This is of interest to geoengineering, the more so since there are suggestions to use UREA for geoengineering purposes.
Firstly, urea can be used as a cloud seeding agent, along with salts, to expedite the condensation of water in clouds, producing precipitation. This is already mentioned at the Wikipedia page on Urea, under 'Further commercial uses'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea Secondly, urea can be added to oceans as a form of ocean fertilization. I've already added the following entry under Ocean urea fertilisation at: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenhouse_gas_remediation Australian company Ocean Nourishment Corporation (ONC) plans to sink hundreds of tonnes of urea into the ocean, in order to boost the growth of CO2-absorbing phytoplankton, as a way to combat climate change. In 2007, Sydney-based ONC completed an experiment involving 1 tonne of nitrogen in the Sulu Sea off the Philippines. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2007/11/09/2085584.htm Cheers! Sam Carana On Sun, Jan 4, 2009 at 3:15 AM, Ken Caldeira <[email protected]> wrote: > The following email to <[email protected]> was deemed > more appropriate for <[email protected]> > > Perhaps this synthetic sequence could remove CO2 from the air at low > cost and high throughput. > > > (1) Electrolysis of water (solar or wind energy) -----> hydrogen gas > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis_of_water > > > (2) Haber process using hydrogen gas from (1) + nitrogen from air ----- >> ammonia > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process > > > (3) Carbonic anydrase in water + CO2 from air -----> carbonic acid > -----> carbon dioxide gas > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonic_anhydrase > > > (4) carbon dioxide from (3) + ammonia from (2) ------> urea > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea > > > (5) urea -----> cyanuric acid -----> land fill > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanuric_acid > > > Step 3) would reduce CO2 levels rather than just avoid increasing them > (as with carbon capture), in case of a real emergency in which we must > remove CO2 or perish. > > Step 1) could put wind and solar energy equipment to good use for a > change, and less need for cooperation by existing electrical grid > operators than renewable energy projects normally entail. > > As to the energy consumption of the Haber process, it may be > reasonable since the hydrogen is not from reformation of methane. > > > > Robert Hahl, Ph.D., Patent Attorney > Neifeld IP Law, PC > 4813-B Eisenhower Avenue > Alexandria, VA 22304 > www.neifeld.com > Tel: 703-415-0012 ext 25 > Fax: 703-415-0013 > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
