Synthetic trees; substitute of real one in CO2 absorption

By Naseem Sheikh

As earth is considered to be 4600 million years old and we as major living creatures harming it badly by different types of pollution production. The Earth’s temperature is rising. We can argue about whether it is a short-term or long-term trend, or whether it is natural variation or man-induced, but it is warming. Its greatness of nature which, correct our mistakes by itself, but we don’t give too much harm that it in return give us just punishment (as few we are facing in form of floods, lava eruption, drought and famines etc.) But now it’s our duty to pay something to cure our mother earth, a normal person helps it by just planting a tree in its surrounding because trees are co2 absorber. Scientist and other experts of their own field working much more to form the substitute of trees which can sink co2 an in return decrease global warming and it drastic effects.
The idea for formation of synthetic tress was given by many geoscientist and environmental experts but mainly finalized by Dr Klaus Lackner, of Columbia University, according to him; “they although not look alike real trees but they could performed like them very efficiently except storing biomass as tree normally do and we use that in the form of food and other purposes. “
The design of synthetic trees looks like a large box with filters like straws or fibbers through which the air travels. So if the air coming into the box has 400 parts per million (ppm) of CO2, the air coming out will have maybe 300ppm or even 200ppm. We are not trying to remove all the CO2 because our goal is to collect CO2, not to make CO2-free air.
These “trees” were being experimentally planted at the start of 2010 in the prototype stage by professor and inventor Klaus Lackner, in United Kingdom
One of these “trees” can absorb up to ten tons of carbon dioxide a day, a thousand times more than a single live tree. Each tree would cost approximately 24,000 dollars and forests of hundreds of them are being planned, estimated to reduce the United Kingdom’s carbon dioxide emissions by 60%. Sodium hydroxide is used in this process to convert carbon dioxide to sodium carbonate.
The captured carbon dioxide further might be use in small markets which need CO2 to run businesses, for example dry ice producers, greenhouses, algae ponds and enhanced oil recovery.
The study also calls for pots of algae that absorb CO2 from the atmosphere to be used to line buildings. The algae could then be used as green bio fuels for cars. The scientists argue that a single synthetic tree, which would be two-thirds as tall as a wind turbine, could capture ten tons of carbon dioxide from the air every day, making it thousands of times more efficient at absorbing CO2 than a real tree.
The trees, which would cost around £15,000, would be coated with synthetic materials that absorb CO2, which would then be removed and stored underground in depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs.
As working is going on and scientist found good results and they are quite satisfied from their experiment and in other countries this is also suppose to be work soon. Geophysicist Klaus Lackner from Columbia University wants artificial trees to restore the balance. And more work for co2 absorption because it might happen easily, captured Co2 of UK might be sink down in US or even in Australia. So in global warming politics, might be mostly CO2 absorber sinker would poor third world countries because they have no money for research and even no power voice power to protect as in history mainly many disease cases are found in African countries, hoping you understand what point I want to mention at end.
Naseemsheikh@yahoo.com

The article is contributed to pkarticleshub.com