Nanotechnology and Carbon Capture Can Yield an Endless Supply of Fuel and Chemicals
Sunday, April 18, 2010 7:49
% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.
Nanotechnology, steam and carbon dioxide capture offer the world an endless supply of fuels and chemicals that would eliminate the carbon footprint of human activity. The fuel could be made from carbon dioxide plucked from the air, from geothermal sources or from industrial emissions say two world renown University of Southern California chemists.
The chemistry to mitigate or eliminate the carbon footprint of human activities and provide “a permanent inexhaustible supply of carbon containing fuels or products, which subsequently can be combusted or used without increasing the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere” has been developed by University of Southern California Professor George A. Olah and Professor G.K. Surya Prakash and is detailed in U.S. Patent Application 20090285739. Their discoveries could even lead to a reduction of carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere. Olah is the 1994 Nobel Prize Laureate in chemistry
Through carbon capture and chemical conversions enabled by nanomaterials, the current lifestyles that rely extensively on conventional carbon containing fuels and products can continue indefinitely without harming the environment while preserving and even improving the earth’s atmosphere for the benefit of future generations.
This method includes an initial step of capturing carbon dioxide and then chemically recycling it to form carbon containing fuels and products. The discoveries by Olah and Prakas offer a feasible way to mitigate the carbon footprint caused by human activities while not limiting or prohibiting the use of carbon containing fuels for transportation, electricity generation and a variety of derived chemicals and products. The reduction in atmospheric CO2 is achieved by preparing such fuels and related carbon containing products from carbon dioxide that is captured from industrial sources or by the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
By capturing and chemically recycling CO2 emissions, a neutral or in some cases a negative carbon footprint is achieved. This is feasible through the use of nanomaterials which enable the capture and concentration of industrial and natural CO2 sources and their conversion into methanol which can then be converted into other chemicals and plastic products now derived from petroleum and natural gas sources.
The Methanol Economy Concept
An economy based on the production of methanol based fuels and chemicals could be used to create a methanol economy that could replace the current petroleum based economy, say Olah and Prakash.
The concept of the Methanol Economy process presents significant advantages and great economic possibilities. In the Methanol Economy process, methanol is used as (1) an energy storage medium, which allows convenient and safe storage and handling; (2) a readily transported and dispensed fuel, including for internal combustion engines and methanol fuel cells; and (3) a feedstock for synthetic hydrocarbons and their products currently obtained from oil and gas resources, including polymers and even single cell proteins, which can be used for animal feed or human consumption. The environmental benefits obtained by chemical recycling of carbon dioxide results in mitigating global warming associated with industrial CO2 release and ensures the well being of future generations
Source: Nano Patents and Innovations/adapted from U.S. Patent Application 20090285739.
Recent research centered on the conversion carbon dioxide and methane, two greenhouse gases, into useful fuels and products, shows many chemicals and fuels can be obtained from captured CO2 that are now produced from oil and natural gas.
The figure shows the chemicals and products that can be derived from methanol, many of which are currently derived from petroleum sources.
Source: Nano Patents and Innovations/adapted from U.S. Patent Application 20090285739.
The separation and use of atmospheric CO2 allows chemical recycling of CO2 as a renewable and unlimited source of carbon. CO2 absorption facilities can be placed proximate to a hydrogen production site to enable subsequent methanol synthesis. Although the CO2 content in the atmosphere is low (only 0.037%), the atmosphere offers an abundant and unlimited supply for CO2 which can be recycled. For using atmospheric carbon dioxide efficiently, CO2 absorption facilities are needed. This can be addressed by using efficient CO2 absorbents such as polyethyleneimines, polyvinylpyridines, polyvinylpyrroles and other similar products on suitable nano-structured solid carriers such as active carbon, polymers, silica or alumina, which allow absorption of even the low concentration of atmospheric CO2.
Putting the idea into practice
Carbon neutral methanol and green plastic products may be also be produced exclusively from carbon dioxide and steam generated by a geothermal energy source say Professors Olah and Prakash in U.S. Patent Application 20100022671.
