Lightning can produce from 2 – 16% of the amount of hydroxyl. The hydroxyl radical is important in the atmosphere because it triggers chemical reactions and breaks down air pollutant molecules like methane. Decomposition of atmospheric pollutants Lightning may play a bigger role than we thought in a fundamental process that helps clean our air of pollutants, according to the results of a new study. Lightning strikes during storms produce large amounts of molecules called oxidizing radicals, which can break down gases such as carbon monoxide and methane in the atmosphere. These are atmospheric pollutants that can contribute to global warming and damage to the ozone layer. Carbon monoxide and methane enter the atmosphere from both natural and industrial sources. Methane is produced by the decomposition of plants, but is also released by oil and gas development and agriculture. Carbon monoxide and other polluting hydrocarbons can be generated by industries and wildfires. However, natural processes in the atmosphere, driven mainly by sunlight, have produced molecules called radicals, the most important of which are hydroxyls. These molecules are very chemically active (meaning that they are more likely to react with other molecules) and can react with pollutants to form new compounds that are harmless or potentially harmful. can be easily attached to water and released into the air. New research led by Pennsylvania State University meteorology professor William Brune has found that lightning produces far more hydroxyl molecules than previously known. His work shows that more than 10% of the supply of these scavenging radicals in the atmosphere can be generated by lightning storms. Use an airplane to fly through the storm Lightning’s ability to clean the atmosphere. The work involved flying NASA’s DC-8 research plane through deep convection thunderstorms to collect data. According to Professor Brune, this is not as dangerous as one might think. “Very interesting indeed. The pilots are phenomenal. They know what they’re doing. They know how to keep planes safe. But it’s really interesting because you can see deep convection and this is very close and personal,” said Prof. Brune. “We did this study in 2012, flying over central China. America and try to see what’s going into the storm chemically, what’s going to come up above. And to our surprise, we saw a very large amount of OHs (hydroxyl molecules). At first, we did not believe the signals received. They are huge, a thousand times larger than the largest mass we have ever seen.” The data collected from the aircraft was compared with data collected from radio receivers on the ground that track lightning flashes in the clouds. Both data sets confirmed the production of high amounts of hydroxyl radicals due to lightning strikes. Hydroxyl radicals are produced when the energy of lightning strikes breaks down water vapor in the atmosphere. “You can think of it like water that has removed the hydrogen atom and then wants to get that hydrogen back. So it becomes very active as it goes and tries to get the hydrogen back,” he said. That means the hydroxyl radical is very reactive with methane or carbon monoxide molecules. Climate change models need to be updated According to the scientists, about 1,800 lightning storms circulate around the planet, which leads the researchers to estimate that this phenomenon produces between 2% and 16% of the amount of hydroxyl present in the atmosphere.

A single lightning bolt can release up to a billion volts, tens of thousands of amps, travel at more than 434,000 km/h and in just a few millionths of a second reach 30,000 degrees Celsius – hotter than the surface of the Sun. Professor Brune admits that it is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of this process on a global scale. The results of this study were based on a limited number of flights over a small portion of the United States. There is still a lot of information that needs to be gathered to create a global picture. However, Professor Brune believes that the hydroxyl generated by lightning has a significant worldwide impact. Previous models suggested that lightning was not a significant contributor to the clean-up of the atmosphere. “Our best estimate right now is from 2%, which is quite important, to more than 10%, which is very important, for the total cleanup of the atmosphere. These estimates may change as our planet warms. Some climate change models show an increase in thunderstorm activity, which means more hydroxyl production and more cleaning of the atmosphere in the future. Other climate models suggest that there may not be much lightning, but lightning strikes will be more intense and may also alter the numbers. In any case, future models of climate change and global pollution will have to take into account this new information about the cleaning of the atmosphere, according to Professor Brune. Existing models may need updating.

