Invention Could Fight Global Climate Change
Carbon emissions are believed by many to be a primary cause of global climate change. There are many efforts underway to reduce the amount or eliminate all together unnecessary carbon release. Technologies have been utilized to scrub emissions from large sources such has power plants; these devices are large and not practice for use in cleaning pollution made by smaller and much more decentralized sources such as cars. Vehicles are responsible for approximately 20% of our carbon release. Such cleaning systems are also expensive to install on older generators of pollution. The cost of these retrofits are a significant barrier to their adoption. The new system, while not reducing the carbon pollution created by an older power plant could remove it after the face, and may be a cheaper solution as it does not require the same construction costs.
A single device with an opening approximately thirty feet wide by thirty feet high would be able to remove as much as one thousand tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year. If the machines are able to remove that much from the air we would require approximately eleven million units of that size to maintain carbon levels at twice what they were in the industrial revolution with no reduction in our present emissions.
The system demonstrated would allow carbon that was released into the atmosphere at any point on the globe to be captured at another appropriate place. This is a large benefit as the system must also have a place to store the carbon it extracts. Being able to choose to extract it where it will be useful, such as in fossil fuel extraction is much more convenient than, for example extracting it near its place of emission in a city and arranging for its disposal.
This is not a license to run wild and somehow find a way to drive three extra cars to the corner store. The creators acknowledge this is not a system that is ready to be placed into wide deployment tomorrow, but are confident that it is a very important first step to carbon capture and sequestration technology. Our conservation efforts are still very important for the near future.
Global Research Technologies plan to continue it's development of these devices. Hoping to test larger devices soon.
First Successful Demonstration of Carbon Dioxide Air Capture Technology Achieved by Columbia University Scientist and Private Company: Earth Institute News: URL: http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/news/2007/story04-24-07.php
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- GRT hopes this technology may be able to reduce carbon levels to pre-industrial levels.
9 Comments
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theres an artical in last months issue of nat. geographic check it out. it will help alot ( its faster then what trees can do) artical : BIG IDEA
This type of invention might be sorely needed if bad effects get felt from global warming. That means there would be a lot of polluted air in cities even if these devices were taking the carbon dioxide out. Wouldn't it be better to have clean technologies in the first place and no pollution.
Another possibility is that the rise in global temperatures is slow enough that people never really feel a sudden impact and absolutely nothing is done. The world just continues with the same types of technologies or new but also polluting.
Why not fit these filters directly to greenhouse gas sources eg car exhasts and fossil fuel power station?
Nuclear power station have to store their waste environmentally friendly so why no fossil fuel stations and cars?
Interesting concept. I wonder how much energy it would take to run eleven million of these things. Great writing!
very interesting. Great article!
Wow - this is a great report. Thanks for informing us about this breakthrough. It is timely after the recent "surprise" demonstrations by college students on Earth Day. Good for us!
this should be fun to watch all the silly inventions coming out. Last time there was a climate 'problem' scientists wanted to cover the artic with soot! Those wacky inventors.
very interesting article. I hope these devices end up working out.