November 15, 2007
- Just a poll. Have any of you ever heard anything about CO2 sequestration? What it is, how it is done, anything?
Does that decaffeinate my coffee beans?
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Answer: No.
I have no idea. But I feel like a certain somebody has an upcoming presentation to give to a general audience.
No, I was just wondering about the environmental impact of CO2 sequestration and if people knew about the process in general.
I've heard a little bit about it. There are a couple of jobs in Austin that Andy and I were thinking of applying to in this area. It'll be a bit of a stretch for us, but it sounds like a cool job/area.
I think I read an article about it once.
From a chemical engineering standpoint, a carbon mass balance on the planet would be kind of interesting. Plants end up taking out a lot of carbon from the air, but decomposition, combustion, and burning what they turn into (oil) releases it. Alternately it can be stored in geologic formations (either by producing carbonates or pumping it into water) but there is worry that doing that isn't permanent or may acidify the water.
It also may create a nasty feedback loop: right now a bunch of permafrost in Siberia is melting and releasing CO2 with it.
(I should also probably mention that there was a correction to this article regarding one of the quotes but I have no idea where to find it on line and honestly, it was very slight.)
Oooh, oooh. A semi-sciency question i actually understand. Sort of. :) A little more about it from some people I trust.
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Isn't it a variety of technologies, ranging from trees to various chemical plants, that attempts to store carbon dioxide on the ground, and thus preventing it from going into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.
It's probably an interesting short term alternative while we adjust to reduced emissions.
posted by Valatan at 04:03PM CST on November 15