Converting co2 into hydrogen-based synthetic fuel is a fact.
the total net US release of CO2 could be halved, even factoring in the release of CO2 from the ongoing combustion of hydrocarbon.
Apparently this isn't "pie in the sky" technology yet it is so "new" that I haven't seen any polititians promoting the developement of it.
I live in West Virginia. I consider myself a progressive Democrat. But I also realize that the production of coal has long been extremely important to the local economy all across Appalachia. According to the West Virginia Coal Association, coal produced here accounts for the production of up to 50% of America's electricity.
What folks don't realize is in the county of Kanawha, where my state capitol is located, Elkem Metals at Alloy once refined silicon for half of the world's computer chips. Silicon has also long been used to produce low-cost solar/ electric arrays.
The technology of converting co2 to clean hydrogen synfuel developed by NASA using solar powered electric arrays is well established.
So converting co2 from coal fired power plants into synfuel should be ver viable for West Virginia but only if real leaders are willing to promote it.
According to Research analysis:
The production rate of CO2 from coal power plants in the US is 1,875 million metric tons/year. If this CO2 were captured using proven absorption processes and used with hydrogen produced by solar, wind or nuclear energy to make synfuel, it would provide all the hydrocarbon fuel needed for our transportation economy.
Since that transportation economy produces 1,850 million metric tons of CO2 per year, this synfuel process would cut our CO2 production in half. We could shift from a petroleum-based transportation economy to a synfuel transportation economy.
This would reduce our petroleum use by 75%, and reduce our CO2 production by 50% with no increase in coal use. It would require significant quantities of hydrogen (255 million metric tons/year, or 25 times our current production) that would be produced from water using solar, wind or nuclear energy.
This hydrogen synfuel concept would allow us to significantly reduce our use of petroleum, and cut our CO2 emissions in half, while still using our existing hydrocarbon-based transportation infrastructure. It could provide a bridge to a pure hydrogen economy. source: Green Car Congress Jan 14, 2008
What this technology means to any PROGRESSIVE leader is that it may not only reduce the growing problem of greenhouse gas over the long haul, but also may prove to be a viable option to get the endorsement of the UMWA as well as environmentalists.
If they only knew...