5 ms·
I have a potentially stupid thermodynamic question. Since carbon air capture is essentially going from a high entropy state to a low entropy state, would it be
by blueblisters 5y ago
I have a potentially stupid thermodynamic question. Since carbon air capture is essentially going from a high entropy state to a low entropy state, would it be dumping more in the form of waste heat into the environment than you would save from warming caused by CO2 in the atmosphere?
I already have an answer to why this reasoning is wrong - CO2 acts like an insulator and traps heat in the atmosphere, and does not generate any heat directly. Just curious if that's right.
- chrisco255 5y agoCO2 doesn't act like an insulator, nor does it trap heat per se. It absorbs infrared photons and re-emits in all directions simultaneously.
- iSnow 5y agoBut the waste heat would escape within minutes/hours whereas the greenhouse effect lasts for decades or even longer.