Kevin+Li

Carbon Sequestration
By Kevin Li and David Galgowski


 * Carbon sequestration** is the process in which c arbon dioxide (CO2) is removed from the Earth’s atmosphere. There are three accepted categories of methods for which carbon sequestration falls under: physical, biological and chemical. The chemical processes all involve the reaction of carbon dioxide with another chemical substance in order to disassemble the CO2, thus neutralizing the negative effect that excess CO2 has on the earth’s atmosphere.

__Carbon Sequestration and the World__
Carbon Dioxide has been cited by numerous scientists as being the main reason for global warming [1]. Excessive CO2 that results from the greenhouse effect has been destroying the Earth's environment through global warming. The greenhouse effect happens when CO2 and other greenhouse gases trapped in our atmosphere prevent some infrared radiation from escaping [2]. In the past century, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased mainly due to burning of fossil fuels and automobile emissions [3]. The increase in carbon dioxide has in turn heated up the Earth’s oceans, melted large amounts of ice from the colder regions of the world, as well as caused drastic temperature changes in certain regions. One way of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is through carbon sequestration, which is the process in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is removed from the Earth’s atmosphere. There are numerous methods of carbon sequestration. However, the basic principles behind these methods are more or less the same. It always involves the reaction of carbon dioxide with another chemical substance in order to disassemble the CO2, thus neutralizing the negative effect that excess CO2 has on the earth’s atmosphere.

http://www.arbeitssprache-englisch.com/environment/global_warming/global_warming.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XDhuDEWSu4&feature=related

__Carbon Sequestration Methods__
There are already natural forms of carbon sequestration through biological organisms. This is generally known as terrestrial carbon sequestration [4]. For plants to produce glucose through photosynthesis, one of the substances they need is carbon dioxide. The equation for photosynthesis is as follows:
 * The Natural Form of Carbon Sequestration**

6CO2 + 6H20 = C6HO6 + 6O2** [|**Photosynthesis source**]
 * Carbon Dioxide + Water = Glucose + Oxygen

Ultimately, the plant takes carbon dioxide out of the air and puts back oxygen gas, while keeping the carbon in the form of glucose [5]. For this to truly be carbon sequestration, the plant must not give off the carbon dioxide back into the air once it dies and starts decaying. To prevent this, a technique called biomass burial must take place.

Biomass burial is where any biomass, like the dead plant, is buried into the ground so that the carbon is sequestered into the ground as opposed to being released into the air in the form of carbon dioxide [6]. Humans have started using this process to decrease carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through reforestation.
 * Biomass Burial**

Another form of carbon sequestration is to increase mineralization of CO2. Carbon dioxide can actually be taken out of the atmosphere and stored in minerals. It is already done naturally, but humans are now making an effort to increase mineralization. The reaction is faster if it takes place at higher temperatures or pressures. The problem with that it takes energy to do so, which currently means fossil fuels would be burned for this reaction. This would mean that to take away carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, humans would have to put more right back into the air. The process requires the use of metal oxides like magnesium oxide or calcium oxide to react with the carbon dioxide in the air. This reaction ends up forming substances called carbonates. Generally, these two substances are found naturally in the form of forsterite and serpentine [7][8]. The reaction of these substances with CO2 is as follows: [[image:http://www.energy.columbia.edu/files/images/mineral_fig_3_0.gif width="353" height="252" align="left" caption="If all of the ultramafic rock (used for carbon sequestration) in the U.S. could be used, there is enough to sequester the carbon emissions of the United States for more than 100 years [9)."]] Mg2SiO4 + 2CO2 = 2MgCO3 + SiO2 Serpentine + Carbon Dioxide= Magnesium Carbonate + Silicon Dioxide + Water Mg3Si2O5(OH)4 + 3CO2 = MgCO3 + 2SiO2 + 2H2O [|Source of the reaction]**
 * Mineral Sequestration**
 * Forsterite + Carbon Dioxide= Magnesium Carbonate + Silicon Dioxide

Magnesium carbonate and silicon dioxide are both abundant minerals in the Earth's crust, which shows how carbon dioxide was transformed into a far less lethal substance.

Map from []

__**Conclusion**__
Carbon sequestration, using chemistry, aims to solve this problem by removing CO2 from our atmosphere by expedianting the natural process of neutralizing CO2 and also by containing it in mineral form. These methods creates long-term stability in terms of being able to keep the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere as well as being an environmentally safe process as well. [8] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/21/1957361.htm __**
 * __[[image:r137175_466271.jpg width="514" height="298" caption="Carbon Dioxide released from factories and cars are destroying our planet; Carbon Sequestration may be the answer to stopping this and gloabl warming as well."]]

__**References**__

 * 1) http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/11/65852
 * 2) http://www.aip.org/history/climate/co2.htm
 * 3) http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_cse.htm
 * 4) http://csite.esd.ornl.gov/faq/faq.html
 * 5) http://www.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookPS.html
 * 6) http://www.cbmjournal.com/content/3/1/1
 * 7) http://sequestration.mit.edu/pdf/carbonates.pdf
 * 8) http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/01/carbon_seq/6c1.pdf
 * 9) http://www.energy.columbia.edu/mineral-carbon