78-12-B8
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Technology[edit]
Transcript[edit]Back in the Depression years the factory smokestack belching black cloud of coal smoke skyward was a symbol of reassurance that the good life was still possible. Today it is an evil thing to be deplored and eliminated, symbol of everything that is wrong. Now I'm not lobbying for air pollution, water pollution or destruction of the environment in the name of progress. But have we been so busy lately deploring the unattractive by-products of technology that we've overlooked all that it can do for us? It goes without saying that technology has made life easier and more pleasant in a million ways from pre-packaged meals to home entertainment by electronics, instant worldwide telephone communication and travel in comfort over thousands of miles in but a few hours time. The list could go on and on. Yes, I'm aware of the problems accompanying the benefits, but do we throw away the benefits to get rid of the problems or do we have faith that the technology that gave us the benefits might first possibly rid us of the problems? Right now American industry is stepping up research, particularly in the field of potential shortages in fuel and raw materials. The direction of the research is toward finding catalysts. That isn't a word that means very much to most of us, but catalysts are substances, usually metals that speed up chemical reactions without being altered themselves. As an example of what they can mean to you and me, catalysts hold the secret of how to obtain gasoline from coal. The oil industry would be in sad shape without catalysts. An official of one oil company says catalysts called "zeolites" more than double the gasoline that can be extracted from a barrel of crude oil. They make possible reduced prices and use of less expensive raw materials. Monsanto Chemical Company has developed one that allows acetic acid -- a building block for other chemicals -- to be made from methanol, a cheaper material, thus cutting costs by 20%. Polyethylene, the most widely used plastic, can now be made by Union Carbide with savings of 50% on capital cost and 75% on energy because of a newly discovered family of catalysts. This will translate into billions of dollars of savings for consumers in everything from plastic bottles to trash bags within the next few years. Catalyst technology also will help the environmental fight. One, used in making gasoline, will reduce the amount of carbon monoxide in the flue gas at refineries from 80,000 parts per million to less than 500. The word from industry is that recent breakthroughs have taken place and more can be expected. One spokesman says (believe it or not) that possibly we may produce gasoline one day without oil. In other words, the technological genius that gave us our standard of living may very well preserve and enhance it at a lower price. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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