Autoblog Green http://green.autoblog.com Autoblog Green http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog Green http://green.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid and Dan RothThe podcast by the people who obsessively cover the auto industry.<![CDATA[Coal plants could emit 90% less CO<sub>2</sub> thanks to chilled ammonia]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2009/10/09/coal-plants-could-emit-90-less-co2-thanks-to-chilled/http://green.autoblog.com/2009/10/09/coal-plants-could-emit-90-less-co2-thanks-to-chilled/http://green.autoblog.com/2009/10/09/coal-plants-could-emit-90-less-co2-thanks-to-chilled/#commentsFiled under: , ,



"But what about the long tailpipe?"

Critics of plug-in vehicles often use the "long tailpipe" argument - the fact that CO2 emissions are generated at a power plant somewhere instead of coming from the vehicle - to show that all the "zero emission" cars aren't as clean as they seem. Plug-in advocates can then counter that, well, an EV is more efficient than an ICE car and we can use solar or wind to power our rides. But the fact remains that when plug-ins become more and more popular, they will be powered to a large extent by coal plants.

While coal has its own issues (mountain top removal? No, thanks), there is good news to report about a pilot carbon capture project running at the Pleasant Prairie coal-fueled power plant in Wisconsin. We Energies, Alstom and The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have used, since early 2008, a patented chilled ammonia process that is able to remove over 90 percent of the carbon dioxide from the plant's flue stream. The carbon is then "compressed, pipelined, and injected into two different saline reservoirs" that are about 8,000 feet beneath the plant. The test runs through the end of this year, and the operators have already begun scaling up the system to work on larger plants that produce tons more emissions.

[Source: We Energies]
Photo by Rennett Stowe. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Continue reading Coal plants could emit 90% less CO2 thanks to chilled ammonia

Coal plants could emit 90% less CO2 thanks to chilled ammonia originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>coal co2coal plantcoal plantscoal plug incoal powercoal power plantCoalCo2CoalPlantCoalPlantsCoalPlugInCoalPowerCoalPowerPlantwe energiesWeEnergiesFri, 09 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO<sub>2</sub>]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2009/05/08/newsflash-dumping-iron-filings-into-ocean-wont-reduce-co-sub-2/http://green.autoblog.com/2009/05/08/newsflash-dumping-iron-filings-into-ocean-wont-reduce-co-sub-2/http://green.autoblog.com/2009/05/08/newsflash-dumping-iron-filings-into-ocean-wont-reduce-co-sub-2/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It had been proposed sometime ago that geoengineering might help fight global warming. One plan in particular that drew a lot of attention was the dumping of hundreds of tons of iron filings into the ocean. Through wave action, the seas absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and the theory went that iron dumping would encourage phytoplankton population growth which would, in combination with zooplankton, take in CO2 and deposit it on the bottom of the briny deep. The originator of the idea, John Martin (1935-1993) once famously declared, "Give me a half tanker of iron, and I will give you an ice age." Apparently many people were impressed by that and so studies were undertaken and now, after many years, the results from one of those are in. The results imply that (surprise!) it doesn't really work so well.

While it seems that impressive bio-blooms could be created, much of the zooplankton poop and other carbons bits didn't create the strong sedimentation effect expected on the briny bottom. Perhaps, if we really want to reduce atmospheric, and dangerously rising oceanic, CO2 levels, a more straight forward approach like, say, stopping needless burning of carbon would have a more positive effect. For more scientific details about the "Iron Hypothesis" and the experiments findings, hit the jump for a press release.

[Source: Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory]

Continue reading Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO2

Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO2 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 08 May 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Iron HypothesisIronHypothesisJohn MartinJohnMartinphytoplanktonzooplanktonFri, 08 May 2009 14:11:00 EST<![CDATA[World's first green speed bumps?]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/12/13/worlds-first-green-speed-bumps/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/12/13/worlds-first-green-speed-bumps/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/12/13/worlds-first-green-speed-bumps/#commentsFiled under: , ,



How can a speed bump be green? Simple. If it does its job right and rewards low speed driving and punishes speeding, it can reduce gas consumption and exhaust emissions. That's exactly what these new smart speed bumps aim to do. Sprung from the fertile minds of designers Jae-yun Kim and Jong-Su Lee, they use an inner damper to detect vehicle speed and if it is slow enough, the bump flattens. If the car is going too fast it remains upright and does what any good speed bump should. It punishes the driver and tells him or her to slow down for the next one.

