2021年经济学人 制造氧气(1)

Making oxygen

制造氧气

Magnetic moment

磁矩

A new approach may make oxygen-manufacturing much cheaper

一种新方法可能会使制造氧气成本更低

Oxygen is vital. Literally¹ so for breathing, and thus for many hospital patients. And metaphorically² for industries ranging from steelmaking to pharmaceuticals³, which use it in their processes. The world market for the gas is therefore large. Various estimates put it as having been between about $28bn and $49bn in 2019.

氧气至关重要，最直接的就是对呼吸至关重要，所以对医院的病人也至关重要。就像，从钢铁业到制药业，这些行业在其生产过程中都要使用氧气。因此氧气的世界市场很大。各种估计认为，2019年这一数字在280亿至490亿美元之间。

It could, though, be larger. In a set of reactions that also involve oxygen and steam, fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas can be turned into hydrogen, a source of energy, and carbon dioxide, which can be separated and sequestered⁴ underground. That might allow their continued employment in a world of restricted greenhouse-gas emissions⁵. It would, however, require a cheap and abundant supply of oxygen. Which is why America's Department of Energy is sponsoring a project intended to pull oxygen from the atmosphere with magnets.

不过，它可以更大。在一系列也涉及氧气和蒸汽的反应中，煤炭和天然气等化石燃料可以转化为氢(一种能源)和二氧化碳(可以分离并封存在地下)。这可能会让它们在一个温室气体排放受限的世界里继续就业。不过，它需要廉价而充足的氧气供应，这就是为什么美国能源部赞助了一个旨在用磁铁从大气中提取氧气的项目。

Dry air is a mixture of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and 1% argon, with a few other trace gases such as carbon dioxide. At the moment, most of the world's pure oxygen is made by the liquefaction and subsequent distillation⁶ of air, to separate it into its components⁷. This is done in large factories. The other source of oxygen, somewhat less pure, is small, mobile plants called oxygen concentrators. These either absorb the nitrogen into a porous⁸ substance called a zeolite, leaving behind a gas that is 90% oxygen, or force air through membranes⁹ more permeable to one gas than the other, yielding a somewhat less rich mixture. The alternative of magnetic separation is the brainchild of John Vetrovec, boss of Aqwest, a technology firm in Larkspur, Colorado.

干燥的空气是21%的氧气、78%的氮气和1%的氩气的混合物，还有一些其他的微量气体，如二氧化碳。目前，世界上大部分的纯氧都是通过空气的液化和之后的蒸馏得到的，并将其分解成各种成分。这一过程是在大工厂里完成的。另一种纯度稍低的氧气来源于一种小型的、可移动的氧气浓缩器。它们要么将氮气吸收成一种叫做沸石的多孔物质，留下一种含90%氧气的气体，要么迫使空气穿过一种一种气体比另一种气体更容易渗透的薄膜，从而产生一种含量稍低的混合物。另一种磁力分离方法是由科罗拉多州拉克斯波市的一家技术公司Aqwest的老板约翰·维特威克想出来的。

Though oxygen cannot be magnetised permanently¹⁰ in the way that elements like iron can, it is attracted by magnetic fields. As a consequence, when air is pumped through such a field its oxygen gets concentrated in those places where the field is strongest. This concentration-enhancement is small. But if the oxygen-enriched part of the air stream could be separated from the oxygen-impoverished part, and then treated in the same way over and over again, it could be enriched to the point where it was pure enough to be useful. Dr Vetrovec thinks he knows how to do this.

氧气虽然不能像铁那样被永久磁化，但它还是会被磁场吸引。结果就是，当空气被吸过这样一个场时，当中的氧气就会集中在这个场最强的地方。这种浓度增强作用很小。但是，如果能将气流中富氧部分与贫氧部分分离开来，然后以同样的方式反复处理，氧气就可以浓缩到足够纯的程度，从而发挥作用。维特威克博士认为自己知道如何做到这一点。

1 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

2 metaphorically   

adv. 用比喻地

参考例句：

• It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically. 对一个词的理解是按字面意思还是隐喻的意思要视乎上下文和习惯。
• Metaphorically it implied a sort of admirable energy. 从比喻来讲，它含有一种令人赞许的能量的意思。

3 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 sequestered   

adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押

参考例句：

• The jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months. 陪审团渴望被隔离至少两个月。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everything he owned was sequestered. 他的一切都被扣押了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 distillation   

n.蒸馏，蒸馏法

参考例句：

• The discovery of distillation is usually accredited to the Arabs of the 11th century.通常认为，蒸馏法是阿拉伯人在11世纪发明的。
• The oil is distilled from the berries of this small tree.油是从这种小树的浆果中提炼出来的。

7 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

8 porous   

adj.可渗透的，多孔的

参考例句：

• He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
• The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。

9 membranes   

n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物

参考例句：

• The waste material is placed in cells with permeable membranes. 废液置于有渗透膜的槽中。 来自辞典例句
• The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a system of intracellular membranes. 肌浆网属于细胞内膜系统。 来自辞典例句

10 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。