Lab Book : Fixing Carbon : Project Earth : Discovery Channel

Fixing Carbon Dummies' Guide

An Introduction to Cleaning the Air of CO2

Professor David Keith of the University of Calgary plans to build a machine that will force air through a carbon vacuum, treating it with sodium hydroxide then expelling air containing as much as 50 percent less carbon dioxide at the other end.

Test 1: A high-altitude aircraft will capture air samples to analyze CO2 content and compare it with previous data.

Test 2: The team will investigate commercial opportunities for storing CO2 in oil field bedrock.

Test 3: The team will test the feasibility of storing CO2 beneath the ocean — e.g., injecting liquid CO2 into the rock of the ocean floor.

Test 4: A mineral carbonation reactor at a science lab will produce a CO2 brick, which could be used on a large scale in construction as a brick or waterproof cement.

Test 5: Test the scrubber air fan at a performance air test facility to see which fan model is most energy efficient.

Test 6: Assemble and construct the scrubber.

Final Test

The team plans to demonstrate a scale prototype CO2 scrubber tower. The scrubber will be 4 feet wide and 20 feet tall. It will be transported to the testing location upright on a flat-bed truck and a crane will be used to lower it into position.

The scrubber tower has a fan at the bottom that sucks air in. The air is then blown through a filter (stainless steel "structured packing") and soaked in a chemical solution that absorbs CO2. The air leaves the top of the tower with CO2 levels significantly reduced.

The vision calls for the scrubber tower to be powered using an array of solar panels so as not to emit any CO2. The prototype scrubber is designed to consume a minimal amount of electricity.

Special sensors will measure the concentration of CO2 in the air at the air inlet and the outlet of the scrubber. Professor Keith expects the air coming out of the scrubber to have approximately 50 percent less CO2 than the air coming in.

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