Energy Sources

What kind of energy could be used to drive the process: fossil fuels are used to drive the calcination reaction in existing plants, but what other sources of energy could be used? Solar irradiation, geothermal, wind, wave, nuclear.

  • What is the cost of the different types of enery?
  • What is the carbon footprint of the different types of energy?

If you are able to help answer any of these questions, please get in touch with us.  This project cannot progress without your input.

 

One person has left a comment

Malcolm Newell says: December 31st, 2009

The most desirable source of energy would be the Natural Gas which is being released in ever greater quantities from shallow water marine deposits of Methane Hydrates located on the Arctic Ocean continental shelf. I appreciate that location and logistics present huge problems but the reasoning is something like this:- In the short term, Methane has a GWP of about 80+ compared with CO2. It is apparent that increasing amounts of this gas is being released as coastal water warms and sub seabed permafrost recedes. The Hydrates located in the permafrost base release methane as they decompose (and release free methane which was formerly capped by the Hydrates and Permafrost).
It is essential that this methane is captured or consumed (or oxidised) in order to minimise the GW effects. Burning it (and therefore oxidising it will reduce it’s heating effect by the above 80+ times. It is therefore a free and very desirable source of energy for your proposed process.
Some method will have to be devised to ensure that this gas is burnt or captured rather than released into the atmosphere. It may be possible to devise a barge mounted floating process plant which could recieve the raw material from a self discharging Bulk Carrier (a ready available type of ship) and transfer the activated product into a second, similar vessel which would transport it to the selected treatmet area of ocean. Alternatively shore based facilities could possibly be developed.

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