[Monkeyfister]

I've been reading a lot about algae for oil/fuels production, and I've read some articles about CO2 sequestration to fight Global Warming.

We know that oil was produced primarily from algaes millions of years ago. The algaes slurped up CO2, bloomed, died, sank, got buried, sank some more, and under heat and pressure in situ, turned into oil.

(here's the naivete): Why can't we reverse the whole process?

-- In the Negev Desert, they are turning algaes into oil/fuels in long tube farms.

-- We are technologically capable of seperating CO2 from air on limited scale.

-- We have thousands of spent oil holes.

Why not set up algae tube farms near spent oil wells, pump the tubes with CO2 culled from the air to speed the algae blooms, and then pump it all back into the wells; pressurize the refilled wells with more culled CO2, and let it sit there to (presumably) eventually make more oil for future generations?

I know... Horrible ERoEI, and there's no immediate return on the investment needed to do this, but, ummm... wouldn't the operation help to kill two birds with one stone? Sequestration of CO2 AND the possibility of creating more oil down the loooong road? Maybe that road isn't so long...

Those spent wells aren't doing anything useful as they sit there, mostly empty, save for some water or gases used to maintain pressure.

OK. There's my naive idea.

Please don't yell at me. I'm just looking at a way to reverse the processes that have put us in a very ugly situation.

A friend of mine says, "If you can solve the liquid hydrocarbons fuels problem, you'll solve the Climate Crisis." As we continue to search for the "ideal" altFuel(s), reduce our oil usage, and all of the other things that we're trying, perhaps "recycling" might be tried.

Sometimes, the line between "Occam's Razor" and "too good to be true" can be a little fuzzy to me...


Tony B.

[NEOPO]

Yeah sure - if you can get us to do anything for the future besides what lies directly beyond our nose.

It appears to be medicine but not preventative medicine and thats what we need to be applying.

I know most think Bush is an idiot but I agree with him if he truly believes we are all addicted.

Now put your idea into the addict perspective.
Horrible EROEI and this does not benefit us now??
It has wings but wont fly.
Not sure about your people but my people are capitolist's and they do very little without profit motive.

Now imagine - we dont even care until it appears we have really messed up so do we really want to sequester all that CO2 ??
Most people dont even care enough to THINK.
Care enough to read and learn - it is beyond their threshold of concern/comfort.

CO2 Sequestering - The concept is with us now because we know we are going to be using a shitload of coal in the future and even through all the suppression of AGW/GW scientific data - people like Al Gore and a bazzilion scientist's simply will not shut up - thus we are aware that CO2 is rising, that this is a bad thing and that coal , nat gas and oil use produces alot of CO2.

Do we really want to prevent GW or PO from occuring?
These idiots might think everything is fine er somethin!!!
As if it were all a lie just like the Republicans want us to believe.

We have a lesson to learn now - the hard way.
Several lessons at once actually.
Dont get me wrong.
I dont want my children/THE WORLD/myself to suffer.

It just seems that this is how we learn.
Let us hope that once we learn these new lessons that one day we wont forget them....again.......and again........

A friend of mine says, "If you can solve the liquid hydrocarbons fuels problem, you'll solve the Climate Crisis." As we continue to search for the "ideal" altFuel(s), reduce our oil usage, and all of the other things that we're trying, perhaps "recycling" might be tried.

Although they are related - I dont think there is any silver bullet solution to both.
We have been recycling for a very long time - I bet we toss more per capita stuff away now then ever.

Hmmm "jevons recycling paradox"

[Kez]

First, the way the world is going these days, few people are looking to the future, they are concerning with today and not tomorrow. Leaders and politicians, even more so, are concerned with getting re-elected rather than putting something as far reaching as a 50 year carbon tax plan that will slowly solve our problems (through pain and suffering) over a 50 year period.

Secondly, the biology behind the algae isn't so great. I have read the statistics before but I can't remember the details, but the amount of algae needed for just one gallon of gas is massive, and the "real and free" energy from the algae comes from photosynthesis, which is fantastic and wonderful, but not fast. All this oil we are blowing through today took thousands upon thousands of years to settle to where it is, in a nice, readily useable form.