Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
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Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
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Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#2For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#3For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
Because the rotting process would create methane which would seep out easily, its wasteful and ethically questionable (people are still starving, so not even using corn as fuel is pretty horrible). Storing Carbon cheaply and safely is to me an unsolved problem. Especially if you want to do it without wasting tons of minerals (before someone talks about vacuumed dried algae or stuff like that).
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#4For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
To an extent, that actually works to sequester carbon, but it's not clear that it's the most cost-effective way to do it. Nor would people be OK with the perceived waste.
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#5For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
Because the rotting process would create methane which would seep out easily, its wasteful and ethically questionable (people are still starving, so not even using corn as fuel is pretty horrible). Storing Carbon cheaply and safely is to me an unsolved problem. Especially if you want to do it without wasting tons of minerals (before someone talks about vacuumed dried algae or stuff like that).
I like the idea of building stuff out of wood. Then we can have nice buildings and store carbon.
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#6For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
I wonder which picks up mass faster, corn or some of the more virile species of weed tree.
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#7For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
A ton of corn costs about $166, let's say that's half carbon. So each gigaton will cost about $300 billion, and thats just to buy the corn, not including the digging, etc.
You'd need to collect about 900 gigatons to return the atmosphere to preindustrial CO2 levels.
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#8For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
It's a far better idea to dump the carbon in after it has been used for it's energy and is bound up in a more stable configuration, ie biochar (a.k.a. terra preta or low temp charcoal). Biochar is stable in the soil for thousands of years, and provides a matrix on which soil organisms can thrive. There are also some indications that the biochar induces greater plant growth because the residual bio-oils and aromatic hydrocarbons cause the plants to think that there was a recent fire and this is there opportunity to take over.
But more importantly, and to your point, it is a carbon sink, and if made through gasification produces a carbon negative energy source.
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#9For carbon, why can't we just find a big hole and start dumping corn in?
A ton of corn costs about $166, let's say that's half carbon. So each gigaton will cost about $300 billion, and thats just to buy the corn, not including the digging, etc. You'd need to collect about 900 gigatons to return the atmosphere to preindustrial CO2 levels.
The cost of corn stover (leaves and stalk) is $40-$80 including transportation it's about $100 per ton [1].
So, that's $90 trillion at US biomass production prices (assuming that much biomass was available) or 1.2x world annual gross world product [2].
Still $90 trillion seems like a lot.
[1] https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/EC/RE-3-W.pdf [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_world_product
Re: Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies
#10The story is about the new Breakthrough Energy Coalition. But there's no information on how to contact the coalition with technologies they should consider. http://www.breakthroughenergycoalition.com/en/index.html In fact, their website says this: "BEC does not accept or consider unsolicited ideas, suggestions, information, or materials of any nature whatsoever"