Greenhouse gases are one of the major contributors to global warming, and this may just be the primary reason for extinction of organisms on Earth. Human activities emit a large portion of these greenhouse gases. As environmental awareness rises, we are taught ways on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the activities we need to avoid. However, these reduction attempts do not even begin to counter the rate by which these gases are emitted because of activities humans are accustomed to (factory mass productions, emissions by vehicles, etc.)
With this in mind, are there any ways to convert these greenhouse gases, which are more than abundant in the atmosphere, into usable materials? If so, are these methods already feasible and efficient?
Managed forests. They provide in situ (living and dead biomass) and then ex situ (wood products) sequestration . Paper has a short life-time but construction material can be sequestered for centuries.
Some greenhouse gases (e.g Methane, CH4) can be captured at the ‘point of source’ (where they are being generated) and can be used for energy (electricity) and heat generation.
Covering liquid manure tanks (in dairy farms) and capturing CH4 for energy generation is one example. There are purpose built anaerobic digesters in dairy farms in some countries in which this process has been optimized. Please see the link below as an example.
http://www.fre-energy.co.uk/pdf/RASE-On-Farm-AD-Review.pdf
Following article describes another example where Methane (CH4) may be used for producing a useful product:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2112298-food-made-from-natural-gas-will-soon-feed-farm-animals-and-us/
Always remind that, during the industry age, any human activity was consumeing energy, GHG gases being always emitted. This remains true within the post- industry age. In such context, Kurt's suggests "managed forests", that is probably the most appropriate (or the less unappropriate ) solution while producing gasoline is undoubtfully the worst way..
Pls, feel free to comment the present viewpoint
Jacques
Dear colleague,
it's a serious question. There many solutions or projects o solution proposed by several authors like Pr. Kenneth M Towe, Kurt,etc. I believe that in a near futur these projects can be implemented with high effiency. Theses implentations can be by chemical or biochemical, physical or biological processes or combination of several processes. For example, in 2016 there is a lab who succeed in converting CO2 to CH4.
kind regards!
Dera Adel Oueslati
Concerning the technologies viewpoint, there is no question about their feasibility. Solutions do certainly exist !! However they result in very lmportant questions, that have to be accurately pointed out and, of course , in a more detailed manner than within the briefly summarized sections 1 and 2 as follows :
1 - What would be the final energy balance? i.e. after GHS transformation into a fuel , do you recover significantly more energy than invested in the process ?)
2 - Let me assumme you intend to transform CO² into a fuel through a multi-step process, each having an (optimist) 80 % yield. As long as CO² emissions are regarded, they are then mulitplied by 1.25 after one step , by 1.56 after 2 steps, 1.95 after 3 steps ...
Finally, I am afraid this is nothing but a dramatic "cul-de-sac" generation
Governments and industry now the upcoming environmental challenges in the 70th.
Dear Jacques Roturier,
Ok, I'am agree with you. I believe that each try in CO2 conversion it's a good work which can considered as a contribution in the safety of our environment and the life on the earth. These conversion methods will make several influences on human behavior, on law, on education, on fabrication, etc.
Kind regards!
Adel OUESLATI
Hannah Mabao: In the following article of me I cited a process of making polymers from CO2. It also includes research being done using concentrated CO2 to grow crops in greenhouses:
Innovative Chemistry is required to fight Climate Change, René Aga Van Zeebroeck, Dr.Sc. (SECOT), Industria Química, Nº 23, 2015, Achema 2015 edition.
Maybe this other older article can also be helpful for your study:
Facing sustainable development in the processing industries - The need for energy efficient and other CO2 emissions reduction technologies-, René Aga, Ingeniería Química, Nº 400, May 2003.
http://alchemy.cchem.berkeley.edu/static/pdf/innovativechemistry.pdf
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4t62vBUtHSMangtSDM0dlhUQWc/view
OK Kenneth, it was not the purpose of the paper giving definitive and complete solutions to CO2 capture and climate change. The real question is to avoid as much as possible the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, so that it would be not necessary to eliminate it. There have been many efforts by many people doing research on the capture of CO2, Mainly at the site where it is produced, but this is still a high cost process. The main solutions must come in the first place from energy savings and efficient energy use, and from renewable energies, preferably solar, wind and hydric. Also from bio fuels but their production, use and climate impact may be doubtful in some cases from the point of view of renewable energy. Also more effort must be made on forest conservation and reforestation (The most efficient way to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere) but there are obstacles from private economic interests. I told about this problem already 14 years ago in another article (see link). Electric cars are OK, but would there be enough renewable energy available if all the cars of the world were electric ones?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4t62vBUtHSMangtSDM0dlhUQWc/view
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/carbon-dioxide-ethanol-fuel-scientists-turn-greenhouse-gas-accidentally-reverse-combustion-a7369096.html
https://www.anl.gov/articles/new-leaf-scientists-turn-carbon-dioxide-back-fuel
https://gizmodo.com/this-material-could-turn-carbon-dioxide-into-fuel-1722884447
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/green-tech/fuel-cells/stanford-carbon-monoxide-ethanol
https://phys.org/news/2012-11-biochemists-greenhouse-gas-fuel.html
Dear Hamit
Unless I misunderstand, better to forget it!
Do you mean using CO², as a by-product of fossil fuel combustion, to transform it into another fuel ? If so, once the new fuel is burn you w'll have to manage more CO² because, in such condition, you need to build and operate specific equipment (storage, chemical process) not ignoring the conversion yield probably far from reaching 100%. As suggested, that idea is certainly a nice lab experiment that is, however, very far for being a solution to the environmental challenge
Not ignoring too, as reminded here above by Kenneth M Towe , the " hundreds of billions of tons "
Sincerely yours
Jacques
Growing plantion forests will help if products go into longterm storage. Wood can last in houses for decades to hundreds of years. Even paper is put into modern landfills will have a long half-life. In the meantime you are growing new biomass. I didnt think we were truying so olve the entire issue but just contributing to the answer.
OK, well n the southeast US plantations are often planted on degraded ag land. It is the "wood basket" of the world.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Agricultural Science
- Agronomy
- Crop Science