The Negative Effects Of Carbon Capture And Storage

Currently on earth there is more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere than there has been for 800,000 years caused, in part, by the United States which emits about 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. The process of capturing waste carbon dioxide and transferring it to a location, usually underground where it will be unable to enter the atmosphere, is known as Carbon Capture and Storage. The International Energy Agency declares that Carbon Capture and Storage techniques could potentially reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by 20% and that combating climate change would cost 75% more without this method. Carbon Capture and Storage has seen much success in recent years but there still remains dissenters who envision renewable energy as

Utilizing two jars, two heat lamps, a carbon dioxide tank, and a thermometer many have replicated the conditions that occur when too much carbon dioxide is released into the air. The jars were placed on a level surface and thermometers were put in both jars and the current air temperature was recorded. Then, the carbon dioxide tank, utilizing a valve and hose contraption, was slowly emptied into one of the jars. As the carbon dioxide slowly exceeded the normal amount of carbon dioxide in the air, the temperature of the jar rose by a two degrees Celsius after a couple minutes. The results of this basic experiment have been experienced on a broader scale on earth. Billions of tons of carbon dioxide being emitted from man-made technologies into our atmosphere have brought upon climate change that, if unchecked, can lead to severe problems in the future. Because of our age of machinery and the utilization of fossil fuels, the average temperature of our atmosphere has climbed by about 0.8 degree Celsius in 100 years. This type of climate change leads to more wildfires, longer and more intense droughts, more tropical storms, and other severe effects. With these dangers it is obvious why the world 's nations should embrace Carbon Capture and Storage but there are reasons why many do

The aim of this project was to prove that a new take on oxyfuel power could greatly reduce coal 's large carbon footprint. The school built a chemical looping reactor which circulates its components in a continuous loop. To prove its effectiveness, the school conducted an experiment utilizing the reactor and coal. First, tiny iron oxide beads were used to manage the oxygen supply to the coal particles. The beads then entered the reactor chamber and were oxidized and reacted with the coal particles which created carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide then bubbled up and was captured while the beads flowed down to a second area where airflow re-oxygenated the beads. The newly oxidized beads were then looped back to the start and the process was repeated. In principle OSU 's chemical looping reactor should be more efficient to operate than conventional oxyfuel reactors, which rely on power-hungry air separation units for their oxygen supply. This experiment is important because it not only keeps a 90% capture rate of carbon, but it is 35% less costly than average carbon capture facilities (Coelho, 2010, p.