Their method for producing methanol from a geothermal energy source includes (1) obtaining carbon dioxide and water or steam from the geothermal source; (2) generating hydrogen from the steam, isolating the carbon dioxide accompanying the water or steam source; and (3) converting the isolated carbon dioxide and generated hydrogen to methanol. The isolated carbon dioxide and generated hydrogen are obtained solely from the geothermal source and the geothermal source provides energy necessary for the production of methanol.
Icelandic company Carbon Recycling International (CRI) is in the process of building a plant that will capture carbon dioxide from industrial emissions and convert the carbon dioxide into clean Renewable Methanol (RM) fuel. RM can be blended with different grades of gasoline for existing automobiles and hybrid flexible vehicles. The capture of carbon dioxide results in a net reduction of carbon dioxide from power generation. It is a cost effective method and sustainable production of renewable fuel. The plant is named in honor of Professor Olah who attended the ground breaking in the fall of 2009 and uses the technology developed by Olah and Prakash.
George Olah Methanol Plant
Image credit: CRI International
RM fuel can be utilized in existing automobiles and distributed by the current gasoline stations. RM can potentially be a sustainable source of renewable fuel for Iceland and Europe. The production of RM and the harnessing of renewable energy are feasible in Iceland and in many other similar locations in the world. CRI plans to construct larger plants for export to other European countries.
The CRI plant will produce around 2 million liters of Renewable Methanol(RM) fuel per year when it is completed by the end of 2010. CRI plans to expand the plant to more than 5 million liters a year by 2011 and to reduce 4.5 thousand tons of carbon dioxide a year from the atmosphere. The production process is clean and the byproduct is oxygen. RM will be blended with gasoline and sold at Olis gasoline stations throughout the greater Reykjavik area by the end of 2010.
Emissions of CO2 will become more expensive as the European Trading Scheme for carbon dioxide matures in Europe. CRI will be in position to derive revenues from the carbon credit and renewable fuel market.
RM can potentially be a sustainable source of renewable fuel for Iceland and Europe. The production of RM and the harnessing of geothermal energy are feasible in Iceland and in many other similar locations in the world. CRI plans to construct an even larger plant which will produce up to 50 million liters of RM per year by 2013 for export to other European countries and hopes to build a fleet of similar plants.
Technology of CO2 to Methanol
Image credit: CRI
Conventional production of synthetic fuel through the Fischer-Tropsch process requires large amounts of capital and fossil energy sources. Mining coal and exploring for gases occur in remote geographic areas with the resulting products transported by ships and trains over long distances. Currently, conversion of these products to liquid fuel has been uneconomical at a smaller scale. In addition, production and consumption result in further pollution and increase carbon dioxide emissions.
Carbon Recycling International has developed the clean technology which enables direct conversion of renewable energy to fuel at small or large scale plants and which can take advantage of distributed energy systems. Energy sources can be from any renewable source such as geothermal, hydro, wind, solar or nuclear energy, resulting in clean liquid renewable fuel. The synthesis process consists of an integrated system of electrolytic and catalytic reactions, facilitating an efficient production plant with a streamlined design. Implementation of the CRI manufacturing process can be done in phases and in a modular fashion to produce renewable methanol, plus other downstream fuels such as gasoline or diesel. The process is free of carbon dioxide emissions.
The Role of Nanotechnology
The carbon dioxide from a geothermal energy source or industrial sources can be isolated by sorption on suitable absorbent material. The absorbent material is a polyamino containing polymer deposited on a nano-structured high surface area support. The polyamino containing polymer is a polyethyleneimine and the support is a nano-structured surface which can be fused silica or alumina.
The hydrogen is generated by electrolysis or catalysis or thermal cleavage. The methanol is produced exclusively from the isolated carbon dioxide and hydrogen generated from water or steam. The power, steam and CO2 source needed to generate fuels and chemicals can be exclusively from geothermal sources. The CO2 source can also be from factory emissions or from the air. Power can be provided by other renewable sources as well.