The designers say their goal was to encourage drivers to maintain a constant slow speed, reducing the amount of stops and starts made, and thereby the amount of fuel consumption and exhaust pollution from the car. The worlds first green speed bumps? These new smart speed bumps are just a concept for now, but hopefully they will be put into production soon.

[Source: Autoblog]

World's first green speed bumps? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>jae-yun kimJae-yunKimJong-Su LeeJong-suLeesmart speed bumpsmart speed bumpsSmartSpeedBumpSmartSpeedBumpsspeed bumpspeed bumpsSpeedBumpSpeedBumpsSat, 13 Dec 2008 10:49:00 EST<![CDATA[First carbon capture plant starts up in Germany]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/09/12/first-carbon-capture-plant-starts-up-in-germany/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/09/12/first-carbon-capture-plant-starts-up-in-germany/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/09/12/first-carbon-capture-plant-starts-up-in-germany/#commentsFiled under: ,


Swedish company Vattenfall has announced that its carbon plant with an incorporated CO2 capture facility in Stemberg, Germany, started working this week. The plant, which features proprietary technology to reduce pollutants, stores the CO2 inside an abandoned gas field in Altmark, Germany. How does this power plant work? With a so-called Oxyfuel process: Lignite and hard coal burn in a mixture of oxygen and re-circulated CO2, which also contains water vapor. The flue gas is then treated to remove pollutants. Finally, the water is condensed and the concentrated CO2 is compressed into a liquid and stored 600 meters (about 900ft) underground. Other carbon storage projects use abandoned coal mines (like this one in Spain) or keeps the CO2 under the sea (with Ariel, apparently).

Vattenfall has invested more than €70 million in this plant, which produces 30 MW of electricity. This company expects to make the technology ready to sell by 2015, when two additional 30 MW plants will be ready in Germany and Denmark. According to the company, the Stemberg plant will have reduced its carbon emissions by 40 percent in 2020.

[Source: El Mundo via Madri+d]

First carbon capture plant starts up in Germany originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>abandoned gas fieldsAbandonedGasFieldsaltmarkoxy fueloxy-fuelOxyFuelstembergvattenfallFri, 12 Sep 2008 09:33:00 EST<![CDATA[Australian study shows that planted trees capture less CO<sub>2</sub>]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/08/09/australian-study-shows-that-planted-trees-capture-less-co-sub-2/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/08/09/australian-study-shows-that-planted-trees-capture-less-co-sub-2/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/08/09/australian-study-shows-that-planted-trees-capture-less-co-sub-2/#commentsFiled under: , ,



A report issued by the Australian National University shows that unspoiled natural forests capture more carbon than artificially planted trees. The report states that this fact wasn't considered when planning counteracting actions against global warming by the IPCC. However, according to our source article, the report didn't consider the capture capacity of relatively young trees, whereas the IPCC did. IPCC calculations considered a tree a plant over 2 meters with 110 percent diameter crown, whereas the Australian report considers a tree over 10 meters with 120 percent diameter crown. Regardless of the actual calculation methods, the Australian report calculated 1 hectare of wild unspoiled forest in the SE of the country could store 640 tons of CO2 , whereas the same surface of artificially planted trees stored 217. Take also in consideration that planted trees are usually cut for the use of its wood regularly and new trees are planted afterwards. The result: 25 trees planted every 4 years store less carbon than 1 tree planted for 100 years.

