carbon sequestration Archives – The Green Optimistic

Scientists Turn Atmospheric CO2 into Coal Flakes

Effie P — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 15:36:26 +0000

The need to transition to clean energy production free from fossil fuels, is becoming more and more pressing as climate change is impacting our chances of survival on the planet. At the same time research efforts are also invested in removing from the atmosphere the tonnes of CO2 that we have already released. Current practices, […]

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Cost of Carbon Capture Just Got Lower Thanks to New Tech

Effie P — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 20:23:15 +0000

In view of the alarming rates of global warming, ongoing discussions in Katowice are evaluating measures of decarbonizing the economy. With the energy sector responsible for the largest contributions to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), the most sustainable course is undoubtedly to decouple energy production from fossil fuels. However, we still need to do something to […]

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Swiss Startup Climeworks Opens Facility in Italy, Turns CO2 into Natural Gas

Ally Munda — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 06:05:21 +0000

Swiss startup Climeworks is championing new technology that helps in the fight against climate change. While many sectors are focusing on reducing future emissions by developing more effective fuels and technology, Climeworks is in the business of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide already released by human activity, even so far as creating ‘negative emissions’ […]

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Giant Collection Fans Offer New Solution For Carbon Capture

Nicholas Say — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 20:51:31 +0000

There isn’t much to debate anymore when it comes to the harmful nature of carbon emissions. Even China has made huge changes to its energy sector, and they are moving to a much lower amount of greenhouse gas production. While meeting the emissions goals laid out in The Paris Accords is a great start, there […]

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Canadian Carbon Capture Facility to Mitigate Climate Change

Mila Luleva — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 14:22:29 +0000

Canadian company is developing a carbon capture technology that holds the potential to remove the amount of carbon dioxide that equals the removing of 250,000 cars from the road. We have been discussing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies for quite some time now, and it has been especially so since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate […]

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How Carbon Sequestration Might Have a Chance, After All

Annika Tostengard — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 06:17:04 +0000

Most public campaigns to curtail global warming focus on reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. However, climate scientists recognize that a second very important factor has not yet made its way to the forefront of climate control. We need to find new carbon sequestration methods, too. Graphs like the one pictured here, from the United Nations […]

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Climate Change Explained in Under a Minute [Video]

Benji Jerew — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 18:15:45 +0000

If someone were to ask you to explain climate change and why you believe it exists, how long do you think it would take? Really, climate change isn’t all that complicated, and you don’t even need any charts. The only thing you need to know is the role of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, carbon […]

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Are Biofuel Crops Actually Increasing Carbon Emissions?

Benji Jerew — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 04:16:18 +0000

On the surface, planting biofuels crops might seem to be a good carbon-neutral endeavor, but research indicates quite the opposite. Could growing biofuel crops to fuel your flex-fuel vehicle actually be worse for the environment? A new UW-Madison (University of Wisconsin at Madison) study seems to indicate quite the opposite. The way we see it, […]

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Carbon Sequestration Project Uses Water to Turn CO2 into Rocks

Mila Luleva — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 13:06:16 +0000

CarbFix, a project conducted by US and Icelandic researchers, has developed a new approach to carbon sequestration and storage that could completely remove it from the environment. All we need is water, they say. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques were identified in the latest IPCC report as the measure with most probably the highest potential to […]

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Carbon Mapping Peru Shows Natural and Manmade Variations

Benji Jerew — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 23:14:24 +0000

Carbon sequestration, according to some, could be key in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and the resulting greenhouse effect. Climate change scientists point to carbon, of course, as being the most prolific greenhouse gas in the last two hundred years, linked directly to our discovery and exploitation of fossil fuels. Aside from reducing or eliminating the […]

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Old Trees Absorb More Carbon Than Their Young Neighbors, Study Says

Mila Luleva — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 20:58:06 +0000

A team of scientists from the University of Melbourne established that the older the tree gets, the more carbon it absorbs. The findings published in the latest issue of Nature reveal that as the years pass, an individual tree can play much more important role in the carbon cycle. With this study, the scientists were […]

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Earthworms Stimulate Carbon Sequestration

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 02:58:16 +0000

After being villainized in global warming studies and accused of being major contributors to climate change, it turns out earthworms might actually be a blessing in disguise. Approximately 20% of global CO2 emissions and 66% of nitrous oxide emissions come from soil. Emissions are produced by a number of natural biological processes involving plant roots and subterranean microorganisms. Scientists […]

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Most Drivers Would Pay More to Encourage Carbon-Reducing Policies, Study

