Comments on: MIT: To keep coal, carbon needs to go underground

Coal will remain king for power generation for decades, but new carbon storage technologies are needed, MIT says.

[billmosby]

Unforseen problems...

So sequestration of gaseous CO2 could cause "other unforseen
problems"? Like, maybe, sudden death of those into whose
"backyards" the CO2 might suddenly leak? Hopefully, that would be
improbable. However, the "nimby" phenomenon has been
mobilized by less dire prospects, as for example in the case of the
mere possibility of an unsightly wind turbine becoming marginally
visible to well-heeled property owners in various places.

[twotall610]

agree

It should not be thought as long term storage but as short term.
The CO2 would be pumped into the ground then processed back
into O2 by whatever means that could be developed. Algae farms
might be a good start.

[ebeamsales]

Can we break down the CO2?

If the problem with coal burning is the CO2 that is released, what would it take to break down the CO2 into carbon and oxygen? Is the carbon then in solid form? Obviously, it would take energy for this reaction but can't this be obtained from the energy released during combustion? Seems like there should be an easier solution. When they sequester the CO2 underground, don't they store it in underground tanks or something as opposed to pumping it directly underground?

[karn]

Sure you can

Sure you can break the CO2 back into carbon and oxygen. But it would take just as much energy as you got from burning the carbon in the first place. Even more, when you include all the system losses and inefficiencies.

I'm glad people are looking seriously at CO2 sequestration, if only to show how ridiculously impractical it would be, and how easy it is by comparison to bury nuclear waste.

[dsf32]

Give it to the oil companies.

There was an article a few days ago about oil companies extracting more oil from old oil fields by injecting Carbon Dioxide into the deposits. Kill two birds with one stone? ..and for the positive?

[richardault]

Common practice to inject natural gas

Natural gas is injected back into wells in many places. Although I think there is some well founded criticism of this practice as natural gas is in high demand in the US. I don't know if this would work with CO2.

[Hydrogeno2]

Who's bright idea was it to put CO2 underground , please step forward and receive the dummy award of the year, it would have to be a guy with a degree and bloody no common sense, and on the Coal industry pay roll, do they think we are all stupid out here in the real world, wake up and smell the roses and thrust me mate there are no fairy's at the botton of the garden.