[Source: Cesefor via Agroinformacion]

Australian study shows that planted trees capture less CO2 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artificially-plantedaustraliaforest-preservationnatural-forestsSat, 09 Aug 2008 13:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Blade Your Ride: cut emissions and save gas]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/08/01/blade-your-ride-cut-emissions-and-save-gas/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/08/01/blade-your-ride-cut-emissions-and-save-gas/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/08/01/blade-your-ride-cut-emissions-and-save-gas/#commentsFiled under: ,

While much of the green car field is devoted to developing technology of new vehicles, what about the 800 million vehicles already on the road today? What if the technology existed to green your existing vehicle at a low cost and minimal effort to you?

I recently had the opportunity to learn about Blade, a small attachment that fits to your tailpipe to increase gas mileage and trap dirty particulates. It fits most cars, but works best on 4-cylinder vehicles. It is reported that Blade can increase gas mileage on these types of vehicles by up to 34 percent. The promoters also say the Blade reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (6 percent), nitrous oxide (34 percent), methane (33 percent), hydrocarbons (57 percent), and carbon monoxide (14 percent). At $199, it has an average payback period of less than six months. You can install it yourself with the help of their how-to videos online, or take your car to an authorized installer near you.

"The worst thing that you do to the environment everyday is turn the key of your car...This is something that individuals can do to really make a difference," Bill O'Brien (CEO) told AutoblogGreen in an interview. The Crystal Method DJs agreed. Before their performance at a recent demonstration event about the Blade in Venice, CA, they added that they liked the filter because it made their car look like a "James Bond mobile."

Continue reading Blade Your Ride: cut emissions and save gas

Blade Your Ride: cut emissions and save gas originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bladeemissionsemissions reductionsemissionsreductionsgas efficiencyGasEfficiencyFri, 01 Aug 2008 14:52:00 EST<![CDATA[Pilot commercial algae to biofuel plant announced in Israel]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/pilot-commercial-algae-to-biofuel-plant-announced-in-israel/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/pilot-commercial-algae-to-biofuel-plant-announced-in-israel/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/pilot-commercial-algae-to-biofuel-plant-announced-in-israel/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Inventure Chemical and Seambiotic have announced a joint venture to create a pilot commercial plant which will use algae to produce an array of chemicals and biofuels. The plant uses CO2 as feedstock for the algae. Inventure Chemicals comes into the partnership with knowledge about second-generation biofuel manufacturing, as it has facilities in operation in Seattle, and Seambiotic brings its newly developed strains of microalgae.

These microalgae were developed a process that they call "algae CO2 sequestering" in which the strains were fed with exhaust fumes from their power generator's fumes, giving important yields in algae rich in carbohydrates and fatty acids. The carbs can be used to produce ethanol while the fatty acids can be made into biodiesel. This allows Seambiotic to state that their process not only produces biofuels but also can help coal-fired power generators to meet CO2 reduction mandates. This method could potentially use the self-generated biofuel to make these generators work, closing the loop.

[Source: Seambiotic]

Pilot commercial algae to biofuel plant announced in Israel originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>algaealgae-biofuelInventure ChemicalInventure-ChemicalInventureChemicalisraelmicroalgaeseambioticThu, 19 Jun 2008 17:53:00 EST<![CDATA[Trees can capture 20 percent of a country's carbon emissions]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/06/03/trees-can-capture-20-percent-of-a-countrys-carbon-emissions/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/06/03/trees-can-capture-20-percent-of-a-countrys-carbon-emissions/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/06/03/trees-can-capture-20-percent-of-a-countrys-carbon-emissions/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Figure of the day: In a country where half of the surface is covered by forests (such as Spain), trees capture 20 percent of that country's CO2 emissions. This nice information masks two facts: we still have 80 percent of those emissions still to reduce and that the group that is currently spreading this information, the FBYCC (Forum of Forests and Climate Change) is asking for forest owners to be compensated. Seventy percent of Spanish forestsare held in private hands.

The FBYCC states that trees play a very important role in fighting combat change. Species such as eucalyptus and pine trees are the fastest growing, so they capture carbon more efficiently. Also, if you have some spare land available, bear in mind that you can offset a compact car's annual carbon emissions with the following: 0.39 ha of beech trees (about 1 acre), 0.14 ha of poplars (0.34 acre) or 0.19 ha of pines (about half an acre).

