Six projects aimed at funding ways to convert captured CO2 emissions from industrial sources into useful products, such as fuel, plastics and cement, have been selected by US Energy Secretary. Funded with $ 106 M from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, these selections demonstrate the potential opportunity to use CO2 as an inexpensive raw material that can help reduce CO2 emissions while producing useful by-products for Americans' use.

"These innovative projects convert carbon pollution from a climate threat to an economic resource," said the Energy Secretary. "This is part of our broad commitment to unleash the American innovation machine and build the thriving, clean energy economy of the future."

Converting captured CO2 into useful products, is an important aspect of carbon capture and storage technology; since it can help reduce CO2 emissions in areas where long-term storage of CO2 is not practical. Large volumes of CO2 is expected to be available as fossil fuel-based power plants and other CO2- emitting industries are equipped with CO2 emissions control technologies to comply with regulatory requirements.

There were 91 cities in India, that could be termed as most polluted in 2009. While rising vehicular congestion is claiming lives in bigger cities, faster rate of increase in air pollution in smaller cities like Pune, Nagpur and Amravati, is causing concern. Pune featuring 69th, is the most polluted city with average suspended particulate matter (PM10) as 82 micrograms per cubic metre. Jharia in Jharkhand was the most polluted city in India. Smaller cities like Ludhiana beat New Delhi on the pollution count. Mumbai was placed 37th with a PM 10 level of 109 mg/m3 while Navi Mumbai was marginally worse at 36th place with 111 mg/m3.

The air quality data indicated that the levels of sulphur dioxide have remained within the ambient air quality monitoring standards in all the cities. Other data showed that nitrogen oxide emissions were rising with higher sale of diesel vehicles.

Unpaved roadways on both sides of the road border, pose a challange in maintaining air quality in Imperial County in Mexico where automobile exhaust and dust blown from unpaved roads, are two air pollutants. Paving these roadways is both problematic and costly. While it may take a decade to complete their paving, $400,000 to $ 500,000 per mile is the investment required.

The Imperial County has 200 miles of unpaved roads with average daily usage of 50 trips by motrists. Using water, graveling, applying chemicals, or using asphalt can help mitigate the problem abit.

The agricultural burning in Mexico, provides hurdle in maintaining air quality. Efforts are afoot to develope an environmental air pollution control plan for Mexicalli. In July 1997, the feaderal Environmental Protection Agency had established an eight hour National Ambient Air Quality standard of 0.080 parts per million to safeguard public health and promote better air quality.

To reduce air pollution caused by companies using new technology to extract natural gas trapped in deep shales, new rules have been proposed by Texas environmetnal regulators, the Texas Commission on Environmental Qualitly.

The new rules came after the said Commission was accused of having weak regulations that contributed to air pollution and high levels of cancer causing toxins at Barnett Shale drilling site. The gases in Barnett, and other shales, had long been inaccessible, but a new method of extracting the fluid, known as fracking or hydraulic fracturing, led to a new boom in the industry. The rapid expansion of shale drilling, especially around urban areas, forced the agency to review its regulations.

But environmental groups groused that new rules were applicable only to new permits, new equipment or changes that would increase emissions.