2 ms·
"CO2 acts as an acid and will bind to a base, whether in the liquid phase or on a solid surface. We have developed a process to bring air in contact with a base
by matthewmcg 5y ago
"CO2 acts as an acid and will bind to a base, whether in the liquid phase or on a solid surface. We have developed a process to bring air in contact with a base substrate that captures CO2 molecules while letting N2 and O2 molecules pass through"
Interesting, and of course worth noting that many geological events have done exactly this when calcium bearing rock (chemically basic) is exposed and weathered, capturing carbon as calcium carbonate. See, e.g. the hypothesis that the uplift of the Himalayas contributed to a past ice age[1].
One way to grasp the scale of the problem of sequestering our current level industrial emissions is to imagine assembling a calcium surface comparable to that of the Tibetan plateau. That's not to minimize the value of potential sequestration solutions here, which as you note will definitely need to be coupled with emissions reductions. Just that we need to, in effect "move mountains" to get this to work.
[1] https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/16/7/649/185940/Influence-of-late-Cenozoic-mountain-building-on https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstrac...
- markcyffka 5y agoGreat point. Cheers.