[Source: FBYCC via Madrid+d]

Trees can capture 20 percent of a country's carbon emissions originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carbon-capture-treesFBYCCforest-carbonspaintreesTue, 03 Jun 2008 09:21:00 EST<![CDATA[Tyca reveals lamps that could absorb CO<sub>2</sub> in parking lots]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/22/tyca-reveals-lamps-that-could-absorb-co-sub-2-sub-in-parking-l/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/22/tyca-reveals-lamps-that-could-absorb-co-sub-2-sub-in-parking-l/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/22/tyca-reveals-lamps-that-could-absorb-co-sub-2-sub-in-parking-l/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



French company Tyca, which usually works on aquarium and aquiculture projects, has announced the development of lamps that could capture CO2. The lamps are actually a sort of aquarium made of transparent walls that hold microscopic algae that eat CO2 and use solar light to produce O2, like plants. These algae are bioluminescent, which means they produce light. According to the company, one kilogram of these microalgae capture two kilograms of CO2, which means that one of these lamps, which holds 1.5 m3 of these algae could capture up to one ton of CO2 per year. They can even work under artificial light, which makes them suitable for parking lots. Science fiction? Only time will tell.

[Source: Tyca via Planet Forever]

Tyca reveals lamps that could absorb CO2 in parking lots originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 22 May 2008 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bioluminescentfluorescencefrancemicro-co2-capturemicroalgaetycaThu, 22 May 2008 10:34:00 EST<![CDATA[British scientists develop CO<sub>2</sub> to natural gas process]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/09/british-scientists-develop-co-sub-2-sub-to-natural-gas-process/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/09/british-scientists-develop-co-sub-2-sub-to-natural-gas-process/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/09/british-scientists-develop-co-sub-2-sub-to-natural-gas-process/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

What if we found a system to transform one of our big "enemies" into a fuel again, and then, when produced, re-transformed again? This is the aim of a project made at University of Nottingham's Centre for Innovation in Carbon Capture and Storage (CICCS), in the UK, directed by Mercedes Maroto-Valer. They have successfully completed a cycle of transforming CO2 into natural gas (CH4). This could lead to making most carbon capturing processes obsolete while also powering cars we already have. According to Ms. Maroto-Valer, the CICCS group tacked the problem by studying what plants do - capturing CO2, water and solar light and transforming it into carbohydrates - and then replicated the process to create methane instead of carbs. However, it's still unknown what the energy balance the system is - we can't defeat the laws of Thermodynamics, after all.

[Source: Agencia Efe via Madrid+d]

British scientists develop CO2 to natural gas process originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 09 May 2008 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carbon-dioxyde-to-methaneCICCSco2-to-ch4nottinghamFri, 09 May 2008 19:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Greenpeace: Carbon capture is not going to save our climate]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/07/greenpeace-carbon-capture-is-not-going-to-save-our-climate/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/07/greenpeace-carbon-capture-is-not-going-to-save-our-climate/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/07/greenpeace-carbon-capture-is-not-going-to-save-our-climate/#commentsFiled under:



Greenpeace is quite unhappy with recent proposals to use carbon capture technology (CCT) at power plants that burn coal. According to the environmental group, CCT is like burying money. Their reasons? First and foremost, the technology is not yet 100 percent ready, and won't be until 2030. Meanwhile, the need to reduce carbon emissions is quite immediate. Secondly, Greenpeace claims that CCT wastes energy: about 10 to 40 percent of the energy produced by the power plant where carbon is captured is used to store that carbon. This offsets 50 years of development in power plants, Greenpeace says, and guess who is going to pay for that? Final users. Of course, Greenpeace states that this can be fixed if we all change to renewable sources of energy, like solar or wind turbines.

