New Discovery Promises Efficient Way to Recycle Carbon Dioxide Pollution

www.voanews.com...

This could be an important discovery to help battle CO2 pollution.

Scientists in the United States say they have discovered a new, inexpensive way to remove excess carbon dioxide, or CO2, from the atmosphere, as well as from large industrial exhaust sources, such as factory smokestacks.

Researchers at the University of Southern California's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute say their new CO2 extraction method achieved some of the highest rates ever reported for removing the potentially climate-changing greenhouse gas from the air under humid conditions.

Study co-author and Loker Institute director Professor Surya Prakash said the CO2 extraction technique involves a plastic-like substance dispersed in a sandy material called fumed silica.

Prakash says he expects to see his team’s CO2 recycling technology in commercial use within three to five years

The USC researchers say the fumed silica materials they developed for the CO2 extractor are much cheaper, more energy efficient and more chemically stable than existing extraction devices. They also report that the new materials can be used multiple times without losing their efficiency.

I think that whether mankind has contributed to global warming is still open for debate, but there is no harm in keeping our earth clean. New technologies such as this one may help lead us to a cleaner, safer future.

CO2 is not pollution!!!!!!!!!!! U have to study more....


climatecooling.blogspot.com...

I got a better idea, If we have and abundance of co2....How about we change from an oil based economy to a Hemp based one.........Win win win.

Originally posted by ZakOlongapo
CO2 is not pollution!!!!!!!!!!! U have to study more....


climatecooling.blogspot.com...

edit on 7-1-2012 by ZakOlongapo because: (no reason given)

Any chemical can be a pollutant in over-abundance........I believe you have to study more as well.......

I fully understand that CO2 is a vital part of our atmosphere, however, it can be a pollutant if not in proper percentages.

I guarantee that if we manage to cheaply control all of our carbon emmission to the point of reversing the atmospheric levels, the carbon and energy taxes will remain in place. We could create a carbon dioxide deficiency in the atmosphere and the taxes will stay in place.

reply to post by isyeye

... i see that U can just believe. and that is fare from to know....

"CO2 for different people has different attractions. After all, what is it? - it’s not a pollutant, it’s a product of every living creature’s breathing, it’s the product of all plant respiration, it is essential for plant life and photosynthesis, it’s a product of all industrial burning, it’s a product of driving – I mean, if you ever wanted a leverage point to control everything from exhalation to driving, this would be a dream. So it has a kind of fundamental attractiveness to bureaucratic mentality."

"CO2 is not a pollutant. In simple terms, CO2 is plant food. The green world we see around us would disappear if not for atmospheric CO2. These plants largely evolved at a time when the atmospheric CO2 concentration was many times what it is today. Indeed, numerous studies indicate the present biosphere is being invigorated by the human-induced rise of CO2. In and of itself, therefore, the increasing concentration of CO2 does not pose a toxic risk to the planet."

A device invented in canada a few years ago uses electricity to remove carbon from the air, this relatively cheap device could use electricity from a coal power plant. It would use a small fraction of the electricity and remove the amount of carbon produced by 10 coal power plants. This was never implemented, they would rather charge us carbon tax.

There is a effective relatively cheap solution for almost every problem the global elite whine about but they suppress them.

reply to post by ZakOlongapo


I think you miss the whole point....You are not telling me any information
that I'm not already aware of.

IMO....the earth regulates the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is partially done thru plant life as well as geological events. The importance of this, is that we may have a way to filter CO2 that humans create industrially. Mother Earth has been doing her job for millions of years, and will continue to do so. We can either help her with this process, or she can do it for us, but it may not be in the way we choose.

Yes, CO2 is VERY important to life on earth, but too much is not a good thing. It's something like over-eating. Sure, food is essential for life, but ever-abundance can lead to health problems. That's where the potential for harm is with CO2. Don't be fooled by thinking too much just makes plants grow better. That's like feeding fattening, sugar filled sweets to a diabetic.

