Sequestering Carbon: Algae and Engineers

By Mr. TC Yee

Algae: putting carbon dioxide in a bind

German utility RWE Power has initiated a cutting edge project that is investigating the use of marine microalgae to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during lignite combustion.

Source: Algae: putting carbon dioxide in a bind

Engineers set to convert carbon dioxide into solid rock

Icelandic experts hope to dispose of 30,000 tonnes of the greenhouse gas each year. Engineers in Iceland are set to convert carbon dioxide to solid rock as a way to tackle global warming.

Source: Engineers set to convert carbon dioxide into solid rock

Personal views: Facing with the increasing emission of carbon dioxide all over the world, various innovative ideas have been raised to tackle the challenges. Unfortunately, most of the concepts or technologies put forward are still in the infant stage or incurring unjustified energy consumption in the proposed processes. 

Unless there will be some significant breakthrough, commercialized practicable solutions will not likely to be in place in another decade. The few promising technologies are also geographically-dependent meaning that only very limited number of countries or regions in this world will be gifted with the suitable physical environment to realize the concepts. Before the world could finish with the debate on whether carbon dioxide is the culprit of climate change, somehow we have to devise other options in curbing or slowing down emissions. Are G”X” governments ready to come up with a compromise on the way forward in Copenhagen end of this year?

Comments

[Kenneth Chow]

I thought the idea of an Algae CO2 sink was explored in one of the "Earth Projects" on the National Geography channel. The idea is to pump up (w/ energy generated via wave motion) nutrients from the ocean floor onto the surface and promote algae growth.

There was serious reservation as such to "unbalance" the ecology as it is, and on a scale probably as much as "deforestation".

[Kenneth Chow]

I beg your pardon, it should be Project Earth, from the Discovery Channel. Link as below:

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/project-earth/project-earth.html