Method for the Sequestration and Utilization of Atmospheric CO(2)

Overview

Objectives/Goals My goal is to create a complete system of Carbon Dioxide Gas capture and conversion into usable substance, and the recycling of waste CO2. By capturing atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and converting it to usable substances such as syngas, synthetic natural gas, Carbon Dioxide can be successfully be reused in a renewable fashion. Methods/Materials Methods: The first step was to capture CO2 from the atmosphere. After some research I found that Sodium Carbonate was a good contender for carbon sequestration, or the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and also could be easily reused. Next, the Carbon Dioxide had to be broken down into a usable substance. To achieve this, I build a tesla coil to breakdown the CO2 into CO, or carbon monoxide. I then built a Hydrolysis reactor to create Hydrogen and Oxygen. This Hydrogen and Oxygen was then mixed with the newly created Carbon Monoxide. This mixture of gasses is known as Syngas, short for synthetic natural gas. This mixture can then be later refined in chemical processes and used as fuel. Results I found that Sodium Carbonate effectively captured CO2 from the atmosphere and could be easily reused. I found that corona discharge can be used to break down CO2 into CO and mixed with Hydrogen made from electrolysis to produce Syn-gas, synthetic natural gas for use as a fuel or creation of industrial chemicals. Conclusions/Discussion I found that the use of Sodium Carbonate is a viable way for the capture of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. It is not only efficient, but also reusable. Also, I found that the most effective use of Sodium Carbonate would be in areas of high Carbon Dioxide concentrations. I concluded that the most effective method of converting Carbon Dioxide into useful substances would be through a high voltage corona discharge, as is present in a tesla coil. After much research, I concluded that a conversion from CO2 to CO could be utilized to create syngas. According to efficiency tests of my electrolysis reactor, the device was able to produce roughly one liter of synthetic natural gas per minute. Finally, I found that through research that this mixture of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen could be utilized in its present state or be refined into pure natural gas through chemical processes. Overall I believe that this method of Carbon Dioxide capture and conversion to synthetic natural gas is a viable solution to the growing problem of rising CO2 levels.

Awards (1)

• Fourth Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Environmental Science · Entry S1104

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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