Electricity From CO2 — New Technique

July 26th, 2013 by Important Media Cross-Post

Here’s an interesting article from sister site Planetsave regarding a long-discussed topic that hasn’t gotten very far — using CO2 to create electricity. Check out the latest research update in this field:

New Technique Generates Electricity From CO2 Pollution (via Planetsave)

A new technique developed by a team of Dutch Engineers generates electrical power from a novel mixing of CO2, air and water — without increasing CO2 emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a simple molecule that results from either the natural breakdown…

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Tags: carbon capture, co2, CO2 electricity, CO2 energy

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Important Media Cross-Post -- CleanTechnica is one of 18 blogs in the Important Media blog network. With a bit of overlap in coverage, we sometimes repost some of the great content published by our sister sites.

Martin Vermeer

I’m not sure this is a good idea… if I have understood the idea correctly, it means extracting the very energy that would have to be supplied for pulling down CO2 from the ambient air (as opposed to using power-plant smokestacks) in preparation for underground sequestration. Right?
Ronald Brakels

At 4.5 mW a square meter it would take about half a million square meters of surface area to collect enough wattage to run the heating element in my oven. Think I’ll stick to solar cells.
JamesWimberley

Is the technology helpful? It would make fossil-burning power stations more efficient overall, and reduce the CO2 per kwh of fossil electricity. On the other hand, it will prolong their economic life and slow down the clean energy transition. Development is not a priority.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  Exactly, all these schemes to use the concentrated CO2 stream from fossil fuel plants will make it harder to close those plants.
Marion Meads

They have calculated an energy efficiency of 24% to 32%. What is the basis of this efficiency? Clearly we know the output is electricity, and it is 24% of what input energy? What is the input or the main energy source? Has the energy costs for pumping water and bubbling the air also been accounted for?