Mila Luleva — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:11:26 +0000

A survey conducted by scientists at University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute revealed that the majority of drivers are willing to pay a little extra or sacrifice gas mileage and fuel economy in order to cut down on their carbon emissions. It is a common belief that global warming is attributed to major greenhouse gas […]

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Planting Jatropha Trees in The Desert, Quick Fix For Storing Carbon Emissions

Mila Luleva — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 14:10:14 +0000

Is there a ”quick fix’ for increasing carbon emissions? Apparently yes, according to German scientists. Their research published in the latest issue of the journal Earth System Dynamics suggests that a short term solution to climate change is to plant Jatropha curcas trees in the desert. Prof. Klaus Becker and his team from University of […]

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Scientists Test Potential of Basalt Flows to Store CO2 Underground

Mila Luleva — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 04:05:08 +0000

Researchers from Montana State University are testing a novel approach to trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) in underground basalt rocks in Southeast Washington. If successful, the technique could allow the storage of 300 years of carbon dioxide emissions. This is the first time any research team has attempted to inject pure carbon dioxide in underground basalts. The […]

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World’s Deepest Carbon Sequestration Monitoring System Developed at LLNL

Benji Jerew — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:40:59 +0000

Millions of years ago, carbon sequestration occurred when plant and animal matter were buried and compressed in layers of rock. Mining operations have been pushing deeper into these layers of rock to extract fossil fuels. Burning these fuels has the opposite effect of carbon sequestration, releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Natural gas wells, […]

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Do You Know How Much Carbon Can Forests Sequester?

Mila Luleva — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:17:38 +0000

The importance of trees in controlling the global carbon cycle is very often neglected. We keep hearing about extensive deforestation projects, forest fires and cutting of thousand years old trees for the properties of their wood or simply because they are in the way of a big highway construction project. But are we really aware […]

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Strataclear Technology Reduces Vehicle CO2 Emissions by 25%

Benji Jerew — Mon, 27 May 2013 16:27:01 +0000

Strataclear, a new technology developed by Ryncosmos, aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by sequestering it into disposable solid material cartridges. Strataclear can be scaled for use in homes or vehicles. Recent legislation regarding the future of vehicle carbon dioxide emissions have put the industry into a frenzy developing vehicles with better fuel economy. Burning less fuel generates less […]

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CO2 Capturing System to be Installed at Norwegian Cement Factory

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:57:45 +0000

A new and innovative CO2 capturing system is to be installed in Norway, at a Norcem cement producing plant in Brevik. Developed by Aker Solutions, the carbon capturing system is the first in the world to do this at a cement station. While most of today’s efforts only focus on capturing emissions resulted from coal-fired […]

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Root Fungi – The Most Important Carbon Sink in Northern Forests

Mila Luleva — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:03:57 +0000

A study published in the latest issue of Science, reveals that tree root fungi sequester most of the carbon in the northern boreal forests. The findings contradict the conclusions from previous research, which indicate that sequestration happens via dead needles, moss and organic matter. For the study, the team collected and analysed soil samples from […]

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Synthetic Fuel from Carbon Dioxide by Tweaking “Pyrococcus Furiosus” Bacteria

Benji Jerew — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:33:17 +0000

Biofuels, synthetic fuels, are made from plants that use photosynthesis to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but what if we could remove the middlemanplant? Biofuels are essentially carbon-neutral, because they release the same amount of carbon dioxide that was sequestered by the plants that the fuel is synthesized from. Making synthetic fuel by this […]

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Farmland Turned Back into Salt Marshes Absorbs Carbon

Mila Luleva — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:19:28 +0000

Salt marshes that have been previously turned into farmland could be restored and their ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere resumed. This is the conclusion of a new study conducted by Annette Burden, a wetland biogeochemist based at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in Bangor. Looking at the oldest area in the UK, […]

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Ocean Plankton Digests More Carbon Than Thought

Mila Luleva — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:35:04 +0000

Existing models of carbon dioxide do not accurately predict the amount of carbon digested by surface ocean plankton, says a study published in the latest issue of Nature Geoscience. Adam Martiny, associate professor of Earth system science and ecology & evolutionary biology at UC Irvine and a lead author of the publication, and his team, showed that […]

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Sea Urchins Inspire New Carbon Capturing Technique

Mila Luleva — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:57:12 +0000

We read about great discoveries that are made in the world of science just by mimicking natural processes. This type of study is published in the most recent issue of the journal Catalysis Science and Technology. Scientists at Newcastle University found that sea urchins absorb carbon dioxide by turning it into shell using the metal […]

