lunes, julio 31, 2006

Important! Why Carbon Sequestration Won't Save Us

July 31, 2006 09:10 AM - Michael G. Richard, near Ottawa

smokestacks-coal-01.jpg

Carbon sequestration, also known as geosequestration, seems like a good deal. "Have your carbon cake and eat it too." In principle, it works this way: You capture CO2 emissions at the source before they are released into the atmosphere, compress them until they become liquid and then inject them in deep underground holes. What could be simpler? It certainly sounds like a good tool to fight global warming while enjoying the Earth's huge coal reserves.

I used to think that it would indeed be one of the many solutions used to save ourselves from catastrophic climate change, but not anymore. In fact, I now think that it might be a counter-productive red herring. What has made me change my mind? What's the problem? Read on, please.

Tim Flannery, in his highly recommended book The Weather Makers, dedicates a chapter to engineering solutions to global warming. In it, he gives an overview of carbon sequestration technology, the problems that have to be solved before it can work, and what the coal industry has been doing so far.

smokestacks-coal-02.jpg

Here are the problems in order:

First, from the smokestack:

The stream of CO2 emitted there is relatively dilute, making CO2 capture unrealistic. The coal industry has staked its future on a new process known as coal gasification. These power plants resemble chemical works more than conventional coal-fired power plants. In them, water and oxygen are mixed with the coal to create carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The hydrogen is used as a fuel source, while the carbon monoxide is converted to a concentrated stream of CO2. These plants are not cheap to run: around one-quarter of the energy they produce is consumed just in keeping them operating. All indications suggest that building them on a commercial scale will be expensive and that it will take decades to make a significant contribution to power production.

So about 25% of the energy they make is used just to keep them operating, they are more expensive and it will take decades (an amount of time we don't have) before they make a significant contribution. Meanwhile, old coal power plants have an average lifetime of 60 years.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Etiquetas:

29 Comentarios:

Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

tramadol no prescription tramadol hcl is it a narcotic - can you buy tramadol in greece

11:51 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol online tramadol online canadian pharmacy - tramadol hcl long term effects

8:03 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

xanax without prescription xanax help anxiety - generic xanax look like

8:54 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

generic xanax xanax bars images - xanax drug of choice

2:33 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

xanax online xanax withdrawal diarrhea - order xanax bars

2:02 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol online tramadol for dogs arthritis - tramadol hcl 50 mg side effects

7:20 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy xanax bars xanax effects what part of the brain - took 4 xanax bars

2:35 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

tramadol online overnight tramadol 50 mg dosage - buy tramadol online cod only

5:31 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol online tramadol overdose itching - tramadol for dogs what is it

8:50 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy carisoprodol cheap buy cheap carisoprodol - carisoprodol buy online no prescription

11:46 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol online tramadol for dogs - crush - order tramadol online tennessee

5:55 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol online tramadol 50 mg snorting - tramadol hcl generic

9:54 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy cialis online cialis once day reviews - buy cialis online usa

11:48 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol online tramadol for dogs after surgery - tramadol dosage for goats

2:56 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

xanax online xanax generic walmart - xanax come up drug test

2:33 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

cialis 20mg cheap cialis 20mg - cialis 5mg user reviews

9:42 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

how to buy cialis online cialis coupon lilly - order cialis daily use

7:40 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

http://buytramadolonlinecool.com/#91646 buy tramadol online checking account - illegal buy tramadol online

3:55 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

http://landvoicelearning.com/#23561 100mg tramadol too much - tramadol 50 mg recreational use

9:02 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

http://buytramadolonlinecool.com/#91646 can you buy tramadol over counter spain - tramadol 50 mg a narcotic

10:42 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

tramadol generic tramadol 50 mg buy online - tramadol high how much

3:25 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol overdose symptoms for tramadol - tramadol hcl sleep

7:17 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol best place buy tramadol online reviews - can you buy tramadol in spain

11:20 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

http://buytramadolonlinecool.com/#28875 tramadol 50 mg image - tramadol hcl 50 mg recreational use

1:33 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

http://reidmoody.com/#51208 withdrawal short term ativan use - ativan 2 mg street value

12:52 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

ways to buy ativan online overdose ativan lexapro - buy lorazepam online no prescription needed

9:36 a.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

http://staam.org/#41652 800 mg tramadol overdose - tramadol 100mg bestellen

2:36 p.m.  
Anonymous Anónimo dijo...

buy tramadol with mastercard overdose on tramadol - dosage for tramadol 50mg

6:32 p.m.  
Blogger Unknown dijo...

Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.

3:44 a.m.  

Publicar un comentario

Suscribirse a Comentarios de la entrada [Atom]

<< Página Principal