At its 5,000-worker factory located in Shiga prefecture, Pansonic manufactures high-tech air conditioners with new features. It produces microscopic water droplets that fight against corona viruses and other viruses, bacteria and pollutants in the air. The technology that produces hydroxyl radicals, or atmospheric cleaners, is being used in cars, elevators, buses, and trains in Japan. Panasonic’s Ziaino air purifier sales tripled to more than $ 100 million during the Covid-19 period. The company sets a target of nearly $ 500 million in sales over the next five years. Ziaino has a high ability to disinfect and deodorize by creating hypochlorous acid. In an interview with Nikkei Asia, Mr. Shinada said that the company wants to leave the image of a disgraced television maker behind to focus on health-related products. The increase in sales is a sign of a happy revival for Panasonic’s 103-year-old home division. He does not hide his ambitions to become No. 1 globally or regionally in some areas. “We may not be as big as LG, but we can compete on profit margins. We want the rest of the world to know that Panasonic has been reborn, ”he told Nikkei Asia. This is the message Panasonic hopes investors will listen to. From April 1, Mr. Yuki Kusumi will replace Kazuhiro Tsuga as the company’s CEO after 9 years in office. During his tenure, Mr. Tsuga had to “clean up” the aftermath of the costly 2009 acquisition of Sanyo Electric, withdrew from the semiconductor industry, LCD panels, solar panels, and turned to components car, aviation. Panasonic wants to begin a new journey under the new CEO after he led a restructuring of the company’s auto division. Optimism is gradually spreading. Shares have risen more than 35% since the announcement of a leadership change in November 2020. On February 2, Panasonic raised its annual profit forecast for fiscal year 2020. The electric vehicle battery joint venture with Tesla is expected to be profitable for the first time since it opened in 2017. At the annual shareholder meeting in June 2020, Mr. Kusumi pointed out that many parts of Panasonic have low revenue. From the founder’s point of view, it means that Panasonic is not contributing as much to the community as it used to be. Konosuke Matsushita was the founder of Panasonic in 1918 without formal training. Mr. Matsushita once said that profit is the reward of giving to society, the mission of a manufacturer is to make products “cheap and plentiful like tap water”. Panasonic is the resurgent symbol of Japan in the post-war era. They manufacture and export household products like many other country companies. Although initially considered a second-class product, Panasonic has gradually gained international recognition for its quality. In the 1990s, Panasonic was a rival of Sony and Phillips in the global television market. In the mobile phone market, Panasonic also balances Motorola, Nokia and Ericsson. During the 12 months ending March 1991, they were the second most profitable company in Japan, behind only Toyota Motor and Asia’s leading consumer brand. But this giant did not adapt to the times and turned from a hero to the representative of Japan’s troubled industry. Over time, Panasonic lost its lead to Korean and Chinese rivals such as Samsung, LG, and TCL. The past two decades have been a battle that has turned the firm’s destiny. During most of that period, Panasonic’s operating profit margin remained below 5%. As of the end of December 2020, the rate was 4%, lower than 11% for Sony, 6.3% for Hitachi, and 5.1% for LG, according to data from Quick FactSet. Market value is only half of its 2006 peak and a quarter of Sony. Panasonic did not have a product that had great success on the world stage. While some are quite powerful, such as DVDs and video players with 17% market share, they are too small to support businesses that feed 250,000 people. In 2020, in Japan, Panasonic accounts for nearly 30% market share of household appliances, but globally only 2.5%, down from 2.8% in 2015. The company ranks 7, after Midea, Phillips, Haier, according to research firm Euromonitor. Even the market share of air conditioners, a strong product of Panasonic, in the past 5 years, only 4.1%, ranked 5th in the world, still according to Euromonitor data. Atul Goyal, director of research management at investment bank Jefferies, rated Panasonic “too diversified” and “too many products.” “I wish they focused first and reduced to a smaller scale, winning in 3 or 4 fields and developing them without looking anywhere else.” Other experts argue that the problem is more with marketing than with technology. In the global marketplace, marketing is important. Others commented that Panasonic in particular and Japanese electronics in general paid too much attention to technology without paying attention to convenience, ease of use, electronic features, and cost efficiency of the product. Panasonic is not alone in the transformation. Hitachi abandoned home appliances to focus on transportation and infrastructure. Sony re-formed an entertainment, image sensor and game consortium. Sharp sells itself to Taiwan’s Foxconn. New media reported that Panasonic is looking to acquire Blue Yonder, an AI company that monitors real-time supply chains and predicts demand, allowing for the optimization of inventory and logistics operations. Acquisition ambitions show that business services still play an important role in Panasonic’s bottom line, but once again questioned whether they are “overwhelmed”. After the news was released in March, the company’s shares fell 6%. Even Panasonic’s strategic partnership with Tesla hasn’t been smooth. Back in 2010, when Panasonic decided to invest $ 30 million in a startup, the electric car market was small and uncertain. In 2014, the company agreed to participate in the development of Tesla’s electric vehicle “big factory”. However, Panasonic hesitated at the idea of ​​expanding in 2018. It was not until August 2020 that they decided to step forward. The hesitation angered investors as Tesla turned the offer to other suppliers such as CATL in China, LG Chem in Korea and began to develop batteries on its own. According to analyst Goyal, Panasonic cannot even focus on a “good food” business. They should have invested more heavily, took risks, and actively expanded. In the context of a change in leadership, Panasonic adjusted and put the household division at the center. The department head believes they are regaining their “fighting spirit”. He admits that Panasonic needs to focus on areas of strength. “Working for people is this company’s original mission. That is what we want to focus on. Mr. Shinada emphasized that Panasonic must cut costs to make their prices more affordable to many foreign users. The decision to move the global home appliances division to China is an example. In China, Panasonic QR code-operated smart lockers are available at convenience stores and cafes in major cities, including the HeyTea tea chain, to serve customers without need. contact. These cabinets were installed at 98 HeyTea stores last year and are expected to grow to more than 500 this year, according to Tetsuro Homma, CEO of Panasonic China and Northeast Asia. Panasonic accounts for 30% of the Chinese frozen food display market with sales of around $ 500 million. Mr. Homma believes that the scale can be tripled, equivalent to the US market, which Panasonic is serving through the Hussmann branch. However, Panasonic’s business in China has never been easy. Its sales still stand at $ 7 billion, equivalent to 2% market share in the home appliance market, even though it was the first Japanese company to enter the country in 1987. According to Mr. Shinada, Southeast Asia is where Panasonic has a larger market share and a more solid foothold. He pledged to spend a lot of effort revitalizing the home appliances business in Southeast Asia like China. Panasonic still has to improve many things. Some analysts say that the recent rally in stock prices was purely due to the overall economy going up, not on the efforts of the company itself. CEO Tsuga admitted that when he revealed his retirement plan in November 2020. “It is very difficult to achieve growth with profits.” He places his hopes on Kusumi’s successor because “he can make harsh decisions even when others are reluctant to accept it”.