Air Diamonds

We know that our mother earth has problem of global warming. Caused by accumulation of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases, the heat energy from the sun cant escape and trapped inside our atmosphere making our earth temperature higher and higher. There are lots of ways to reduce carbon dioxide concentration in our atmosphere. One way is to extract carbon dioxide (carbon sequestration) from the air and use chemical processes and convert it into something useful. The main idea is to separate carbon molecule from the extracted carbon dioxide with Bosch reaction CO2(g) + 2H2(g) → C(s) + 2H2O(l). Hydrogen can also be supplied from the air extraction facility. The separated carbon is further processed into synthetic diamond (C(s) → diamond). The most energy intensive process is the synthetic diamond production process. It needs high temperature and high pressure operation to produce diamond which can be sold at high price. The energy needed in diamond production is provided with green energy (wind, solar, or tidal energy). Since we consume green energy and using it to convert carbon dioxide into diamond which is stable chemically, we can help consuming the accumulated heat energy from the sun and indirectly lowering the earth temperature. On the other hand, the carbon dioxide accumulation can be reduced and we can produce diamond which is valuable from the extracted carbon dioxide. This reduction of carbon dioxide accumulation can also help lowering the greenhouse gases effect to the earth atmosphere. With both effect (reducing carbon dioxide accumulation and using green energy intensively) we can accelerate the reduction of the greenhouse gases effect and also reducing the global warming problem. Thanks to the price of diamond is very high, the feasibility of this project can be very promising.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Google
• Environment
• Innovation

[coldsn]

finally, there is a disparity between gem diamond and synthetic diamond--synthetic diamonds will never sell for the 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars that gem diamonds. I'm not saying the bosch reaction doesn't have potential--it certainly does, but not in the application you lay out. Learn more science and economics, and maybe you'll come to a better solution.

[coldsn]

as well, with producing diamonds, an extreme amount of energy is consumed maintaining the high temperature and high pressure necessary to crystallize carbon (again, part of the reason for the high cost of industrial diamond). final note on diamond: synthetic diamond does not sell for much compared to natural gem-quality diamond.

you're not totally without sense, as the bosch reaction may prove promising, but your ideas need tempering with sound understanding of the science and economics

[coldsn]

thirdly, the bosch reaction does not produce diamond, but rather graphite, and the process for producing synthetic diamond is expensive enough to cut into any profits hoped to be made. Remember, you have the added step of capturing and converting CO2 into solid carbon, which existing diamond manufacturers do not have to do (use natural graphite ore)

[coldsn]

second: atomic hydrogen (H2) is not found in the atmosphere, it is too reactive with oxygen (which makes up 20% of the atmosphere). You'd have to source the hydrogen from either the separation of water (in which case, the overall reaction itself would no longer be exothermic) or from fossil fuels (or biomass, which has some promise) but you end up emitting as much CO2 as you would be converting, bringing yourself back to square one

[coldsn]

There are a few things quite misunderstood in this attempt. I've been prone to the same excited obsession myself, so I know it when I see it. A few of the problems listed: Sure, the Bosch reaction 'generates' power on paper, but the actual requirements for operation mean that you have to input more power to maintain the temperatures for reaction than will be generated. (cont. in next comment)

[bagheraa]

the prices of diamonds will collaps if the production is taken to a necessary level (say to reduce 5 ppm of co2 per year), and the energy input should be enormous. But if scientists come up with a way to make nuclear fussion work, or we just can make nuclear energy safer, then its quite plausible.