[Source: Econoticias]

Greenpeace: Carbon capture is not going to save our climate originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 07 May 2008 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-carbon-captureCCTgreenpeaceWed, 07 May 2008 19:50:00 EST<![CDATA[New $100 million X-Prizes created to spur development of clean energy]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/05/new-100-million-x-prizes-created-to-spur-development-of-clean-e/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/05/new-100-million-x-prizes-created-to-spur-development-of-clean-e/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/05/new-100-million-x-prizes-created-to-spur-development-of-clean-e/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The X-Prize foundation was established help spur developments in a variety of areas including space travel, medicine and genomics. We've had plenty of coverage here of the Automotive X-Prize where the target is to develop a production viable car that can achieve the equivalent of 100mpg. The foundation is now establishing what it calls the Energy and Environment Prize suite that includes the Automotive Prize. The suite will include a number of prize competitions that go beyond just transportation to include clean energy sources. A Biofuels X-Prize has already been created to inspire breakthroughs in next generation sustainable liquid fuels. The biofuels prize competition will officially launch later this year with a prize of at least $10 million. Other categories that will be attacked in the next couple of years include solar power, water, sustainable housing and carbon capture. In total the energy and environment prizes are will give away up to $100 million.

[Sources: X-Prize Foundation, BusinessWeek]

New $100 million X-Prizes created to spur development of clean energy originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 05 May 2008 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>automotive x prizeautomotive x-prizeAutomotiveX-prizeAutomotiveXPrizex-prizeMon, 05 May 2008 07:56:00 EST<![CDATA[CO<sub>2</sub> captured to feed biodiesel-producing algae ]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/04/12/co-sub-2-sub-captured-to-feed-biodiesel-producing-algae/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/04/12/co-sub-2-sub-captured-to-feed-biodiesel-producing-algae/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/04/12/co-sub-2-sub-captured-to-feed-biodiesel-producing-algae/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Two companies, Holcim and Aurantia are starting a new project to reuse CO2. They take the CO2 produced by a cement plant in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain and "feed" it to microalgae which then turn around and produce biodiesel. The results of this project will be tested to assess if the carbon dioxide supplied by the cement plant is suitable for the algae. The two companies will also select the best type of algae for the project as well as assessing the viability of the project. The test will be performed on an-almost industrial scale, so once the final green light is given, it could start working immediately.

[Source: Econoticias]

CO2 captured to feed biodiesel-producing algae originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>algaealgae-biodieselcement-plantsco2Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:32:00 EST<![CDATA[The emerging skepticism about carbon capture]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/03/24/carbon-capture-skepticism-emerges/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/03/24/carbon-capture-skepticism-emerges/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/03/24/carbon-capture-skepticism-emerges/#commentsFiled under: ,



Despite the drubbing some of us are taking this winter there are still the same CO2-induced global warming predictions being made and so reducing the amount of carbon that's emitted to our skies appears to remain necessary. One of the ways that has been touted as the most promising has been carbon capture and sequestration. While there have been many papers written and plans made for this technology, not a lot has actually been accomplished and so, as with every scheme that takes a substantial period of time between ideation to implementation, skepticism is bound to arise.

And risen it has. The Energy Tribune, a publication that bills itself as, "Leading the debate. Beating the streets," has a particular abundance of articles on the subject including one entitled, "Carbon Capture in the U.S. Faces Hard Realities" that focuses on the American experience with particular attention paid to the de-funding of the FutureGen project which was to be, through carbon capture and sequestration, the world's first zero-CO2 emissions coal-fired power plant.

And it's not just The Energy Tribune that is cooling to the future prospects of this tech. Germany's Spiegel Online has just published an article that asks, "Is Carbon Capture a False Hope for Coal Power?" It seems people are coming to the realization that making sequestration work is going to be very expensive.

As I read these articles I can't help but ponder the question, why do we have to spend billions and billions of dollars chasing technology that, even when perfected, is not nearly as perfect as the renewable trifecta (wind, solar, geothermal) in creating energy that gives us the added benefit of saving our environment and, indeed, our lives.

