Capturing carbon from the air

There is an amazing machine for doing just that! (capturing co2 and energy) its called a tree!!

Chris

Hi

I don't disagree that basic thermodynamics tells us you can't get something for nothing. (What a pity bankers don't study thermodynamics!)

However, it looks as though power from nuclear fission is going to be significant part of the energy mix at least in the short /medium term and maybe fusion power will be tameable in the longer term.

If nuclear energy can be used to drive the reaction described or conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen then either could offer a portable fuel source that does not exacerbate atmospheric carbon levels.

It would be unwise to hold one's breath whilst waiting for such an outcome as the problem is too urgent to await such developments.

However - we should probably not dismiss such an approach as a longer term contribution - provided we don't use it as an excuse for not tackling the immediate, urgent need for action.

I am highly sceptical. It reminds me of claims of cars running on water which float around from time to time. The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore, from which this originates, gives little away and makes it impossible to find out more. One link even crashed my browser completely - twice!

Basic chemistry tells you that oxidising carbon to CO2 releases energy: it is exothermic. This is what fossil fuels are all about: oxidising carbon (and, in hydrocarbon fuels like oil and gas, hydrogen too) to produce heat, CO2 and water. The reacton they describe as being 'catalysed' is a reducing reaction which would be endothermic, requiring large amounts of energy to break the very stable carbon to oxygen double bonds. Another example of such a reaction is the reduction of iron ores (oxides) to metallic iron which requires immense amounts of heat from burning coal in blast furnaces.

It all sounds, like alchemist claims of transmutation of base metals to gold, too good to be true so it probably isn't. I think we're stuck with wind turbines and solar energy for proven renewable resources.