Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
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Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
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Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#2This strikes me as a Hail Mary play by the fossil fuel industry to make us think--for a little more profit for them--that it's okay to burn carbon.
I don't buy it.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#3This strikes me as a Hail Mary play by the fossil fuel industry to make us think--for a little more profit for them--that it's okay to burn carbon. I don't buy it.
Most people in Tennessee don't care about burning carbon so I don't see why they'd need a "hail mary play".
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#4>potentially creating a new technology to help avert climate change
>The reaction turns CO2 into ethanol, which could in turn be used to power generators and vehicles.
I am no scientist, my question is this: wouldn't it be a zero sum game at best? You are taking C02 out of the atmosphere, turning it into fuel, which then is used in C02 emitting engines.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#5>This process has several advantages when compared to other methods of converting CO2 into fuel. The reaction uses common materials like copper and carbon, and it converts the CO2 into ethanol, which is already widely used as a fuel.
>Perhaps most importantly, it works at room temperature, which means that it can be started and stopped easily and with little energy cost. This means that this conversion process could be used as temporary energy storage during a lull in renewable energy generation, smoothing out fluctuations in a renewable energy grid.
Is it too much to ask that a science journal report on science in, like, quantitative terms to support a headline? Specifically: What's the efficiency (or how much energy is required per mole)? Estimated overall costs compared to batteries or grain ethanol? Other available chemical processes for capturing CO2, and their efficiency? Not reported. I have no idea what their arbitrary cut-off for "efficient" is, but if they say they want to make it more efficient, it obviously isn't efficient enough. Actual numbers might help to judge.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#6We got moonshine, yes we do!
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#7>potentially creating a new technology to help avert climate change >The reaction turns CO2 into ethanol, which could in turn be used to power generators and vehicles. I am no scientist, my question is this: wouldn't it be a zero sum game at best? You are taking C02 out of the atmosphere, turning it into fuel, which then is used in C02 emitting engines.
A zero sum game would be a huge improvement on the status quo.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#8>potentially creating a new technology to help avert climate change >The reaction turns CO2 into ethanol, which could in turn be used to power generators and vehicles. I am no scientist, my question is this: wouldn't it be a zero sum game at best? You are taking C02 out of the atmosphere, turning it into fuel, which then is used in C02 emitting engines.
Well a zero sum game would be pretty awesome, wouldn't it? ..Free fuel etc.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#9Something that annoys me with these articles is that such processes are usually praised as carbon capture at the same time as it is energy storage. Well yes, but not both at the same time. And I really doubt its effectiveness as energy storage in the first place - why would you burn fossil fuels (with a loss), then gather energy with renewables to capture back the CO2 (with a loss) and then use the energy of the ethanol again (again with a loss)? Just store the energy from the renewables in batteries.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#10Something that annoys me with these articles is that such processes are usually praised as carbon capture at the same time as it is energy storage. Well yes, but not both at the same time. And I really doubt its effectiveness as energy storage in the first place - why would you burn fossil fuels (with a loss), then gather energy with renewables to capture back the CO2 (with a loss) and then use the energy of the etha…
I wonder if it would be useful to harvest excess CO2 from the atmosphere. That way, you're using the existing CO2 as a fuel source.