Plants breathe CO2 and produce oxygen from that process ...With a sustained depletion of our planet's green space (ie the Rain Forest) you have seen an increase in atmospheric CO2 content. It seems to me, the solution would be to simply restore an amount of green space on this planet (which can be done any number of ways) equal to pre-industrial levels.

Would that ever happen? Probably not in our lifetimes ...But we can start towards the path of re-growing as much as we can in our lifetimes within the framework of a more realistic goal relative to populations and processes going forward.

Contributors such as CFC and vehicle emissions have already seen, and continue to see, standards be implemented. This is the next step if their serious about fixing the problem.

reply to post by isyeye

the whole point is about money! i am finish here, tc......

How about we simply stop clear-cutting forests? Trees are the lungs of the world, and without them Earth is developing asthma.

reply to post by Jubilation T Cornpone


Thank you for the most intelligent answer to the problem.....you are 100% correct.

CO2 Generator

www.johnsongas.com...

reply to post by ZakOlongapo


Ok then....let's have a look at your CO2 gererator.
www.johnsongas.com...

*Based on adding 1,500 ppm CO2 to a greenhouse
with one air change per hour CO2 production
slightly less when burning natural gas.

They are saying that higher CO2 levels have some benifits to PLANT life at a level of 1500ppm

Now please take a look at the effect of CO2 on HUMAN life:

en.wikipedia.org...

carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is at a concentration of 390 ppm by volume.

390 ppm of CO2 in our atmosphere

High carbon dioxide levels can cause poor air quality and can even extinguish pilot lights on gas-powered appliances.

High CO2 levels, generally over 1000 ppm, indicate a potential problem with air circulation and fresh air in a room or building.

over 1,000 ppm of CO2 inside a structure is considered to be a potential problem

www.dhs.wisconsin.gov...

The levels of CO2 in the air and potential health problems are:
250 - 350 ppm – background (normal) outdoor air level
350- 1,000 ppm - typical level found in occupied spaces with good air exchange.
1,000 – 2,000 ppm - level associated with complaints of drowsiness and poor air.
2,000 – 5,000 ppm – level associated with headaches, sleepiness, and stagnant, stale, stuffy air. Poor concentration, loss of attention, increased heart rate and slight nausea may also be present.
>5,000 ppm – Exposure may lead to serious oxygen deprivation resulting in permanent brain damage, coma and even death.

The atmosphere, the CLEAN air that we breathe everyday OUTSIDE is at 390 ppm...at 350 ppm we are in a level associated with INSIDE an envlosed space...at 1,000 ppm we begin enter an area of danger for humans...at 1,500 ppm (the CO2 generator) there is significant exsposure problems for humans.

The point is that the higher CO2 levels are now at a level more associated with air within a building.

Just because something is good for one thing, it can be harmful for another. Higher CO2 levels may be more benifitial to plant life, but they pose a danger to human and other life on the planet. As stated earlier in the thread, higher CO2 levels are probably from loss of plants and trees on earth due to human activities...that IS our fault...CO2 levels are a concern in our atmosphere. They may not as important to climate change as other things, but the important thing here is that this is not about climate change. This is about breathing air that is healthy for you, me, our families, and the generations to come.

We either help keep our world clean, or we let the plants and other lifeforms that can thrive in a higher CO2 environment have the earth.....we won't be here.

reply to post by isyeye


the atmosphere is 5000 trillion tons.Human addition is around 20-30 billion tons Co2. oceans have 90-100 trillion tons of co2.Atmosphere has 1.5-1.8 trillion tons of carbon.Ice age can remove large amounts of carbon with ease.

Research on cycle of ice ages. You will understand.Human addition is insignificant.

reply to post by Sahabi

We plant 3 trees for every three we cut down.

Co2 is the food of the food and oxygen producing plants: it isn't polution
period

There already is a far better "carbon dioxide extraction technology" in existence. They are called trees.

I can't believe they have gotten all the dingbats to think CO2 is somehow bad, when it's carbon MONOXIDE that is poison.

reply to post by isyeye


Good news.

Hope they can pull it together, go commercial.