[Terrapreta] 20 million artificial trees to scrub CO2

[Laurens Rademakers]

Oh, but I don't think he's a crackpot at all, on the contrary. He's just taking prof Lackner's idea and reviving it.

I do think the artificial trees are not our most interesting bet, compared with terra preta. 

-TP offers: renewable energy, food, ecosystem services and carbon sequestration; all this possibly even while turning a profit instead of costing us
-Artificial trees offer: only carbon sequestration and in the most difficult way possible (geosequestration); all this at a huge cost

It's just that I'm growing impatient; many costly or risky geoengineering ideas are getting a lot of media attention, while biochar/TP is not (yet). Of course one could argue that we need more research on biochar and that the technology is not as spectacular as synthetic trees, but still, I'm getting impatient!

If governments decide to back the artificial tree idea, the technology might begin to receive subsidies that could have gone to TP research and projects!

We need to do more lobbying.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sean K. Barry 
  To: Laurens Rademakers 
  Cc: terrapreta 
  Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 10:07 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] 20 million artificial trees to scrub CO2


  Hi Lorenzo,

  I've read about Dr. Wallace Broecker recently again (I think it was on the TED Talks site) and for sometime now.  He is not a crackpot.  His ideas could in all likelihood work.  Building these devices, whose technology is based on that used in submarines to "recycle" CO2 out of the air and make the air breathable again in those enclosed spaces, is entirely workable.  The operating costs of these devices may be even more costly than building the cost of the capital equipment to do it.  Compressing CO2 into liquid and pumping it into geo-sinks would be very energy intensive, even if you could find enough of those geo-sinks.  Making CO2 into minerals is like making limestone or bicarbonate of soda from CO2 and calcium or CO2 and sodium.  This, too, is possible, yes, but sourcing the raw calcium or raw sodium would also be costly and energy intensive, not to mention that the sources for these are from the minerals (after the CO2 is released) that we would want to be putting the CO2 into to make!
  Making portland cement released from limestone releases enormous amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

  The most important point that Dr. Broeker makes I think, is pointing out the seriousness of the problem; that is the increasing rate of increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.  He is, I think, absolutely right in his assessment that CO2 concentrations are currently at dangerous levels and are rising precipitously.  The other point I think he is correct about is that political will to even see or deal with this problem is practically non-existent.  But, his plan could be a good "stop-gap" mitigation strategy.

  Why he gets air on BBC ... I know he has a money-bags investor who is backing the development of the types of systems he is proposing.

  Dr. Wallace Broeker would be a great ally for those of us who are trying to promote Terra Preta Nova.  We should try to contact him about this.

  Regards,

  SKB

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Laurens Rademakers 
    To: terra Preta 
    Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 2:36 PM
    Subject: [Terrapreta] 20 million artificial trees to scrub CO2


    Here, an idea that directly competes with terra preta; the artificial tree idea ...


  ____________________________________________________________ 
  Take a break - you deserve it. Click here to find a great vacation.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG. 
  Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.4/1476 - Release Date: 31/05/2008 12:25
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /attachments/20080602/bf07532b/attachment.html