[Source: The Energy Tribune]

The emerging skepticism about carbon capture originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carbon-capturecarbon-sequestrationco2-sequestrationcoalFutureGensequestersequestrationMon, 24 Mar 2008 08:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Repsol fills old oil fields in the Mediterranian with CO<sub>2</sub>]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/03/18/repsol-fills-old-oil-fields-in-the-mediterranian-with-co-sub-2/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/03/18/repsol-fills-old-oil-fields-in-the-mediterranian-with-co-sub-2/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/03/18/repsol-fills-old-oil-fields-in-the-mediterranian-with-co-sub-2/#commentsFiled under:



Repsol, one of Europe's biggest oil companies, has decided to store half a million tons of CO2 under the Mediterranean Sea. The plan is to capture CO2 at its refinery in Tarragona, Spain, and move it 43 km through the pipeline that connects it to an old "Casablanca" oil platform.

This system will not only serve as a carbon capture project but will also help finish the extraction of crude from the old well, which is only producing 2,800 barrels per day.

The method Repsol will use involves capturing the CO2 before it comes out the chimneys, liquefying it and pushing it though the aforementioned pipeline. Once it reaches the offshore rig, it would be pushed 3,000 meters down. According to Repsol, the CO2 becomes stable in liquid form below 800 meters.

[Source: El País]

Repsol fills old oil fields in the Mediterranian with CO2 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casablancaco2repsolTue, 18 Mar 2008 09:43:00 EST<![CDATA[Closed-cycle CO<sub>2</sub> cars might be a reality one day]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/21/closed-cycle-co-sub-2-sub-cars-might-be-a-reality-one-day/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/21/closed-cycle-co-sub-2-sub-cars-might-be-a-reality-one-day/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/21/closed-cycle-co-sub-2-sub-cars-might-be-a-reality-one-day/#commentsFiled under: ,



Do you hate the idea of your car spewing exhaust? There might be a way to stop it without using any expensive batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. According to the New York Times, a pair of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are working on a way to trap exhaust fumes (by blowing them over a liquid solution that contains potassium carbonate) and recycle the trapped carbon into either methanol, gasoline or jet fuel. F. Jeffrey Martin and William L. Kubic Jr. have named their process Green Freedom and a press release by the LANL says the recycling could be done on cars or planes. The fuel generation doesn't take place on board - the carbon needs to be brought to a facility where the CO2 would be turned into the fuel - and the carbon transformation process is itself energy-intensive. Kubic and Martin are working on a way to streamline this step of the dream (possibly using nuclear reactors), but they're not there yet. Oh, and what is the dream? Recycled gasoline that costs $1.40 a gallon to make. Can't hate that.

[Source: New York Times, LANL, h/t to Ideno]

Closed-cycle CO2 cars might be a reality one day originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carboncarbon-capturegreen-freedomjeffrey-martinSimone-Ramellawilliam-kubicThu, 21 Feb 2008 19:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Australia's pioneer carbon capture project]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/australias-pioneer-carbon-capture-project/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/australias-pioneer-carbon-capture-project/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/australias-pioneer-carbon-capture-project/#commentsFiled under: ,



EESTech Inc., a company based in Brisbane, Australia, owns the Asia-Pacific rights to a system called the Purenergy CO2 Capture System (CCS). This is supposed to be the world's first pre-engineered, modular CO2 capture system that can be retrofitted onto existing power plants or any large industrial greenhouse gas emitter.

The CCS is going to be installed in EESTech's Hybrid Coal Gas Turbine (HCGT) system which produces electricity using waste coal dust, and fugitive vented methane. This allows coal facilities to utilize these byproducts from coal mines to efficiently generate the necessary steam and electricity for the CO2 capture process. The whole process is claimed to reduce the cost of carbon capture by 40 percent.

Graeme Lynch, Chief Operating Officer of EESTech Inc., believes that the carbon capture technology will position EESTech Inc as a leader in the industry. "Solutions like the Purenergy CCS, when installed in scale on one 750 megawatt power plant, will capture the carbon dioxide equivalent of two million cars and trucks," Mr. Lynch added.

