Science targets coal impact
BYU professor working to reduce carbon footprint and warming
In addition, he and his team at the Provo university have improved coal gasification techniques, another way to reduce humanity's carbon footprint. A professor of chemical engineering at BYU, he earlier worked with Sandia National Laboratories.
Interest in both sequestration and coal gasification stems from concern about global warming. Burning carbon fossil fuels, particularly coal, releases a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide pollution, the "greenhouse gas" most blamed for global warming. Also, the pollution itself is harmful, with or without warming.
According to Baxter's calculations, as posted on one of his Web pages at BYU, electrical power generation is responsible for about one-third of the total carbon dioxide released in the U.S. and coal produces more than 80 percent of the CO2 released by power generation. About 1 billion tons of coal are burned every year by 1,200 power plants, his site adds.
Two of the most promising ideas about stemming the flood of CO2 emissions are carbon sequestration and coal gasification.
Carbon sequestration
The idea is to remove carbon dioxide from the gas streams of power plants and other stationery sources before they can escape into the atmosphere. Sequestration envisions safely disposing of CO2; some suggestions for disposal involve pumping the gas under pressure into geological formations deep underground.
Sequestration necessarily reduces plant efficiency and increases the cost of electricity.
Removing carbon dioxide under current known systems would cut plant capacity by 25 percent to 30 percent, Baxter said in a telephone interview.
Besides the plant's loss in efficiency, more costs would come from investing in the technology.
Baxter estimated that the cost to build a new coal-fired power plant with today's technology would raise the cost of electricity to 6 cents per generated kilowatt-hour. (Rocky Mountain Power, using plants that were constructed during periods of lower inflation, produces electricity at about 3.5 cents per generated kilowatt-hour.)
If the currently-envisioned sequestration technology is added, the expense of the equipment would increase the cost of power from a new plant to 11 cents per generated kilowatt-hour, he said. Power bills would skyrocket faster than recent jumps in the price of gasoline.
But when Baxter was on leave in Denmark, researching at a power plant there, he came up with a new method to achieve carbon sequestration. He has not yet found a name for it but has filed requests for patents. He plans to market it through a company tentatively named Sustainable Energy Solutions.
Recent comments
Mr. Baxter, let me just say that I appreciate your willingness to...
Erasmus | Feb. 27, 2008 at 4:39 p.m.
To the several comments here:
1. CO2 toxicity
CO2 is not toxic at...
Larry Baxter | Feb. 26, 2008 at 10:47 p.m.
Science, by it's very nature, is never "settled". That's why...
Erasmus | Feb. 26, 2008 at 10:14 a.m.
- Raising money for girls, boys club 11:15 a.m.
- 'Potter' star recovering from flu 11:03 a.m.
- Different sides of Steve McNair 10:58 a.m.
- Networks plan Jackson coverage 10:52 a.m.
- 'Slumdog' kid star gets new home 10:47 a.m.
- Tips for packing light 10:44 a.m.
- Report: Kidd staying with Mavs 10:42 a.m.
- World's oldest Bible digitized 10:41 a.m.
- Commodores join Richie at festival 10:35 a.m.
- China says 140 killed in riots 10:29 a.m.
- Don't listen to marriage cynics
112 - Palin resigning as governor
108 - Lack of Obama photos concerning
104 - Palin's and Romney's roles in 2012?
95 - Utah leaner in too-fat country
91 - Jazz talked Kirilenko for McGrady
90 - Jazz plan to re-sign Millsap
82 - 'Tea party' protesters unhappy
81 - Y. gets verbal from cornerback
76 - Hatch calls BCS 'biased' in SI article
71
The night was balmy though buggy at SPOC, the Stansbury Park Observatory...
Slim playoff hopes pretty much means, BYU has to win all their remaining...
Principals may earn some of their pay if they mowed the lawn or cleaned up a...
In this time of Democrat and treehugger-caused economic catastrophe, we have...
I hold a degree to teach Elementary School but was not able to find a job in...
The real problem with this country is that the silent, non voting majority is...
Oh yeah, and Andersen fairy tails included. Boy, something needs to be...
Either Mr. Barton (Kaysville Jr. History Teacher) was misquoted or...
Dear Sir or Madam: How sad that you are so judgmental in your...
To Earl: Peter Schiff is a stockbroker, not an economist. Clients who...
The main problem is as it has always been... Getting the "Super Stars" to...