The method reduces the carbon dioxide with hydrogen under conditions sufficient to form methanol. The methanol can be further processed to produce dimethyl ether. The dimethyl ether can be reacted in the presence of a bifunctional acidic-basic or zeolytic catalyst to form ethylene or propylene. The ethylene or propylene can be again be reacted to produce synthetic hydrocarbons, derived chemicals, polymers and other products including gasoline.
Dimethyl ether (DME) is the organic compound with the formula CH3OCH3. The simplest ether, it is a colourless gas that is a useful precursor to other organic compounds and an aerosol propellant. Dimethyl ether is also promising as a clean-burning hydrocarbon fuel.
Of course, nature itself recycles carbon dioxide through agricultural plants and trees, but the combustion and use of oil and other fossil fuels has simply overloaded the system so that it cannot keep up with the amounts of carbon dioxide that are generated. The invention recognizes this shortcoming and now seeks to assist nature in this admirable recycling project.
By first capturing carbon dioxide from the environment, or at least by preventing further amounts from being discharged, and then by converting the captured carbon dioxide to a carbon based fuel or feedstock, future generations can continue to utilize such fuels and feedstocks as well as the products made from such chemicals, without causing further harm to the environment. Thus, future sources of these fuels and products can be provided without increasing the emission of carbon dioxide or its resulting carbon footprint. The products can be used in an environmentally neutral manner.
In particular, the CO2 that is captured and recovered can be used to produce suitable and renewable fuels such as methanol or dimethyl ether as well their derived products and materials
America’s Strategic Reserves
At present, the world is facing an oil crisis, caused by rapid depletion of natural resources and our increasing use of technology that requires fuel. National oil reserves presently provide a cushion for major oil or natural gas emergencies and help to avoid disastrous disruptions caused by natural causes, as well as by geopolitical or economic interruption of these sources.
The United States government has recognized this crisis; the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was established in the 1970s to maintain an emergency oil supply, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 directed the Secretary of Energy to fill the SPR to its 1 billion barrel capacity. Unfortunately, there have been several challenges to meeting this directive, including emergency situations like Hurricane Katrina, the on-going turbulence in the middle-east, and the overall oil shortage. Furthermore, storage of oil, by its nature, poses several safety issues, for example, its extreme flammability.
Olah and Prakash advocate storing methanol and dimethyl ether instead of oil. Convenient storage of methanol and dimethyl ether as strategic reserve fuels that can be readily and effectively accomplished in natural or man-made storage facilities from which they can be easily withdrawn for use. As methanol and dimethyl ether can essentially be produced from recycling CO2 from any sources, including the air, with hydrogen provided by water and utilizing any energy source, the present method of stockpiling of fuel and energy reserves in the form of methanol and/or dimethyl ether provides a convenient new way for safeguarding against energy and fuel emergencies and shortages, according to Olah and Prakash in U.S. Patent Application 20090320356.
Stockpiling of methanol offers several advantages over stockpiling oil. First, methanol is far less flammable than oil and other hydrocarbons, as it has a boiling point of 64.6.degree. C. (54.degree. F.) at atmospheric pressure. Gasoline, in contrast, will ignite at temperatures below freezing. Also, methanol is naturally present and is found to be essentially non-toxic in plant and animal studies. For humans, methanol is safe at low concentrations. As a result of methanol’s ready availability and relative safety, its storage is far less expensive than oil and other fuels. Due to its physical properties, methanol is also easy to transport.
Dimethyl ether can also be conveniently stored and handled in the same manner as liquefied petroleum gas. Dimethyl ether is a gas at room temperature, so that it is pressurized to a liquid to facilitate handling. It generally should be stored in pressurized tanks or similar vessels. Dimethyl ether can also be converted to gasoline.
Other Nanotechnology Based Fuel from Air Efforts
Professor George A. Olah and Professor G.K. Surya Prakash are not alone in their effort to create fuel from the air. Funding of $2.08 million (£1.4 million) to develop porous nanomaterials that can absorb CO2 and convert it into new products such as car fuel and plastics was recently awarded to three universities in the South West of Britain. The research, led by the University of Bath, will also involve scientists and engineers from the Universities of Bristol and the West of England
The British researchers will be developing Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF) which can store gases like CO2 and use catalysts to convert them into fuel or plastics.
