Chemistry: Carbon sngineering, CO2 Air to Fuel

[Jamesuk]

Hi Team, it’s been a while and I have been interested in this Air to fuel technology that Bill Gates
ates has invested in.

Anyone care to cast some experience to the technology

http://carbonengineering.com/about-a2f/

Anyway it all seems to be buried by governments etc thinking electric is the answer now.

Could totally change boating

 

[elton]

Great, as long as you have vast areas of empty land covered in solar panels. Then, subtract a lot of inefficiencies, such as the panels themselves, electrolysis, distribution losses, clouds, and night time.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Medieval alchemy at its best.
It may be possible to transmute lead into gold, but its a bloody sight cheaper to go buy some gold.

Even if it did work (lets face it trees have been doing this for a while) It has little effect on boating. such technologies are not energy sources, just a handy way to carry it about.

 

[lw395]

...

Even if it did work (lets face it trees have been doing this for a while) It has little effect on boating. such technologies are not energy sources, just a handy way to carry it about.

But that's the whole point.
We can increasing generate plenty of green/ zero carbon electricity, but there are problems with a) powering engines, esp jet engines, and b) storing large amounts of energy. Hydrocarbon fuel produced from nuclear or solar could have its uses.
Energy storage is the main thing holding back solar power now.

If carbon dioxide can be trapped from the atmosphere economically, it's also a route to permanently (ish?) storing carbon in useful things made of plastic, e.g. boats.
We could just go back to wooden boats though...