Apparatus and methods for carbon dioxide capture and conversion

Abstract

To alleviate and possibly even reverse global warming while providing a liquid fuel to replace petroleum, apparatus and methods are disclosed for capturing COfrom an air mixture and converting it to a useful substance, especially a methanol-containing fuel, utilizing preferably an MgO-loaded cartridge, which is converted partly into MgCOas it captures COby a carbonation reaction and is reconverted into MgO by a calcination reaction while emitting a stream of substantially pure CO. The emitted COstream is reacted with hydrogen or water to yield a methanol-containing fuel or other useful chemical agent. The hydrogen is preferably derived from water electrolysis using inexpensive solar or wind driven electricity thereby also reducing the cost of such electricity by providing an economical energy storage means. Said air mixture may be the effluent from an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle or from other fossil fuel burning sources or from the ambient atmosphere. The catalytic combination of hydrogen with COto form methanol can provide a new global environmentally beneficial fuel whose burning will not contribute to any net increase in the atmospheric COburden.