How to Capture and Transport Carbon

Carbon is a natural gas that creates the greenhouse effect, which warms the earth. However, excessive amounts of Carbon Dioxide, produced by burning fossil fuels, can become trapped in the atmosphere. The largest stationary sources of CO₂ are power plants, where research efforts are focused on carbon capture systems. At this point, the process has been deemed possible, but is very costly. Here are the general steps for capturing carbon.

Step One:
Extract the carbon. The first step in the overall process is to remove the carbon from the source using post-combustion. Post-combustion is a method than can be used by conventional coal-fired power generation or combustion turbines fired by natural gas. The CO₂ is captured from flue gases which are a result of burning fossil fuel. Flue gases are a combination of CO₂, water vapor, sulfur dioxides, and nitrogen oxides. CO₂ is separated from this mixture using a filter that helps trap the CO₂ as it exits through a smokestack. This method is well-known and can be used in older power plants.

Step Two:
Transport the carbon to a storage site. Small amounts of CO₂ are currently transported using a pipeline. Usually a CO₂ pipeline begins at the power plant, where the CO₂ is captured. It travels to the storage site or to a transition point like a tanker or ship, where it is then carried to storage. CO₂ is most often transported in a gaseous state, with a compressor that forces the gas through the pipeline.

Step Three:
Store the carbon. Currently there are two places that can effectively store CO₂, underground and underwater. Underground storage (geological sequestration) allows CO₂ to behave like a liquid because of the pressure. The liquid then seeps into porous rocks or volcanic rocks below the Earth’s surface. Experts say that CO₂ can also be stored in the ocean, simply by dumping it directly into the water at a depth of at least 3500 meters. The CO₂ compresses into a slush and falls to the ocean floor. This method of storage is largely untested; it may harm marine life and could re-enter the environment.

Additional Information:
CO₂ capture has been successfully practiced for many years in the petroleum, chemical, and power industries for various reasons. However, only a small portion is being captured.

Although the successful capture of carbon is realistic, researchers must find a cost-effective way to transport and store the CO₂ before companies can move forward with capture.

Carbon capture can prevent 80-90% of a power plant’s emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Eco-Friendly Walls: Move Beyond the Potted Plant

Many environmentalists say to decorate living and working space with natural décor such as green plants. Green plants make great décor and clean the air while looking pretty. But what if you could take the potted plant one step further and decorate your walls with plants? One New York plant lover accomplished this by removing the plaster from his apartment walls, replacing it with plywood covered with cork bark.

Technically, it’s called a vertical garden, which is increasing in popularity. Some companies are jumping on the bandwagon to fill this niche and even offering ready-made and all-in-one systems to turn walls into gardens.

An Ontario company, ELT, which sells green roofs also started selling garden wall systems. Three years later, ELT is one of the biggest suppliers of these systems to the United States. Green wall sales for the company has increased by 300 percent since 2008. A few months ago, the company also introduced a smaller and less expensive wall garden system, so it expects the sales to increase even further.

Sheraton Hotel Goes Green: Saving Time and Money

As the green movement continues to sweep across the globe, it is also starting to creep into certain industries. In the hotel industry, one of the top hotel chains—the Sheraton—has started its own green movement, which pays hotel guests that decline housekeeping services.

Make a Green Choice Program

Last fall, in an effort to cut back on the hotel chain’s energy usage, Sheraton rolled out its "Make a Green Choice" campaign. The program pays hotel guests with a $5 food and drink voucher or 500 Starwood points for each day the guest declines housekeeping services in an effort to "conserve natural resources."
Starwood reports that in the first six months the program existed, more than 200,000 guests in North America participated. Starwood says this has helped its hotels to save 8.2 million gallons of water; 38,000 kilowatts of electricity; and 11,000 gallons of cleaning chemicals.

"Starwood believes the most sustainable sustainability initiatives are those that are economically viable, so there are indeed operational efficiencies driven by this program," says a Starwood representative.

