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diy solar

Drink beer to fight Climate change

I grew algae myself as part of a biofuel experiment.

I went out to our pond, grabbed a tablespoon of the water, then proceeded to separate out the algae from the predators that eat it using a microscope, dilution, and a small syringe. Once I got some separated, I filled a dozen 2 litter pop bottles 3/4 full with freshly boiled water, and dumped in the algae.. I let it sit for a week in the sunlight in a south window.. then hooked up an aquarium air bubbler for a week.. After the second week, I created a copper coil rig that sucked the exhaust flue gasses from my hot water heater, cooled them through the copper coil, and allowed the aquarium air pump to suck those gasses and bubble them up into the 2 liter pop bottles.

Within 2 months, the 2 litter pop bottles were packed full of algae so dark that light wouldn't pass through. I then started to decant some of the water from each bottle, pass it through a coffee filter setup, and send the water back to the pop bottles.

Within a week, the coffee filters were over-flowing and full of green slime.. I then dried it in the sun and burned the algae.

Algae burns amazingly well! It lights instantly with a match, the flame is blue and partly invisible, and it burns for a long time.

After doing some math, which I'm not sure I got correct, I figured out that a 500 to 750 gallon setup could provide enough fuel for the average home's water heating and cooking needs... and 2000 to 3000 gallons could heat a Michigan home all winter long via the stored dried biomass from the summer.
 
Algae burns amazingly well!
Now that's solar energy in action. Hmmm, according to this, the costs of growing algae as a fuel is comparable to Gasoline at $4.35/gallon.

I wonder how you could sequestor that carbon? Heat it without O2 and make algae-charcoal?
Update: Some of the Cyanobacterias double every few hours (take that pond scum!), and it's been tested for CO2 removal
 
Now that's solar energy in action. Hmmm, according to this, the costs of growing algae as a fuel is comparable to Gasoline at $4.35/gallon.

I wonder how you could sequestor that carbon? Heat it without O2 and make algae-charcoal?
Update: Some of the Cyanobacterias double every few hours (take that pond scum!), and it's been tested for CO2 removal

I think the best way to sequester carbon is to grow trees.. If the goal is to remove the carbon from the atmosphere, then tree's would be the way to do it..

I know they're trying to genetically modify algae to increase the oil storage.. They're trying to make fat algae! LOL. I was going to suggest they take it to McDonald's... :ROFLMAO:

My little experiment was educational.. but limited by the water heater cycling on and off. Had thought of capturing all the gasses and storing them in a water bed bladder but never got that far. At that point, a bunch of controls would have been needed and that would require money.
 
I think the best way to sequester carbon is to grow trees.. If the goal is to remove the carbon from the atmosphere, then tree's would be the way to do it..
How about some benches too ?, apparently equiv to as many as ~240 trees
pollution-absorbing-bench-1-610x343.jpg


(sorry svetz, maybe this is too off-topic)
 
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How about some benches too, apparently equiv to as many as ~240 trees
pollution-absorbing-bench-1-610x343.jpg


(sorry svetz, maybe this is too off-topic)
I'm no expert on the economics of these inventions, but there are lots of ways to capture CO2.. The problem is that they all create as much CO2 as they capture, and it takes "funny math" to show how great they are.

Additionally, you'd have to dedicate a small continent or country to the manufacturing process to make enough of them to have any measurable effect.

A bunch of Girl Scouts can plant trees all day long, and the trees provide habitat, prevent soil erosion, and do a bunch of other good things.

We need to get better at working with nature rather than trying to master it at every turn.
 
I'm no expert on the economics of these inventions, but there are lots of ways to capture CO2.. The problem is that they all create as much CO2 as they capture
While that is probably true in some cases, I think its probably an unrepresentative generalization that seem like it promotes inaction/indecision/cynicism.

Additionally, you'd have to dedicate a small continent or country to the manufacturing process to make enough of them to have any measurable effect.
I mean.. I don't think the designers or anyone else is thinking that benches will be the sole solutions to climate change ;) its not an all or nothing thing.

A bunch of Girl Scouts can plant trees all day long, and the trees provide habitat, prevent soil erosion, and do a bunch of other good things.
Totally agree, reforestation, planting of trees, and other carbon capturing greenery (and protecting the forests we still have) have a ton of great benefits, and its a simple and probably cost effective strategy.

We need to get better at working with nature rather than trying to master it at every turn.
In the abstract I agree, we do need to get much better at that (and shift our mindset). At the same time, we would be silly not to consider the environment and the climate, and how to lessen our impact in our technology and the things we build. These things are not mutually exclusive.
 
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