Now that Congress is looking for ways to cut and end global warming but limiting emissions, scientists are starting to look for other ways to produce energy. Many “Engineers and policymakers say, it may be easier and less costly to capture the carbon dioxide at oil refineries, chemical plants, cement factories and ethanol plants, which emit a far purer stream of it than a coal smokestack does.” Carbon Dioxide takes up only a small percentage of coal emissions, and it is very difficult to separate because it is so well mixed and combined with other pollutants. Many ideas for cheaper removal of carbon dioxide is being discussed if Congress develops a new “cap-and-trade system.” This would set a “national ceiling for overall emissions and allot pollution allowances to utilities, manufacturers and other emitters, which could then trade them among themselves.” Companies that exceed their carbon emission limit may buy credits from a company that does not pollute as much as one does.
One of the ideas towards this thinking, is a pipeline that goes from Lousiana to Texas. The pipeline will take natural deposits of underground carbon dioxide to aging oil fields, and push more oil to the surface. Manmade carbon dioxide could also be captured at this site. This is an idea to lead towards cutting emissions, and using them in a different way that could be beneficial to the economy but not the environment. Trasporting this large amount of carbon dioxide could have the same effect as having large deposits of coal into the atmosphere as well. This idea is known as carbon capture.
“Carbon dioxide makes up 20 percent of the gas resulting from hydrogen production, twice the concentration found in a gas stream from a typical coal plant. Recovering it from this stream rather than a coal plant smokestack would therefore be cheaper and simpler.” For many years drilers have tapped into underground carbon dioxide deposits to help the oil supply. Carbon dioxide brings oil to the surface, and makes access easier.
The government is working towards these new ideas of transporting carbon underground and creating manmade carbon in orer to help other portions of our economy. Currently, the prices are very high to develop an idea such as this, but engineers and scientists are working towards cuttting the price in half so it is easier for companies to access, and will be used bu more industries. This could work very well, and may see may positive outcomes in the future.
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December 14, 2009 at 7:58 am
peppersprouse
I feel that further tampering with the environment is why we are in the predicament we are in now with global warming and many other problems. If this pipeline isn’t beneficial to the environment, but instead, destructive, it would only make sense that government regulations should be put on it since they are looking to reduce other emissions anyway. It seems to me that it may just be counterproductive in the long run, but then again, many things are these days, so we’ll just see.
December 14, 2009 at 9:08 pm
mef26
It is good to see that some new regulations are being put into place in order to reduce emissions. I hope that the United States furthers its push to reduce pollution.