Jack May
2008-03-03 20:32:08 UTC
A company (Los Alamos Renewable Energy) is developing a process that use
sunlight and hydrogen to convert CO2 and hydrogen to hydrocarbon fuel. It
is starting to look like even oil is potentually a way to reduce greenhouse
gases.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19726451.600-turning-cosub2sub-back-into-hydrocarbons.html
"They are developing a collection of technologies to retrieve some of the
CO2 that would otherwise pollute the atmosphere, using its carbon atoms to
form hydrocarbons. These could then be used as vehicle fuel, or as a
feedstock to make plastics and other materials we now derive from oil."
"The simplest route is to heat CO2 molecules to around 2400 °C, at which
point they spontaneously split into CO and oxygen. The problem is finding
the energy to do this."
"One of the drawbacks of this approach is the high operating temperature,
says Nathan Siegel of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where a rival team is at work. High temperatures lead to heavy
thermal losses, which in turn can reduce efficiency."
"One of the drawbacks of this approach is the high operating temperature,
says Nathan Siegel of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where a rival team is at work. High temperatures lead to heavy
thermal losses, which in turn can reduce efficiency."
"The energy that would be liberated by using these hydrocarbons as fuel
amounts to just under 1 per cent of the solar energy needed to produce it.
To make the most of the available land, Jensen suggests coupling LARE's
carbon capture reactor with an electricity generating station that would use
the heat wasted by the reactor itself. He reckons the combined installation
could convert as much as 48 per cent of the solar energy into usable
energy."
sunlight and hydrogen to convert CO2 and hydrogen to hydrocarbon fuel. It
is starting to look like even oil is potentually a way to reduce greenhouse
gases.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19726451.600-turning-cosub2sub-back-into-hydrocarbons.html
"They are developing a collection of technologies to retrieve some of the
CO2 that would otherwise pollute the atmosphere, using its carbon atoms to
form hydrocarbons. These could then be used as vehicle fuel, or as a
feedstock to make plastics and other materials we now derive from oil."
"The simplest route is to heat CO2 molecules to around 2400 °C, at which
point they spontaneously split into CO and oxygen. The problem is finding
the energy to do this."
"One of the drawbacks of this approach is the high operating temperature,
says Nathan Siegel of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where a rival team is at work. High temperatures lead to heavy
thermal losses, which in turn can reduce efficiency."
"One of the drawbacks of this approach is the high operating temperature,
says Nathan Siegel of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where a rival team is at work. High temperatures lead to heavy
thermal losses, which in turn can reduce efficiency."
"The energy that would be liberated by using these hydrocarbons as fuel
amounts to just under 1 per cent of the solar energy needed to produce it.
To make the most of the available land, Jensen suggests coupling LARE's
carbon capture reactor with an electricity generating station that would use
the heat wasted by the reactor itself. He reckons the combined installation
could convert as much as 48 per cent of the solar energy into usable
energy."