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April 27, 2007

First Successful Demonstration of Carbon Dioxide Air Capture Technology Achieved

Topics: Global Warming

The air extraction device is one critical solution to help the world reduce dangerous amounts of CO2 in the air.

[Image: An artist's rendering of an "air extraction" prototype being developed by Global Research Technologies and Klaus Lackner from Columbia University. © Global Research Technologies, LLC]

The Earth Institute at Columbia University reports that Global Research Technologies, LLC (GRT), a technology research and development company, and Klaus Lackner from Columbia University have achieved the successful demonstration of a bold new technology to capture carbon from the air. The "air extraction" prototype has successfully demonstrated that indeed carbon dioxide (CO2) can be captured from the atmosphere. This is GRT's first step toward a commercially viable air capture device.

... One of the most critical challenges we face is the dramatically increasing and completely unprecedented level of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. The air extraction device is one critical solution to help the world reduce dangerous amounts of CO2 in the air.

The GRT's demonstration could have far-reaching consequences for the battle to reduce greenhouse gas levels. Unlike other techniques, such as carbon capture and storage from power plants, air extraction would allow reductions to take place irrespective of where carbon emissions occur, enabling active management of global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. The technology shows, for the first time, that carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles on the streets of Bangkok could be removed from the atmosphere by devices located in Iceland. This could present a solution to three problems that until now have posed intractable obstacles for advocates of greenhouse gas reduction: how to deal with the millions of vehicles that together represent over 20 percent of global CO2 emissions, how to manage the emissions from existing infrastructure, and how to connect the sources of carbon to the sites of carbon disposal.

... "This significant achievement holds incredible promise in the fight against climate change," said Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of The Earth Institute, "and thanks to the ingenuity of GRT and Klaus Lackner, the world may, sooner rather than later, have an important tool in this fight."

Read more on the benefits and use of the device here ...

The device does appear to have significant potential for reducing CO2 in the air, should it become necessary to do so.

While recognizing the potential benefit of the device, once fully developed, I'm not a member of the global warming cult pushing the "sky is falling" Al Gore agenda. Perhaps this is why my only real criticism of the report, other than it's reference to man-made climate change, the degree of which, if any, is still under debate, and most particularly, it's reference to Al Gore being a "global expert" on climate change, in this excerpt:

This technology debuts at a critical juncture where recent findings of an esteemed array of global experts -- including former Vice President Al Gore, Sir Nicholas Stern, and the eminent scientists and practitioners serving on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- have concluded that man-made climate change is indeed upon us.

I find the use of global expert and Al Gore's name in the same sentence laughable and naive.

As for the results of GRT's demonstration of their device - great idea, great results, and if and when we need it, it'll be great to have this technology available.

Related:
British Documentary 'The Great Global Warming Swindle' to Air on Swedish Television
Getting More Stupid On The Global Warming Bandwagon (Updated)