Image credit: University of Bath
The researchers hope the porous materials will be used to line factory chimneys to take carbon dioxide pollutants from the air, reducing the effects of climate change. The process will be powered by renewable solar energy.
Dr. David Fermin, from the University of Bristol, said: “Currently, there are no large-scale technologies available for capturing and processing CO2 from air. The fact is that CO2 is rather diluted in the atmosphere and its chemical reactivity is very low. By combining clever material design with heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis and biocatalysis, we aim to develop an effective carbon neutral technology.”
The Bath-Bristol collaboration brings together scientists from a range of disciplines, including researchers from Bath’s Institute for Sustainable Energy & the Environment (I-SEE), the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol, and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) and School of Life Sciences at the University of the West of England.
Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, added: “One of the great advantages of this project is that it will attempt to exploit the natural abilities of photo-heterotrophic microorganisms in utilizing light to fix CO2, which in turn will allow the production of biomass to be used as fuel and electricity or hydrogen, as required.”
Dr Frank Marken, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Bath, said: “Dr Frank Marken, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Bath, said: “Current processes rely on using separate technology to capture and utilize the CO2, which makes the process very inefficient. By combining the processes the efficiency can be improved and the energy required to drive the CO2 reduction is minimized. It will be a massive challenge but we have a strong inter-disciplinary team that includes chemists, chemical engineers, biologists, and life-cycle analysts.”
Dr Petra Cameron, RCUK Fellow from the Department of Chemistry at Bath, said: “We hope that the use of renewable energy to recycle CO2 will be an effective way to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.”
The project, funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to the tune of $2.08 million (£1.4 million), is in its early stages, but the researchers predict the new technology could make a real difference in the fight against climate change.
For more stories on nanotechnology visit: Nano Patents and Innovations
Further Reading
One of the world’s preeminent scholars of hydrocarbon chemistry, Professor George Olah received the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for groundbreaking work on superacids and his observations of carbocations. Olah devised a way to keep the transient carbocations around long enough to study their properties. What he found has lead to new discoveries, new fields of research and countless applications. Prakash has earned national awards from the American Chemical Society for his work in hydrocarbons and is currently the Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry at USC and serves as Scientific Co-Director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute
Professor Olah studies a wide range of synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry with emphasis on hydrocarbon chemistry. He is currently investigating electrophilic (protic) solvation, superelectrophilic activation, which allows new applications in alkylation, acylation and many other reactions. Olah has made significant research contributions to the practical development of improved lead-free gasoline, cleaner high-octane gas and other promising nonpolluting fuels, as well as many chemical processes now used in pharmaceutical and industrial chemistry. His research has also led to the development of a new kind of fuel cell, called the direct liquid methanol fuel cell, that is a highly efficient and convenient source of electricity.
Professor Olah and Professor Prakash detail their discoveries in a series of recently published patent applications:
20100022671 Producing Methanol And Its Products Exclusively From Geothermal Sources And Their Energy
20090293348 Efficient And Selective Chemical Recycling Of Carbon Dioxide To Methanol, Dimethyl Ether And Derived Products
20090293348 Efficient And Selective Chemical Recycling Of Carbon Dioxide To Methanol, Dimethyl Ether And Derived Products
20090172997 Environmentally Friendly Ternary Transportation Flex-Fuel Of Gasoline, Methanol And Bioethanol
Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).
MOST RECENT
HELP KEEP NEWS FREE
DONATE
HERE
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,599,103,105 |
| Stories: | 8,138,035 |
Wanted: Citizen Reporters,
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Zechariah 4:6
Today's Top Stories
Featured
Top Global
Top Alternative
Of course, nature itself recycles carbon dioxide through agricultural plants and trees, but the combustion and use of oil and other fossil fuels has simply overloaded the system so that it cannot keep up with the amounts of carbon dioxide that are generated.
/v3/energy/2010/34023.html