Why Going Green is So Important

At one time, going green seemed like something a little out of the ordinary: the neighbor who jumped on his exercise bike every time he wanted a smoothie, or the Hollywood starlet “caught” recycling by the tabloids whenever she needed a little positive press. These days, however, being green is a full-blown movement that has become downright trendy. Trends aside, incorporating green techniques into daily life can have an important impact on the environment and your budget.


The Facts

Ultimately, going green is about small steps and simple choices each day. By recycling your aluminum cans, you can help to save energy: in fact, more than 50 million recycled cans reduced U.S. oil usage by 15 million barrels in 2009. Placing recyclable items in the recycling bin instead of throwing them away can limit landfill waste by as much as 75%. Reducing water use can ensure fresh water for the future and also add a little to your budget. A ten-minute shower uses about 40 gallons of water. By cutting the shower time in half – or even just shaving a couple of minutes off – you can limit waste.

Benefits

Going green in small areas can make an impact on your budget. For example, natural cleaners such as baking soda and vinegar are as effective as standard cleaning supplies and considerably cheaper. Starting your own vegetable garden can be cost effective and enable you to eat fresh, seasonal produce. Additionally, buying in bulk is a green option, because it enables you to make fewer trips to the grocery store and to spend less in the long run.

Considerations

In some cases, going green can get a little costly. Adding solar panels to your roof is expensive. Unless you live in a sunny location, the panels can take decades to pay off. But going green is not so much about incorporating all of the available green options as it is about using less and reusing when possible. Using rags instead of paper towels, turning off lights, and taking shorter showers can all add up to going green.

Expert Insight

On average, a family of four in the U.S. emits more than 20 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Taken across the U.S., this amounts to more than 20% of the world population’s carbon dioxide emissions (with only 5% of the world’s population living in the U.S.). Environmental scientists believe that carbon dioxide emissions contribute to rising global temperatures. Melting glaciers can cause the sea levels to rise and result in massive flooding. Plants and animals can become extinct if they are unable to adjust to a change in temperature. Environmentalists note that making even small changes in everyday life – the mantra of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” – can have a big impact on reducing emissions and ensuring the continuity of life.


Time Frame

For those who are new to going green, there is no rush to incorporate all of the changes at once. Instead, consider making one to two changes per week or per month, depending on your lifestyle. This might be as simple as switching to non-toxic cleaning products or as life-changing as riding a bike to work every day. Whatever you do, look at going green as a process instead of an end result.

Green Your Jeans at The Gap

The Gap is hosting a blue jeans drive in partnership with Cotton Incorporated, a cotton-industry funded research and marketing company, in about 1,000 of their stores across North America and Puerto Rico.

Your old denim jeans receive a "new life" by being converted into UltraTouch natural cotton fiber insulation and donated to communities in need.

In exchange for the jeans you donate, get 30% off of a new blue jean purchase from Gap, GapKids, or babyGap through March 14, 2010. When you use your Old Navy, Gap or Banana Republic credit card to make a purchase, get an aditional 5% off.

The "Recycle Your Blues" event is featured on Cotton's From Blue to Green site where you can read more about the history of the program, the process, and find out how to get involved. Visit Gap to see if your local storeis participating.

For more information about the Blue to Green Campaign please visit www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org

EconoGreen Trash Bags

I'm always on the lookout for products and ways in general to be slightly more eco-chic today than I was yesterday. It may sound silly, but every time I drudge to the trash container to drop in my trash bags, I feel a little bit guilty. Even with all of the items I recycle, there are items it's impossible not to throw away.

So, imagine my delight when I was asked to try out environmentally friendly and biodegradable trash bags.

I received a set of sample bags, which ranged from small trash can liners to huge yard and lawn size bags. My fiance and I put them all to the test lining bathroom and kitchen liners with the various types of bags and even stuffing a big pile of clothes into one to be dropped off for donation.

The quality of the bags are superb. Since they're 100% biodegradable, you may expect that they are less sturdy or downright flimsy, but these bags are far from it. Each bag held up to its duty without ripping, tearing or stretching until a hole formed in it. I also felt a lot less guilty when traipsing off to the trash bin with it. I urge you to check them out for yourself at Econogreen.com. You can also buy the bags at local stores such as Home Depot.

The Winter Olympics 2010 Look Good in Green

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