Wandering Adventure Party

Not because of petrochemicals. Fertilizers, agriculture mechanization, and medicine are the key factors. Plus we could do without all the microplastics and PFAS on my blood.

Do we really need petrochemicals, though? Or do we like the cheap products made from them? Because humanity went by just fine without them until a century ago.

I’m not as confident. Refining columns work reliably for decades requiring just a couple trays being replaced every now and then. RO membranes are generally fickle, need a lot of babying and require complete replacement every couple years.

There’s also energy integration opportunities in a refinery to use the “waste” heat to preheat feeds and of course the feeds precool the hot top stream. Being a highly commoditized market pushes companies to drive three bottom line down.

I think we’ll only see meaningful impact by phasing out of fossil fuels, not making their manufacture incrementally more efficient.

Thanks for finding the silver lining in this.

That’s actually urban.

I think there’s a not insignificant cultural factor at play here. Extra manicured gardens feel artificial to me, and don’t yield the same effect as something more resembling of a natural setting. And I know I’m not alone at this. I’d love to see this replicated in at last two or three other continents to contrast the findings.