Hydrogen may hold promise as an alternative to fossil fuels, but there's still a huge petrol-producing infrastructure in place, and not many service stations offer hydrogen refills yet. That's why some scientists are exploring a bridging technology known as the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) process, for converting fossil fuels into hydrogen. Along with hydrogen, though, carbon dioxide is also a byproduct of the IGCC process, which must be dealt with. Fortunately, scientists from the University of Liverpool have developed a polymer that soaks up that CO2 for use in other applications.
The adsorbent organic polymer is described as being brown and sand-like, and consists of a linked network of carbon-based molecules. Its creation was inspired by polystyrene, which is able to adsorb small amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. The new polymer likewise adsorbs CO2 but does so much more effectively, swelling up to contain the carbon dioxide in "micropores" between its molecules.
This swelling/adsorbing action takes place when the material is exposed to high-pressure environments, such as would be experienced in the IGCC process. When the pressure subsequently drops to normal levels, however, the polymer releases the CO2. The gas could then be harvested for use in carbon-based chemical products.
Along with its application in IGCC, the polymer could conceivably also be used to help "scrub" carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions. While other materials are already used for this purpose, the polymer should be particularly well-suited to it. This is largely because unlike some of those other materials, it doesn't adsorb water vapor. Doing so would clog its pores, thus making it less effective.
It's also said to be relatively inexpensive to produce, plus it's very robust – it's reportedly able to retain its functionality after being "boiled in acid."
The researchers' findings were presented today in San Francisco, at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Source: ACS
Hydrogen may hold promise as an alternative to fossil fuels, but there's still a huge petrol-producing infrastructure in place, and not many service stations offer hydrogen refills yet. That's why some scientists are exploring a bridging technology known as the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) process, for converting fossil fuels into hydrogen. Along with hydrogen, though, carbon dioxide is also a byproduct of the IGCC process, which must be dealt with. Fortunately, scientists from the University of Liverpool have developed a polymer that soaks up that CO2 for use in other applications.
The adsorbent organic polymer is described as being brown and sand-like, and consists of a linked network of carbon-based molecules. Its creation was inspired by polystyrene, which is able to adsorb small amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. The new polymer likewise adsorbs CO2 but does so much more effectively, swelling up to contain the carbon dioxide in "micropores" between its molecules.
This swelling/adsorbing action takes place when the material is exposed to high-pressure environments, such as would be experienced in the IGCC process. When the pressure subsequently drops to normal levels, however, the polymer releases the CO2. The gas could then be harvested for use in carbon-based chemical products.
Along with its application in IGCC, the polymer could conceivably also be used to help "scrub" carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions. While other materials are already used for this purpose, the polymer should be particularly well-suited to it. This is largely because unlike some of those other materials, it doesn't adsorb water vapor. Doing so would clog its pores, thus making it less effective.
It's also said to be relatively inexpensive to produce, plus it's very robust – it's reportedly able to retain its functionality after being "boiled in acid."
The researchers' findings were presented today in San Francisco, at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Source: ACS
If you want to see the greenhouse effect in action, look at Venus or Mars (or the lack of for the latter).
Randy
@ Expanded Viewpoint C02 does absorb some frequencies of infrared light but the first 200ppm in the atmosphere absorb over 90% of all the energy that C02 can absorb making the energy absorbed by the increased C02 levels statistically meaningless.
Atmospheric Co2 is a cause for heat retention of the earth, and mankind is the reason for an incredible increase in atmospheric Co2.
I'm saying this, because you seem to suggest that climate change is caused solely by the sun, and I do hope you realize that saying that, is a talking point of said right wingers, and it's only about 3% of the worlds scientists that do agree to this, so no contention in the world of academia, since those 3% are largely payed by the coal industry. Besides their data has been proven wrong.
Man made CO2 has increased exponentially in the last 17 years while during that same time global warming has paused and actually decreased a bit. If you plot CO2 against the global temperature variation, its a very very poor correlation. What does correlate very well with global temp variation is solar fluctuations of activity. People who study the Sun and not CO2, they are predicting a good chance of global cooling such as a mini ice age.
As far as "extreme weather", droughts, flooding, hurricanes, etc? All of those are actually statistically in decline.
That 97% of scientists number you referred to is a lie as well.