Comments on: New Way to Convert CO2 into Methanol

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:52:25 +0000

So if the project succeeds in mass production, does this mean methanol price will go down significantly?

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:00:38 +0000

Biofuel has gone advanced and scientific researches have really contributed a lot to save mankind from relying solely on fossil fuels which emits so much co2 into the environment.

By: jitendra patel

jitendra patel — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:31:02 +0000

Is it possible to Convert co2 into oxygen?

By: Tay Fook Seng

Tay Fook Seng — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:34:20 +0000

Plant produce carbohydrate through reduction process between NADPH and carbon dioxide. It is thus possible for human beings to reduce produce something from carbon dioxide through the same process.

By: momoh

momoh — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:35:16 +0000

CO2 to methanol? this is not good news. CO2 is very important in maintaining the warmth of the biosphere,the moment this vision becomes a reality, man invests his money for more and this may lead to CO2 depletion. We may move from global warming to ice age. we should be careful.

By: Hrapal Singh Grewal

Hrapal Singh Grewal — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:23:29 +0000

I aggree with jezreel Magbanua(8). There is more of an intellectual corruption prevailing than actual or realistic information. Plant trees & more trees.

By: Syed Aqeel Ahmed

Syed Aqeel Ahmed — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:45:44 +0000

I would like to congratulate IBN scientists and the organization for their financial contribution. After reading the article and all comments I came to the conclusion that we have to oblige and carry out some pilot projects at our work stations. Mostly like me are busy with their day to day responsibility at our work stations. The thought and technology is not only related with global warming it mainly related with Energy price reduction, like how phone calling rates and other electronic items price came down. The existing running power plant can not be dismantled suddenly to adopt new means of power generation. so I will request all concerns that test this method in lab and give the input/findings.

By: Ahsanullah Soomro

Ahsanullah Soomro — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:36:54 +0000

Conversion of CO2 into Methanol need energy input, why we not find a such mechanism, once process stats than recycle continuously, without consuming the energy and generate the electricity!!It can be possible i am trying my best to do it. Such mechanism which will generate the electricity without consumption of input energy, Mechanisms I have done but now i am trying to make it recycle. once it succeeds than no need of alternative energy and no non-renewable energy, I am graduate Student of Energy and Environment Engineering Department, QUEST, Nawabhah, Pakistan, I will do it soon.

By: Tillmann Viefhaus

Tillmann Viefhaus — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:23:16 +0000

I also have worked on the conversion of CO2 to methanol using electrolytic methods and organic nitrogen compounds. Based on the results of these experiments I can say that the yield of any conversion is far below 0.1% if one is working with water as proton source which is the cheapest and most harmless one. Former papers describe reactions using mercury which also cannot be seen as a genie in the bottle.

The use of hydrosilanes is kinda trap because this group of substances is very reactive. Beside of that they also need energy and usually water free conditions to be formed. So, all investigated methods of CO2 to “hydrocarbons” are reactions with a negative yield of energy. We also should no forget that plants store the CO2 as carbon hydrates which are solids. If we want to produce large amounts of any carbon hydrate or hydrocarbon we need pure CO2 which must be extracted from air or any gas mixture of burning oil/coal processes. One can see easily that this is not solving our basic problem.

By: Leonard Legault

Leonard Legault — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:17:08 +0000

Absolutely!
Unfortunately there is a “gold rush” metality out there and “not all that glitters is gold”. I hope that when we see annoucements about bioenergy the mass energy balance calculation has been done so everyone’s time is not wasted.

By: Alex Markin

Alex Markin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:47:55 +0000

Seems to be an exercise for students to pick up something about catalysts. Otherwise, self-defeating. I do hope students are taught the realities of energy and mass balances with some developed understanding of economics. BTW algae does what they are doing rather well, except for production of higher C content alcohols.

By: Jezreel Magbanua

Jezreel Magbanua — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:35:46 +0000

I believe it’s as simple as this. Carbon dioxide is not the major greenhouse gas. It is only produced in big quantities, but there other greenhouse gases that are more damaging to the environment. The simple solution to global warming is planting. Basically, plants inhale carbon dioxide and converts it to sugar and oxygen. Too much release of carbon is beneficial to plants, and consequently to humans. There is no need for complex technologies. The whole world needs only to plant as many as they can, a simple solution that is not given consideration…

By: Steve Stowell

Steve Stowell — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:46:38 +0000

Yes howard. Most of these alt energy discussions do not
1. Discuss total net energy or cost at the system level (do they really save money? Does the entire proposed system really save energy? Are there other environmental costs)
2. Really discuss the relative merits or risks of the work (what is the state of the art? What are the risks? Is this really a breakthrough technology? Are there other things out there that compete with this technology)
3. Provide more quantitative data

All of this takes more work, but does not have to detract from efforts to keep this for a general audience. More thoughtful links within the embedded popular text would really make this thing more useful.

As to this article, I am concerned about wasting valuable research dollars on anything that purports to solve our carbon problems.

On the other hand, my wallet’s a bit low, and this gives me an idea. . .

By: Howard Wilkinson

Howard Wilkinson — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:30:35 +0000

It seems a bit silly doesn’t it…….. trying to make a factory do what plants do…….. Plants do it with solar energy. Burn coal for power, then take the power produced to drive a process to create methanol???

By: Gate

Gate — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:02:32 +0000

I think a more efficient way is to produce a photovoltaic direct electricity not on this way. They want to addict you. I think a independent future is better and more secure!

By: Ligia Fein

Ligia Fein — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:27:09 +0000

Have you heard of JATROPHA trees?

By: John Bamberger

John Bamberger — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:55:52 +0000

Converting carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons is exactly what plants do. They “breath in” carbon dioxide and then use photosynthesis to break off the carbon from oxygen – which they “breath out” – which we as animals breath in, then breath out carbon dioxide.

Perhaps we should study how the plants do it with so little energy expenditure and imitate that process.

By: Gene Drekeke Iyovo

Gene Drekeke Iyovo — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Since global warming campaigns are hot they will have enough money to finance even though it may have negative profit margin of the operation.The good news is carbon dioxide from fossil fuel can be adjusted to make friendly operation.The bad news is carbon dioxide is not the major component of the atmospheric air with 0.03% composition yet the world is so frightened to get rid of them.Plants may have their say at the conferences! Carbon dioxide is as vital like O2. We need CO2.

On the other hand fossil driven power plants may rejoice to use the process to convert CO2 to CHOH.

By: Howard Wilkinson

Howard Wilkinson — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:35:57 +0000

What isn’t discussed here at all is the energy input… As with splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, there must be energy input to split the CO2 into carbon and oxygen… a considerable input. Energy input will aways exceed energy released in combustion… it’s a fact of life. The process uses catalysts to promote the formation of methanol which is a liquid fuel… a great way to utilize hydrogen which in itself is a silly direction to take as a fuel. Combine it with carbon and you have a hydrocarbon like methanol… thus a complete cycle.