Monday 6 July 2009

Crazy theories

Sometimes I read about geo-engineering ideas and I think, 'that sounds like a fantastic idea' assuming of course there is no unforseen side effect; other times I hear about a scheme that makes no sense at all. I have just read about an idea to reduce ocean acidification, which is absolutely bonkers. In essence the problem is this - too much Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere means more is absorbed by the oceans, the Carbon Dioxide in the ocean forms cabonic acid whic prevents things like corals and phytoplanktons from forming shells correctly. In order to correct this imbalance Tim Kruger, a former management consultant has proposed a project known as Cquestrate. This involves adding Lime to the ocean to reduce the acidity. The lime will react with the Carbon Dioxide to form calcium carbonate which will sink to the bottom of the ocean to form a sedimentary rock sequestering the Carbon for centuries (it sounds good up to this point)


However the big question is this where does Lime come from? Lime is produced on an industrial scale by roasting Limstone at over 1000 degrees C this releases huge amounts of Carbon back into the atmosphere, and it takes lots of energy to heat it this hot too. Where is the sense?Link

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