ProblemGlobal warming is the result of an increased amount of greenhouse gases into the air, which therefore increases the average surface temperature of the Earth. This rise in surface temperature can lead to a variety of consequences including flooding, deformed geography, pollution of natural processes, and destruction of ecosystems and their additional species.
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SolutionOnce a CCS system was installed this could cut the carbon emissions from the plant by over 90%. This effect could stop, if not reverse global warming on our planet, and with the increasing advancements in recycled carbon technologies these emissions could drop dramatically. If CCS were theoretically instituted to every carbon emitting plant on the globe, our annual carbon emissions would drop by 68-74%.
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Transforming Co2 into Supercritical Co2
The easiest form to transport carbon is in its supercritical form due to being more dense, and therefore being able to store more, and also having lower drag, meaning that when transported through pipelines it takes less energy to pump the Co2. The main thing to consider when compressing carbon into its supercritical form is temperature and pressure. In order for carbon to become supercritical, it must reach a pressure of around 1075psi and maintain a temperature of 31 degrees celsius. The most common way of achieving this is through a centrifugal compressor. This is most similar to a supped up jet engine. It is most commonly used because of its large intake value. The captured carbon is fed through the front of a large turbine which moves at speeds upwards of 25,000rpm, this creates a compressed carbon leading to its supercritical form. |
Reaction of Co2 into Biofuels
Once the supercritical Co2 is transported to the Biofuel plant the Co2 is transformed back into its normal state of a gas. Once released into its gas form, the Co2 is injected into a tank filled with water, all the while an electrical charge is run through the water this creates a chemical reaction between the Co2 and the water creating a molecule called formate(CHOO). This formate is then used as a nutrient to feed a genetically modified bacteria(E. coli), which has been engineered to exploit the bacteria's production of amino acids in glycolysis. This formate is used in an alternative form of glycolysis which ends in the output of Isobutanol. Regular glycolysis cannot be used since this process would usually create a toxicity within the cell. |