Comments on: Copper-gold nanoparticles convert CO2, may reduce greenhouse gas emissions

By: qwe

qwe — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:39:27 +0000

violates thermodynamics. how does this save emissions? it takes extra energy to convert c02 to methane in the first place, we arent building perpetual motion machines.

By: SWP

SWP — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:39:10 +0000

Only if the process was reused. All the captured methane can give off CO2, which can be converted back into methane, but a portion of the energy would be lost every time if the process was converted again and again. However, run it in conjunction with other fuel sources, and the amount of methane increases each time, compensating for the energy loss, and creating more energy than is put in, while still having the traditional fuel source to back it up. However, I’m more concerned about the cost of the copper, which has been steadily rising…

By: Ahrenius

Ahrenius — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:15:04 +0000

The methane produced from the coal-to-electricity plant shpuld be consumed on-site at the power plant and not transported for burning elsewhere. Converting the carbon dioxide into methane and then using methane to generate electricity would result in, say, 1.75 times the amount of electricity generated from each unit of carbon dioxide emitted IN A ONCE-THROUGH process. Of course, the carbon dioxide from the methane burn could also be processed back to methane over and over resulting in a theoretical ZERO carbon emission. The biggest economic roadblock to be overcome is the sourcing and cost of the hydrogen required to produce methane from carbon dioxide.

By: Ray Rich

Ray Rich — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:11:39 +0000

If you used methane as a combustion source it would indeed create CO2. To be useful the energy difference between the power needed to create Methane from CO2 and the btus created with have to be net positive. Good stuff for the future the problem lies with how to remove the methane safely from the reaction. Perhaps it would need to be at cryogenic temperatures.

By: Lord Penguin

Lord Penguin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:40:12 +0000

If the methane produced was used as fuel, wouldn’t it just create more carbon dioxide? And the energy released would be less than what was put into it electrically. Unless I’m overlooking something, this would mostly just be useful for providing methane which can be transported or used for other purposes, rather than helping out environmentally.