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mydoglikesbroccoli t1_jbv8m54 wrote

Reply to comment by WiartonWilly in scientists Find Way to Suck Carbon Out of the Air and Turn It into Baking Soda... by Minute_Drive5038

Unfortunately, without knowing any of the details of the process, we can know that this route will not fix the CO2 issue. There literally isn't enough base available on earth to turn the excess CO2 into bicarbonate. We'd turn the oceans as acidic as lemon juice first.

I wish there was a video out there putting into perspective just how much CO2 is under discussion, and what practical limitations that imposes on what routes may and may not work when trying to fix the issue.

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WiartonWilly t1_jbvcc1v wrote

The sooner people accept that carbon sequestration will require enough energy to reduce CO2 back to hydrocarbons, the sooner we will accept that the elimination fossil fuels is inevitable.

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mydoglikesbroccoli t1_jbvumpl wrote

Which according to thermo, is about as much as we got out of burning them, assuming 100% efficiency. I think there's a little bit of wiggle room if you can find a low energy compound to turn it into, but it's still going to be a lot. And it can't be a neutralized acid like formate or bicarbonate. Maybe add H2 and do some electrochem to make oxalic acid? It's a powder, which would be a bonus for disposal.

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