Scientists to 'scrub' the atmosphere clean
Two scientists from the USA’s Columbia University in New York have identified a method of ‘scrubbing’ carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere.
Attempts to capture and store CO2 gas usually involve extracting it at its source, before it’s released – at the exhausts of heavy industrial sites, for example. However, the technique developed by Frank Zeman and Klaus Lackner removes the gas from the atmosphere itself.
In a paper published recently in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, the pair describe a process whereby air is pumped through a chamber containing sodium hydroxide, which reacts with the CO2 in the air to form sodium carbonate. This is then mixed with lime to form calcium carbonate – or limestone – which is then burnt, releasing pure CO2, which can be collected and stored. According to the scientists’ calculations, despite the energy-intensive burning, the system is efficient enough to be viable.
December 2007
Attempts to capture and store CO2 gas usually involve extracting it at its source, before it’s released – at the exhausts of heavy industrial sites, for example. However, the technique developed by Frank Zeman and Klaus Lackner removes the gas from the atmosphere itself.
In a paper published recently in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, the pair describe a process whereby air is pumped through a chamber containing sodium hydroxide, which reacts with the CO2 in the air to form sodium carbonate. This is then mixed with lime to form calcium carbonate – or limestone – which is then burnt, releasing pure CO2, which can be collected and stored. According to the scientists’ calculations, despite the energy-intensive burning, the system is efficient enough to be viable.
December 2007
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