Scientists invent device to stop Global Warming

Next Energy News ^ | July 16, 2007

[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.

[The Mayor]

later read.

[dougd]

catalytic converters convert CO into CO2

I know - I am always amazed that the question never arises "What if in our attempt to 'cure' global warming we actually bring on the next ice age?"

(not that we could anyway - but assuming the false premise that we can do anything to control global climate ..)

It seems to me that human history of trying to "fix" nature almost inevitably results in a cure worse than the disease because we really don't have much of a clue about how it all works.

[Delacon]

Now now. These guys are on the right track. Anti-global warming guys like myself have often said that any anthropagenic CO2 that MAY be a contributing factor to global warming will be solved by science and the market place. NOT goverment regulation.

[CindyDawg]

I have two very technical scientific questions about this

1. Do these guys have a permit to make this non-gas?

2. Are they paying road taxes on each potential gallon they to test with?

[mamelukesabre]

The problem is how to you trap and contain the CO2? I’m guessing this is the part they left out on purpose. The devil is in the details.

[Secret Agent Man]

Ummmmmmmmmmmm............

Don’t trees already take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen?

Ummmmmmmmmmmm............

it’s a proven scientific fact that more carbon dioxide will make plants/trees grow bigger (ie process more carbon dioxide, give off more oxygen).

I think this device might be better if they could build one that turns CO2 into carbon and oxygen (ie a carbon scrubber). This would be great for enclosed spaces to recycle the air and remove carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. But it seems idiotic for trying to save the planet.

Note to scientists: WE HAVE TREES AND PLANTS THAT LOVE CO2!!!!!!

I think this will be as effective as having a bunch of liberals petition volcanoes to stop belching out more bad gases than we can all year that they can in one day.

[kinoxi]

Pesky little sapient buggers...

[Delacon]

Read the article I linked to. It states that they used a silicon based semiconductor that doesn’t provide enough power. Next they are going to try a gallium-phosphide semiconductor which should produce better results. No mention of whether or not they will have to still add non sunlight energy to the mix then. Hey, if Orville and Wilber had as many nay sayers on their first 10 second flight at Kittyhawke we’d still be blimping it around the world. :)

[decal]

“3. Open Bottle of Dom Perignon and fill Champagne Flute;
4. Celebrate end of Global Warming crisis. Imbibe generously. Smile.”

You left out a step - where do you shove the empty Dom P. bottle? ;)

[dougd]

but ... but ... but...

If we get algore behind this - and have him do the next live earth concert from within the room where all this wonderfully "safe from global warming" CO is being produced - we really might fix the problem - dontcha see.

[Stallone]

Where do you shove the empty Dom P. bottle?

To celebrate the end of the Global Warming crisis?

Ummm, where the sun don’t shine?

[tubebender]

Now let me get this straight... We have millions and millions of catalytic converters on autos and lite trucks to clean up and turn unburned hydrocarbons and CARBON MONOXIDE to water vapor and CARBON DIOXIDE and now they are going to reverse that?

[mylife]

amine

Gas Treatment

* Aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA), diglycolamine (DGA), diethanolamine (DEA), diisopropanolamine (DIPA) and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) are widely used industrially for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) from natural gas streams and refinery process streams. They may also be used to remove CO2 from combustion gases / flue gases and may have potential for abatement of greenhouse gases.

[The Great RJ]

I’m sure this process will be every much as successful at combating global warming as holding a series of who cares rock concerts around the world and producing a farcical pseudo science movie.

[Ditto]

I guarantee - without any doubt or question - that no matter how carbon emissions or global warming are “solved”, IT WILL NOT SATISFY THE ECO-NAZIS.

That is the BOTTOM LINE.

I'm not a chemist, but this scheme sounds goofy.

[dougd]

and the spotted owl

yeah - a wide screen TV showing the now extinct "old growth forest" should make 'em feel right at home - that interrupted by a few WalMart commercials showing their signposts to add to their memories of their 'home away from home'

(It was a WalMart sign they were also found to live happly within - wasn't it?)

[Finny]

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.

Bwa-- hahahah! Good one! Driving home late the other night I was listening good ol' reliable traveling companion Kook to Kook AM (always entertaining radio! No wonder the truckers love it!), and the host mentioned that the recent phenomenon of higher temperatures of lakes in Yellowstone killing the fish, is being attributed to "global warming." My first thought was, "Uh-oh, if the rise in lake temperatures is true." Yellowstone is smack dab in the middle of a festering live zit of fire (so to speak) on the planet's surface, and if the caldera beneath erupts again ... actually, it's when the caldera beneath next erupts ... we're talking some real pretty sh&&. As in the entire continent pretty much environmentally wiped out. Dead and gone.

To his credit, the host mentioned the caldera. I hope he has the sense to put what's known about geology into perspective. In the context of truth, the man-caused global warming movement is laughably quaint. I am flummoxed as to why that is some kind of secret.

[redhead]

"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.">

Doesn't a lot of CO2 come from the oceans? If that's the case, then what??

[redhead]

"Why don't we convert the surplus CO2 into 7-Up and Coca-Cola? Then we could just drink all the Global Warming."

LOLOLOL!!! Can I have that for a tagline?

[Ditto]

LOL