The Oil Drum | Weyburn, CO2 Injection and Carbon Sequestration

45 comments on Weyburn, CO2 Injection and Carbon Sequestration

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Nick Rouse on December 15, 2005 - 8:27am

A wild blue skies idea that I have not even tried to put numbers to but if the scheme envisioned in the Los Almos National Labs scheme could remove atmospheric carbon dioxide at a fraction of the cost of the equivalent quantity of gasoline is it possible to synthesise methanol from water, atmospheric carbon dioxide and solar, wind or wave energy. This could be used in fuel cell vehicles, either with the direct methanol type or reformed to hydrogen. The carbon dioxide would be circulating in the atmosphere and therefore there would be no net increase. Methanol is easily transported, stored both in bulk and in vehicles and could use the existing distribution system and would solve the intermittency problem of solar etc. energy.

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eric blair on December 15, 2005 - 9:45am

The idea of seperating the CO2 from the air and making Methanol had been dubed the SeaLand process by another group.

A fine idea. IF you have excess electromotive force with nothing to do.

That is a big IF.

I spent a day looking into a basic set of Eq. to do the sealand process. I was looking at over $250,000 to set up with wind generators, no land costs, and a spitballing of the reaction/process cost to make Methonal. 100 Liters a day production.

You might be able to count on selling Nitrogen Gas/Liquid Nitrogen, until there is mass Methonal production (oversupply of N2) or a reduced industrial need for Nitrogen (via recession) You might be able to turn an additional buck splitting water, taking the H2 and combining with your excessive N2. But that model needs cheap, excessive energy.

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Nick Rouse on December 15, 2005 - 10:19am

Can you give any more details of the reactions proposed?

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step back on December 16, 2005 - 11:53am

For those thinking about simply pumping CO2 into the ground, here is a little side reaction you need to think about:
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/chemistry/mc/pow/chapter18.shtml

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45 comments on Weyburn, CO2 Injection and Carbon Sequestration

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