As people around the world deal with record-breaking summer heat, there could be a way to stop global warming in its tracks, at least for a bit: a very special white paint.
Painting structures white as a way to reduce heat isn’t new, but this particular shade of white paint is. According to a press release from Purdue University – where the planet’s “whitest” paint was developed – it could decrease surface temperatures by 8 degrees.
If applied to around 1% to 2% of the Earth’s surface, it could stop the ongoing rise in our planet’s temperatures, said Jeremy Munday, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis. He said that the paint would direct light back into space, where it would hardly have an impact, according to a report this month in The New York Times.
While the amount of paint needed would cover roughly the area of the Sahara Desert, Munday said that it would need to be applied in scattered locations in order to be a benefit to the planet. This is due to “wildlife concerns and weather disruptions caused by one region suddenly becoming much cooler,” the Times said.
Additionally, there are concerns about the carbon footprint associated with mining barium sulfate, an ingredient in the ultrawhite paint. To create the ultrawhite effect, researchers included different sizes of barium sulfite in the paint for varied reflection. Traditional paint, which doesn’t reflect as much and doesn’t reduce heat as much, also uses titanium dioxide, a material that is mined.
However, Munday said “this is definitely not a long-term solution to the climate problem,” but rather “something you can do short term to mitigate worse problems while trying to get everything under control.”
Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering, developed the paint with a team of Purdue engineers in October 2021 in an effort to help curb global warming and reduce the need for air conditioners. A press release likened the white to “Vantablack,” a shade of black that absorbs up to 99.9% of visible light as it reflects 98.1% of sunlight.
“If you were to use this paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet, we estimate that you could get a cooling power of 10 kilowatts. That’s more powerful than the central air conditioners used by most houses,” he said when the paint was unveiled.
Although it was recently perfected, the paint is the result of research dating back to the 1970s and six years of work by Ruan’s team. It was developed to be able to withstand outdoor conditions and to be compatible with commercial fabrication.
In 2021, Purdue said that patent applications for the paint formulation had been filed through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. Last year, the team “innovated further by developing a new formulation,” of the paint that is “thinner and lighter – ideal for radiating heat away from cars, trains, airplanes and even spacecraft,” and this year, it won the 2023 Innovation Award in the sustainability category at the South by Southwest Conference & Festivals.
As of March, Ruan said that they were in discussions to commercialize the paint.
“There are still a few issues that need to be addressed, but progress is being made,” he said.
Related
Related
