[Terrapreta] Sequestering CO2

[Kurt Treutlein]

Just imagine yourself trying to tell the great unwashed public about 
carbon sequestration.
On the one hand: Here is a powerstation burning fossil fuel. Carbon 
dioxide  going up thge stack and dissipating out into the atmosphere, 
where it will cause global warming. We are going to capture that carbon 
dioxide, comp[ress it and send it off through that pipeline there to an 
old oilwell, where we are going to pump it deep underground into the old 
oil reservoir, where it will stay for ever.

A very simple scenario.

Then we try the TP system.

Here's a powerstation, burning fossil fuel and the carbon dioxide goes 
up the stack and dissipates into the atmosphere where it contributes to 
global warming. Down here in the ground we have a whole lot of plants, 
that over their growing season will capture carbon dioxide from the air. 
Then we harvest the plants, dry them and burn them in this thing we call 
a pyrolyser. From this machine we will get all sorts of things that we 
can use instead of crude oil and we also get about half the weight of 
the original dry plantmatter as charcoal. This charcoal is mainly carbon 
plus some other minerals. We'll bury that in the soil, where it will 
make the soil more productive . That carbon will stay there forever, 
thus removing the carbon dioxide that the plant took from the air 
forever as well. We'll also get some energy from the pyrolises machine 
which can help with out energy needs.

A somewhat more airy fairy scenario, that will take a lot longer than 
the compress and bury it CO2 one.

I wonder which scenario people will go for more?

Kurt