Germany sinks carbon dioxide - July 01, 2008
On Monday researchers at the small town of Ketzin near Berlin began pumping carbon dioxide into the ground, the first time this has been done in mainland Europe.
In two years the German Research Centre for Geosciences plans to store 60,000 tons of the greenhouse gas over 600 metres below ground in saltwater-saturated porous rocks (press release). Scientists will then see what happens, aiming to “fill the gap between the numerous conceptual engineering and scientific studies on geological storage and a fully-fledged onshore storage demonstration” (project website).
“The main goal of the project is to develop and test ways of monitoring the stored CO2,” says Hilke Wuerdemann, of the centre (Deutsche Welle)
Spiegel says if the sequestration project is successful it could be used with the nearby Vattenfall coal power plant. There have been concerns, notably from Greenpeace about the facility, especially the potential for the carbon dioxide to leak out of the rock (AFP),
The CO2SINK project is being support by the European Union and features in the 2006 Nature feature Putting the carbon back: The hundred billion tonne challenge.
More on carbon sequestration from Nature
Carbon burial buried article from 2008
A handful of carbon commentary from 2007
Capturing carbon editorial from 2006
Comments
To 01 July 2008 northern California wildfires (lightning) burned 409,046 acres. Given 0.1 gram CO2/cm^2 from 0.027 g carbon/cm^2 - trees exceed that as does mere grass - get 1.655x10^6 tonnes CO2. Germany need bury 30,000 tonnes of CO2/year for 55 years to equal that. Total burned US acreage to 01 July is 2,173,153 acres or 293 years of German CO2 burial. Machen schneller!
(pressure)(volume) = energy, 101.325 joules/liter-atmosphere. Enviro-whinerism will save the planet by throwing away 30% of a powerplant's output on CO2 sequestration. 30% more powerplants won't balance that, for they each lose 30% of their output, too. 43% increase is needed to run the Red Queen's Enviro-race - burning 43% more fossil fuel to achieve nothing.
Posted by: Uncle Al | July 1, 2008 10:25 PM