Scientists say add lime to oceanwater solves carbon crisis

[reefsmurf]

http://www.physorg.com/news135820173.html

Ok, sounds a bit dangerous to me.. add tons of lime into the ocean, increase the amount of CO2 stored in it. So basically we're moving carbon from hydrocarbons in the ground to the atmostphere and hoping to store all of it in the ocean. Yikes.

Save your pickling lime.. might be a commodity soon

 

[alpha0r]

Now I can tell all my friends my tank is green

 

[naturebatslast]

A similiar question was asked to Veron, he stated remedies like these are more dangerous than the intial problem.
It's like proposing to move the Earth's orbit slightly to increase the distance to the sun, thereby "fixing" global warming.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Copying my post from another thread...

To be honest, it sounds stupid to me. Beyond stupid. We know perhaps better than any of those folks how carefully one must add it to seawater to not let the pH get too high.

Maybe with billions of tiny floating drippers in the oceans, we can spread out the addition to prevent pH spikes at the delivery point. Or not.

 

[biggyclops]

"put the lime in the ocean and shake it all up"

 

[reefsmurf]

hope they don't forget to dose Mg

 

[stingythingy45]

Scientists aint always the smartest folks.
Thank God for farmers.

 

[MarkO]

Maybe with billions of tiny floating drippers in the oceans, we can spread out the addition to prevent pH spikes at the delivery point. Or not.

Heh, good point. I initially thought how much lime it would take, never realizing the dilution aspect. How long is the period for the thermohaline circulation? Isn't it hundreds, or thousands of years or something?

Even if it could be mathematically possible, who would fund (or insure) such a massive undertaking.

I think you can toss this one in the circular file.

 

[JavaJones]

Scientists aint always the smartest folks.
Thank God for farmers.

From the article: "Tim Kruger, a management consultant at London firm Corven is the brains behind the plan to resurrect the lime process."

I knew management consultants would rescue us!

 

[naturebatslast]

How long is the period for the thermohaline circulation? Isn't it hundreds, or thousands of years or something?

About 1,600 years.

 

[Matt L.]

OR

We could stop burning fossil fuels. Hmmm.....

Matt

 

[reefsmurf]

We're very slowly getting there Matt:

 

[Matt L.]

LOL! They're giving them away! Every time I see someone driving a big 4x4 (and they're not a contractor), I have to have a good laugh.

Matt

 

[Greg Hiller]

If we need to burn fossil fuels in the short term, doesn't it make a little more sense to try and remove the CO2 at the source...while it's concentrated and coming out of the smoke stack (similar to the way that sulfur dioxide is currently removed)? There are technologies to do this, and then pump the sequestered CO2 back into the ground.

Trying to remove it or neutralize it after it's dispersed into the atmosphere, then dissolved into the oceans seems a bit 'late'.

Better of course to just move to renewables.

 

[wsonner]

Where does the lime come from? Wouldn't we be harming the Earth by dredging up that much lime? LIme doesn't grow on trees you know...wait...hmmm...

 

[naturebatslast]

Where does the lime come from? Wouldn't we be harming the Earth by dredging up that much lime? LIme doesn't grow on trees you know...wait...hmmm...

Lime is burnt in kilns from sources like limestone. Lime doesn't grow on trees, it's belived the Maya civilization crashed from deforestation from feeding their lime furnaces. Constantly painting lime on buildings and the deforestation that ensued, it's believed famine, disease, plus being coupled with a drought just crushed the society.
From Wikipedia...
"Calcium oxide/Lime is usually made by the thermal decomposition of materials such as limestone, that contain calcium carbonate (CaCO3; mineral name: calcite) in a lime kiln. This is accomplished by heating the material to above 825°C,[1] a process called calcination or lime-burning, to liberate a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2); leaving CaO."
"Calcium hydroxide(Kalk), traditionally called slaked lime, hydrated lime, or pickling lime, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ca(OH)2. It is a colourless crystal or white powder, and is obtained when calcium oxide (called lime or quicklime) is mixed, or "slaked" with water. The name of the natural mineral is portlandite."

 

[wsonner]

Lime is burnt in kilns from sources like limestone. Lime doesn't grow on trees, it's belived the Maya civilization crashed from deforestation from feeding their lime furnaces. Constantly painting lime on buildings and the deforestation that ensued, it's believed famine, disease, plus being coupled with a drought just crushed the society.
From Wikipedia...
"Calcium oxide/Lime is usually made by the thermal decomposition of materials such as limestone, that contain calcium carbonate (CaCO3; mineral name: calcite) in a lime kiln. This is accomplished by heating the material to above 825°C,[1] a process called calcination or lime-burning, to liberate a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2); leaving CaO."
"Calcium hydroxide(Kalk), traditionally called slaked lime, hydrated lime, or pickling lime, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ca(OH)2. It is a colourless crystal or white powder, and is obtained when calcium oxide (called lime or quicklime) is mixed, or "slaked" with water. The name of the natural mineral is portlandite."

Yep, that was my point. Imagine how much limestone would have to be mined to make enough lime to have any effect onthe seas? Just robbing Peter to pay Paul. Silly idea. (I was referring to limes, limes grow in trees.