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 Ashwin Kumar Dec 1, 2012 05:53  |
Thank you for the proposal.
1)What fractions of CO2 and methane have been removed from air samples in experiments using dielectric barrier discharges?
2)What is the scale of these experimental efforts (for example, what have been typical air flow rates in these experiments), and what were the energy requirements at this scale?
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 Johnnie Buttram Dec 2, 2012 05:54  | Proposal contributor
Cutting edge laboratories, including those in China, are using sophisticated equipment and proprietary Dielectric Barrier Discharge processes to convert methane to value - added chemicals and fuels.
The primary goal of this DBD Pod Cluster proposal is to economically destroy the combustible parts of methane gas whose flashpoint is 370 degrees Fahrenheit. I do not have the equipment or skills required to give you a definitive answer. However - I, personally, believe this data is available.
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 Michael Maccracken May 3, 2013 04:51  |
A related sort of a approach it would seem is that than an automobile manufacturer (was it Volvo?) has been using. Basically, what they claim is that the air leaving their car is putting out cleaner air than it is taking in (assuming I think that they are taking in air as polluted as it is in Los Angeles, Houston, etc.). Their system works due to the efficiency of the combustion process and the catalytic converters in the exhaust stream. Overall, quite impressive.
The problem with doing this at fixed locations is that one often has to do something to increase air flow. The advantage of doing by butting the proposed device on a car is that a moving car makes contact with a lot of air, and so this helps to reduce the energy costs of moving all that air. But then the energy involves reduces the car's mileage. It would be interesting to know, for example, how the radiative forcing of the methane and tropospheric ozone (and maybe other substances) that would be destroyed compared to the warming influence of the extra CO2 emitted to incorporate such a device on the car.
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 Pia Jensen May 10, 2013 11:35 |
Thank you, Mike Maccracken - would high wind volume and speed areas make this work?
High mountain tops with regularly high speed winds, for example?
I've been to a few places where big winds are quite normal.... might those areas address your concern?
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 2013geoengineeringjudges 2013geoengineeringjudges Jul 10, 2013 03:36 |
Thank you for sharing your ideas and for the work invested to create this proposal. We have considered this proposal carefully, and note that while it makes an interesting suggestion, and works well to reduce local concentrations of certain pollutants where they are created, it is likely to be exceedingly difficult and expensive to scale it up to have the large influence on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations that is envisaged.
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