98.1% of solar radiation and emits infrared heat at the same time according to WBNS. Using highly accurate temperature-reading technology, researchers found that the paint kept surfaces 19 degrees Fahrenheit (34.2 degrees Celsius) cooler, even during the hottest hours of the day.
A viable alternative to conventional AC
Air cooling power uses an estimated 5 kilowatts per 1000 square meter, but the researchers demonstrated that their white paint could double that amount of power.
If this innovation is applied to the surface of buildings and homes, AC will be replaced with paint, reducing energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
WBNS reports that the team is optimistic about getting this paint onto the market. They are currently working with a company to commercialize it.
The whitest white color can revolutionize the way people think about their cooling systems. Instead of installing large AC units that already use a lot of electrical power, people can turn to just a few coats of the whitest paint to do the same job.
This ultra white paint surely has a bright future in helping the Earth. Now that’s a color to choose as a favorite!
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