--- In tomorrow-energy@yahoogroups.com, "Michael L. McMullen" <amalepoet@...>
wrote:
>
> Heard about this like 6 months ago. Wasn't aware i was leading edge on
technology information. Yahoo this makes my week thanks for the pick me up.
>
> Good travels
> Poet
>
> --- In tomorrow-energy@yahoogroups.com, "dan brown" <b24664050@> wrote:
> >
> > BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Synthetic trees could purify air
> >
> > Synthetic trees could purify air
> >
> > By Molly Bentley
> >
> >
> >
> > The invention is confined to paper so far
> > A scientist has invented an artificial tree designed to do the
job
> > of plants.
> > But the synthetic tree proposed by Dr Klaus Lackner does not
much
> > resemble the leafy variety.
> > "It looks like a goal post with Venetian blinds," said the
Columbia
> > University physicist, referring to his sketch at the annual
meeting
> > of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in
> > Denver, Colorado.
> > But the synthetic tree would do the job of a real tree, he said.
It
> > would draw carbon dioxide out of the air, as plants do during
> > photosynthesis, but retain the carbon and not release oxygen.
> > If built to scale, according to Dr Lackner, synthetic trees
could
> > help clean up an atmosphere grown heavy with carbon dioxide, the
> > most abundant gas produced by humans and implicated in climate
> > warming.
> > He predicts that one synthetic tree could remove 90,000 tonnes
of
> > CO2 in a year - the emissions equivalent of 15,000 cars.
> > "You can be a thousand times better than a living tree," he
said.
> > Carbon sinks
> > For now, the synthetic tree is still a paper idea. But Dr
Lackner is
> > serious about developing a working model. His efforts suggest
the
> > wide net of ideas cast by scientists as they face the challenge
of
> > mitigating climate change.
> > Dr Lackner believes that carbon sequestration technology must be
> > part of the long-term solution. Global reliance on fossil fuels
> > would not decrease any time soon, he said, and developing
countries
> > cannot be expected to wait until alternatives are available.
> > The technology calls for two things: seizing carbon and then
storing
> > it. Direct capture of CO2, from power plants for example, is the
> > simplest, according to Dr Lackner. But this doesn't work for all
> > polluters. A car can't capture and store its carbon dioxide
> > on-board; the storage tank would be too large.
> > "It's simply a question of weight," he said. "For every 14 grams
of
> > gasoline you use, you are going to have 44 grams of CO2."
> > The alternative is to capture emissions from the wind. In this
case,
> > a synthetic tree would act like a filter. An absorbent coating,
such
> > as limewater, on its slats or "leaves" would seize carbon
dioxide
> > and retain the carbon.
> > Dr Lackner predicts that the biggest expense would be in
recycling
> > the absorber material.
> > "We have to keep the absorbent surfaces refreshed because they
will
> > very rapidly fill up with carbon dioxide," he said. If an
alkaline
> > solution such as limewater were used, the resulting coat of
> > limestone would need to be removed.
> > Dr Lackner is considering other less-alkaline solutions to
prevent
> > carbonate precipitation.
> > "There are a number of engineering issues which need to be
worked
> > out," he said.
> > Home use
> > A synthetic tree could be planted anywhere. A small one could
sit
> > like a TV on the lawn to balance out the CO2 emitted by one
person
> > or family.
> > But more practically, said Dr Lackner, a device the size of a
barn
> > would sit in the open air, near repositories for easy
transportation
> > and storage of carbon.
> > He estimated that 250,000 synthetic trees worldwide would be
needed
> > to soak up the 22 billion tonnes of CO2 produced annually.
> > But not everyone is rooted to the idea. Massachusetts Institute
of
> > Technology engineer Howard Herzog thinks Dr Lackner's design
will
> > not hold together on the scale he proposes.
> > He said you would expend more energy in capturing the CO2 - in
> > keeping the slats coated in absorbent and disposing of it - than
you
> > would save.
> > "Once the solvent captures the CO2, it holds it on tight," said
Dr
> > Herzog, "and it's going to take a lot of energy to break those
> > bonds."
> > He said that much more research was needed on the technology.
> > "The idea of air capture is seductive and would really be great
to
> > have," said Dr Herzog, "but it's important to separate out the
> > concept from the technical details."
> > 'Early days'
> > Meanwhile, Dr Lackner is pursuing his idea for carbon storage.
While
> > he was at the US Department of Energy's Los Alamos National
> > Laboratory, his team worked on a storage method based on a
natural
> > chemical process known as rock weathering.
> > When CO2 binds with magnesium, it creates carbonate rocks which,
> > according to Dr Lackner, retain carbon permanently and safely.
> > Currently, he said, the process is still too expensive to
develop on
> > a large scale.
> > But Dr Lackner is optimistic that the costs for carbon capture
and
> > storage will come down.
> > "This is still the early days of climate solutions," he said.
> >
>
it is years old. but nobody knows about it. and it is xpensive, but ots over
time to do somethig that works now.ut the co2 that a 6 person famaily. obams
sciene guy is looking into it