Alternative Energy Engineering Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alternative Energy Engineering - Research Paper Example One method of restricting the CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is to leach out the CO2 from the fuels reducing the amount of carbon emitted per unit in a process known as decarbonization. The CO2 is then sequestered back into reservoirs; the advantage of this that the process is compatible with the existing fossil fuel infrastructures and the excess CO2 is sent back into the feedback cycle. Natural sequestration reservoirs are the forest and oceans of the planet. Fossil fuel use is gradually moving towards fuels with lower carbon contents such from coal to oil and gas and it is thought that eventually, mankind will use H2, a carbon-neutral fuel exclusively. However, till that happens, carbonization and sequestration is one method that can be used to control our green house gas emissions. More efficient methods of sequestration will have to evolve including ‘calcination’ (trapping CO2 in calcium compounds) and reacting the gas with the mineral serpentine to create blocks o f magnesium which can displace large amounts of CO2 effectively.The authors discuss that due to the increased dependence of fossil fuel in the modern society, atmospheric CO2 has increased from 275 ppm to 370 ppm and if the levels reach 550ppm it could trigger catastrophic events in the climate. Our energy consumption today is 12TW, of which 85% is fossil-fueled and some estimates indicate that we would require at least 15 TW of ‘emission-free’ power by mid century to continue the development of the society.