Posted on 07/16/2007 6:59:23 PM PDT by Thalos
Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have created a device that uses sunlight to transform harmful CO2 gas into fuel that could replace all the gasoline used in transportation.
Clifford Kubiak, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Aaron Sathrum have developed a prototype device that can capture energy from the sun, convert it to electrical energy and “split” carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen.
The amazing process produces CO (carbon monoxide) which can be processed by bacterial fermentation to produce ethanol, and massive amounts industrial chemicals used to produce plastics. By splitting CO2 you can save fuel, produce useful chemicals and eliminate global warming greenhouse gases.
The device designed by Kubiak and Sathrum to split carbon dioxide utilizes a semiconductor and two thin layers of catalysts. It splits carbon dioxide to generate carbon monoxide and oxygen in a three-step process. The first step is the capture of solar energy photons by the semiconductor. The second step is the conversion of optical energy into electrical energy by the semiconductor. The third step is the deployment of electrical energy to the catalysts. The catalysts convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide on one side of the device and to oxygen on the other side.
The US uses about 400 million gallon of gasoline a day and produces about 50 million tons of CO2. The goal now is to scale this process up to replace that amount of gasoline and convert most of the manmade CO2 gases in the US.
-PJ
Correction: in highly reactive beneficial carbon monoxide, that will become CO2 minutes after by swallowing its share of O2. From a California school, indeed.
But in response to another post - yes .. the eco freaks will go crazy saying we're robbing flora of their food !!!!
One of these days we’ll be “recycling” all our CO2 so well that we won’t have any CO2 in the atmosphere at all. Huzzah!
Of course, no one mentions the fact that... plants need CO2 to photosynthesize, or that CO2 contributes roughly 12% of the greenhouse effect and that completely removing it from the atmosphere would likely dump us into a very severe ice age.
But what do I know.
What no apple pie and ice cream???
This from a different and a bit more detailed article. Read the other article.
“Because their device is not yet optimized, they still need to input additional energy for the process to work. However, they hope that their results, which they presented at last month’s meeting of the American Chemical Society, will draw attention to the promise of the approach.”
http://www.physorg.com/news96107693.html
I hope it works out though. If it does, I wonder theory the left will think up to replace global warming to cripple the US economy.
Since CO2 is dispersed in the atmosphere at a concentration of about .05%, gotta wonder how they plan to catch hold of the stuff. Maybe butterfly nets.
Recipe for End of Global Warming Crisis
Material List
1 Wooden Armchair
2 Rolls of Ducttape
1 Pair of Scissors
1 Bottle of Dom Perignon
1 Champagne Flute
Procedure
1. Secure Al Gore to Wooden Armchair with Roll #1 of Ducttape - cut tape with Scissors;
2. Secure Al Gore’s mouth with Roll #2 of Ducttape - cut tape with Scissors;
3. Open Bottle of Dom Perignon and fill Champagne Flute;
4. Celebrate end of Global Warming crisis. Imbibe generously. Smile.
wow - even better - we now have perpetual motion (well - needing sunlight of course - but close)
Now - we can all get rich rich rich by converting FR into PETP (or is it PETF ?) and get lots of gubmint grants to protest this inhumane killing and maiming of plants starved of their natural CO2 by our cruel conversion of it into a poison and oxygen for our own greedy benefit.
We have truely become a planet full of idiots.
Furniture?
Basic References:
Lawrence Solomon's "The Deniers" (a series of articles on the view of scientists who have been labelled "Global Warming Deniers"):
Other References:
Problem solved. No more global warming...or humans to worry about it.
I was thinking more along the lines of a really big sock whith shich to ram down Algore's throat.
And I'll have my pockets filled of bars of soap to throw at any of his stinky hippie friends that try to stop me...
We are robbing the flora of its food and energy.
Transferring the sun’s heat energy into electrical power for example should be permitted on one condition:
That the energy be used for the electrical needs of all the animal and plant kingdom.
Wide-screen televisions, iPods and electrical toothbrushes will then serve at the pleasure of leopards, badgers, dung beetles and the spotted owl.
Oh.
Ya needs MORE energy (to make the CO2 into CO) than what ya get from da sunlight falling on da (incredibly expensive) solar panels (which only generate usable power from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM local every day anyway) .... So ya need to burn (some kind of mythical fuel) to convert (useful) CO2 into (poisonous) CO....
montgomery burns had the right idea
Cool.
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