Related:
[Source. EESTech]

Australia's pioneer carbon capture project originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiaccseestechhcgtWed, 20 Feb 2008 16:57:00 EST<![CDATA[NIMBY: regional goverment in Spain is against CO<sub>2</sub> capture facilities in territory]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/nimby-regional-goverment-is-against-co-sub-2-sub-capture-faci/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/nimby-regional-goverment-is-against-co-sub-2-sub-capture-faci/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/nimby-regional-goverment-is-against-co-sub-2-sub-capture-faci/#commentsFiled under: ,

The Government of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain has just announced that they aren't going to accept the installation of any CO2 storage facility in its territory until further notice.

Castilla-La Mancha might accept an exception in case of a broader consensus among all the administrations, including local municipalities. But the default answer for such a proposal will be "no."

The Spanish Ministry of Industry, in collaboration with the European Union, had announced plans to install such a facility in the province of Ciudad Real, together with the existing project in Cubillos (Castilla-León). Castilla-La Mancha has asked for a total interruption of this project and has demanded more information on the projects as well as taking them in consideration for such projects.

Related:
[Source: Junta de Castilla la Mancha via Agroinformación]

NIMBY: regional goverment in Spain is against CO2 capture facilities in territory originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>castilla-la-manchaNIMBYspainWed, 20 Feb 2008 07:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Scientists unveil artificial CO<sub>2</sub>-capturing foam]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/19/scientists-unveil-artificial-co-sub-2-sub-capturing-foam/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/19/scientists-unveil-artificial-co-sub-2-sub-capturing-foam/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/19/scientists-unveil-artificial-co-sub-2-sub-capturing-foam/#commentsFiled under: ,




A group of American scientists have unveiled a new type of foam-like substance which they claim captures CO2 up to 83 times its volume. The best part is that this foam is able to work at high temperature and pressure conditions, which makes it suitable for use in vehicles and power plants.

The new crystal-like pores that form the foam, named ZIFs, have been obtained with metal atoms such as cobalt or zinc and are linked to organic molecules. Since ZIFs may have different types of links, they can capture more CO2 than any other equivalent substance.

The idea is using this foam on tailpipes or chimneys, where they would capture CO2 that results from combustion. This foam could be treated afterwards in a low-pressure chamber where CO2 would be removed and then sequestered. This group of scientist is also optimistic that a large amount of this foam can be created in the next two to three years.

Related:
[Source: Science via El Mundo]

Scientists unveil artificial CO2-capturing foam originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capturing-foammicro-foamzifsTue, 19 Feb 2008 11:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Carbon capture strategy could lead to emission-free cars]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/16/carbon-capture-strategy-could-lead-to-emission-free-cars/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/16/carbon-capture-strategy-could-lead-to-emission-free-cars/http://green.autoblog.com/2008/02/16/carbon-capture-strategy-could-lead-to-emission-free-cars/#commentsFiled under: , ,

What, motoring without polluting? That sounds like a good thing to me. But before we take our champagne bottles out to celebrate, let's see what this means.

According to a group of researches at the Georgia Institute of Technology, pollution-free transportation is possible. While major projects in places like Europe are focused on using emissions-free technology at power plants to generate electricity, people from Georgia Tech are thinking about automobiles, transportation vehicles and industrial power generation applications (e.g., diesel power generators).

The team's target is creating a closed-loop carbon circuit system. This means burning a liquid fuel in the engine and trapping the carbon emissions at the tailpipe to be stored until the next refueling. At that point, the carbon would be transformed again into liquid fuel and reused to power the cars.

The researcher's current strategy is trying to capture carbon from gasoline (or any fuel) using a fuel processor to separate the hydrogen in the fuel from the carbon. The hydrogen will be used to power the vehicle and the carbon would be kept stored on board in liquid form. This process is not unlike DECARBit's project, to separate carbon before combustion. This rich-in-carbon liquid would be disposed at the fueling station and taken to a centralized site. First to sequester it (as explained here) or, as a long-term strategy, transforming it into another fuel.

[Source: Physorg]

Carbon capture strategy could lead to emission-free cars originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>closed-loopgeorgiageorgia-techSat, 16 Feb 2008 11:35:00 EST