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Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration To Be Measured According To New Protocols

Mila Luleva — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:26:47 +0000

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration has yet again become a topic of heated debates, as University of Illinois professor of soil science Kenneth Olson, is about to release a detailed study on the influence of tillage practices on atmospheric carbon sequestration in the upcoming issue of the journal Geoderma. The professor gathered data from over […]

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Cheap, Energy-Efficient Method of CO2 Emission Reduction

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:02:21 +0000

For four years now, the Technische Universitat Darmstadt in Germany has been studying an innovative carbon-capturing system, the carbonate-looping method, which aside from being cost-effective, energy-efficient, and having a 90% capturing capacity, is also feasible to be retrofitted in an existing power plant. The pilot scale carbon-capture plant involves the utilization of naturally occurring limestone […]

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Mine Waste Holds Potential To CO2 Storage

Mila Luleva — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:30:32 +0000

Mine waste has unexplored greenhouse gas trapping potential with a great economic value. According to Michael Hitch, a mining engineer and geologist at University of British Columbia, if mining companies recognize the potential, they could be able to offset CO2 emissions, and even start selling carbon emissions credits. Although the process of mining results in […]

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Forest Fertilization Increases Carbon Sequestration, Helps Landowners

Mila Luleva — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 07:41:56 +0000

Scientists at the Texas A&M University department of ecosystem science and management are measuring how much would the rate of productivity of forests could increase by fertilization. In 2011, the US department of Agriculture awarded a five year grant to the Pine Integrated Network Education, Mitigation and Adaptation Project (PineMap), bringing together 12 institutions and […]

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A Chemical Reaction That Could Level CO2 Emissions and Generate Power

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:24:23 +0000

A chemical reaction that turns carbon dioxide into a solid and on the top of it, releases energy, has been discovered by a Michigan Technological University researcher and could revolutionize how we sequester the powerful greenhouse gas to our advantage. So far, people trying to put CO2 molecules together did it by adding energy, which […]

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Berkeley Project Stores CO2 Underground and Harvests Geothermal Energy

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:50:09 +0000

A new project aimed at sequestering CO2 and at the same time extracting energy from geothermal resources is being developed by Berkeley Lab researchers. Their plan is to build a CO2-enabled geothermal system in Cranfield, Mississippi a year from now. “This is the first project intended to convert geothermally heated CO2 into useful electricity,” says […]

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The Importance of Icebergs in Nature-Driven Carbon Sequestration Proven by Scientists

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:20:33 +0000

Maybe one of the most important studies showing how the melting of icebergs affects global warming and how these icebergs help the algae sequester carbon dioxide has been published by marine biologist Ken Smith. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and published in the electronic issue of Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography.

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Concentrated Sunlight Generating Hydrogen from Water and Splitting Carbon Dioxide

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 20:34:28 +0000

I've known for years that solar concentrators do a good job at harnessing heat. You may also use them to generate electricity, but it's not their best job possible. A recent article published in the journal Science shows how solar concentrators can be used to directly extract hydrogen from water, without any middlemen such as photovoltaic panels and electricity.

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Miscanthus: The Biofuel Crop Than Can Sequester Carbon… Naturally

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:00:42 +0000

An analysis performed by Christer Jansson from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and his colleagues from Oak Ridge National Laboratory revealed that a grass called miscanthus could constitute the perfect solution for capturing carbon dioxide and sequestering it into the soil.

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Technology For Making Construction Materials Out Of Carbon Dioxide Inspired By Sea Snail

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 05:01:59 +0000

The thing on the left is a snail, and it's called abalone. Aside the fact that it's edible, the abalone taught Angela Belcher, from MIT, how to turn carbon dioxide into rock-solid construction materials and thus sequester the gas for hundreds of thousands of years, instead of burying it underground, which is not as safe and as useful.

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Link Between Whale Droppings and Carbon Sequestration Discovered

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:41:06 +0000

The Australian Antarctic Division performed a research in this area, and found out that the whale poo is very rich in iron - about some 10 million times richer than sea water, as Steve Nicol, one of the scientists, said: "The plants love it and it actually becomes a way of taking carbon out of the atmosphere."

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New System Using Microbes to Convert CO2 to Biofuels in a Single-Step Process

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:57:16 +0000

These microbes feed on solar power and synthesize both the alkane and olefin molecules. Although the hydrocarbon fuels have only been produced in lab quantities, the company plans a pilot demonstration for 2011.

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