Brócolis - Space Apps Challenge

Brócolis| SDGs and COVID-19

SDGs and COVID-19

This challenge invites you to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by looking at the current and ongoing change in the monitoring indicators of the UN SDGs using Earth observation/remote sensing and global Earth system model-derived analysis products.

C.C.M.

Summary

The C.C.M. (Methane Collector Barn) is a new barn type that aims to reduce methane emissions produced by livestock industry. This model has walls that are covered externally by vegetation, which reduce the barn heat, and a roof partially made with transparent material, which allows light to enter. There is also a ventilation system whose purpose is to ventilate the place and redirect the air to a venturi scrubber, that separate the CH4 molecules from the rest and stores them, avoiding its dispers.

How We Addressed This Challenge

Our project fits in the challenge because when analyzing the impacts of COVID-19 on UN Sustainable Development Goals, exclusively in objective 11.6, which foresees until 2030 to reduce the environmental impact per capita of cities, including paying special attention to air quality and municipal waste management, we notice that the impact of social isolation promoted by several countries, in the short progress time on this topic was positive. Based on this observation, made with the help of NASA satellite images, we developed a project that aims to continue this progress, helping to achieve this goal within the stipulated period.

How We Developed This Project

When analyzing the impacts of Covid-19 appointed by NASA, and relating them with the proposed challenges, we opted for nº 6: “SDG and COVID-19”, objective 11.6, that aims the reduction of the environmental impact produced by cities, this fact inspired us to search alternative ways to keep reducing the pollutant emission in the return to reality.

The approach used to develop our project was made through research in articles about methane emissions, like the “Methane Matters” found at NASA’s Earth Observatory and analyzing equipment already used in the petrochemical industry to reduce methane emissions. With this data survey and a search for barn models used today, we realized that for the realization of the project it would be necessary to restructure the barn that did not alter the animals' quality life. To highlight the importance of our work, we also extract data that prove that livestock emits one-sixth of all methane released into the atmosphere, found in the article above. To develop prototypes and build our pitch, we use the following Software and Websites: Canva, Sony Vegas PRO 14, Photoshop CS6, Sketchup, Freesound, Audiolibrary, and Vecteezy.

As drawbacks that we faced on the project, was the lack of specific knowledge to develop it, therefore needing the assistance of a specialist in the area. Furthermore, the building of the barn requires materials that are demanding to find. Another obstacle was to find an efficient way to prove the reduction of methane emission after the implementation of the barn, once the satellites monitor the gases in the atmosphere and don’t accurately show the emission place. The main achievement of the project was the conclusion of the barn prototype that will maintain, after the quarantine, the only beneficial impact of social isolation, the reduction in the emission of toxic gases in the atmosphere.