File this under "Great Ideas -- in need of more research and promotion dollars,"
... highly effective carbon-trapping “sponges” (made of micro silica and amine absorbent):
Carbon-trapping “sponges” can cut greenhouse gases
Anne Ju, Cornell University; rdmag.com -- 12/16/2014
In the fight against global warming, carbon capture is gaining momentum, but standard methods are plagued by toxicity, corrosiveness and inefficiency. Using a bag of chemistry tricks, Cornell Univ. materials scientists have invented low-toxicity, highly effective carbon-trapping “sponges” that could lead to increased use of the technology.
-- A scanning electron microscopy image of a pristine silica support, before the amine is added. Image: Genggeng Qi
[...]
The researchers have been working on a better, safer carbon-capture method since about 2008, and they have gone through several iterations. Their latest consists of a silica scaffold, the sorbent support, with nanoscale pores for maximum surface area. They dip the scaffold into liquid amine, which soaks into the support like a sponge and partially hardens. The finished product is a stable, dry white powder that captures carbon dioxide even in the presence of moisture.
[...]
Qi said the next steps are to optimize the sorbent and to eventually demonstrate it for industry, possibly at Cornell for retrofitting its power plant. He also said the technology could be used on smaller scale—for example, in greenhouses, where the captured carbon dioxide can be used to enhance plant growth.
[...]
[results, co-authored by postdoctoral associates Genggeng Qi and Liling Fu, appeared in Nature Communications.]
Things may be looking up ... for carbon capture possibilities -- finally!
-- Sponge Bob at Thanksgiving Day Parade
Yeah!