Ionic Liquid Catalyst Helps Turn Emissions Into Fuel

HysteryDiagnosis

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Oct-07-11 06:26 PM
Original message

Ionic Liquid Catalyst Helps Turn Emissions Into Fuel

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006162537.htm

ScienceDaily (Oct. 7, 2011) — An Illinois research team has succeeded in overcoming one major obstacle to a promising technology that simultaneously reduces atmospheric carbon dioxide and produces fuel.

Biofuel production (left) compared to fuel produced via artificial synthesis. Crops takes in CO2, water and sunlight to create biomass, which then is transferred to a refinery to create fuel. In the artificial photosynthesis route, a solar collector or windmill collects energy that powers an electrolyzer, which converts CO2 to a synthesis gas that is piped to a refinery to create fuel. (Credit: Graphic by Dioxide Materials)

Refresh | +1 Recommendations

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

NickB79

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sat Oct-08-11 06:19 AM
Response to Original message

1. This doesn't reduce atmospheric carbon if you burn the fuel

Then you're just recycling the carbon from the air to fuel and back into the air again. Only if you found a way to store large quantities of the fuel and never touch it again would you be reducing CO2 levels.

You could say it would prevent ADDITIONAL carbon from being released by making fossil fuels redundant though.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

Ready4Change

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sat Oct-08-11 09:31 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. Preventing additional carbon release is a good step.

Biomass also doesn't reduce atmospheric carbon if you burn the fuels. This is basically the same as biomass fuel production, but without the crops.

Still, in either case, getting into a fuel cycle that reuses atmospheric carbon, rather than digging up and releasing additional millions of years old carbon, is a worthwhile step.

The equivalent of, when you find your self in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Wed May 01st 2024, 07:19 AM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.