Why can't scientists take all the excess carbon dioxide and mix it with calcium to make calcite?

Question

When I was in school last century, we were taught how mullosks make their shells by mixing carbon dioxide with the calcium in the sea water. Ok, I'm no chemist, but it seems to me that if they could lock the carbon dioxide into a solid form at normal temperatures, it would stay that way longer than trying to store it under the ocean as a potentially deadly present for future generations. Heck, they can put men on the moon, so locking CO2 up with calcium should be a no brainer.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, the chemical reaction that combines Ca with CO2 results in byproducts that are probably as bad as the CO2. Sulfuric acid, a major component of so-called acid rain, is one such by product. Check out the following chemical reactions:

CO2 (gas) + H2O (liquid) <==> H2CO3 (carbonic acid solution)

Once formed, carbonic acid dissociates or ionizes to form a hydrogen ion and a bicarbonate ion:

H2CO3 <==> H+ + HCO3-

Although the solubility of CO2 in water is very low, enough does dissolve to make the water slightly acidic.The more CO2 that is present in the atmosphere, the more acid the water may become.Similar reactions with other gases in the atmosphere may produce water that is even more acidic.For example:

SO2 (gas) + H2O (liquid)+ ½ O2 <==> H2SO4 (sufuric acid solution)

Produces sulfuric acid, one of the strongest acids that can form in natural rain water.

Answer 2

An idea to lock up carbon dioxide underground is already proven to be feasible. Check out the Popular Science link for info on that and other "terraforming" methods that are in the heads of scientists and engineers.

edit: To Vincent G: check out the Popular Science article I linked as well. There is a method described that can filter CO2 out of the air (it is costly and difficult to do effectively, though). I say we instead apply those filtering methods to electric power plant and manufacturing plant emissions and start converting all our vehicles to electric or plug-in hybrid. Stopping our greenhouse gas emissions at the source seems more practical to me.

Answer 3

That is good in theory, but how is one supposed to actually capture the CO2 out of the atmosphere? Pump all the air of the planet in a tank? That is the part that makes it a bit tricky. There are millions of cars everywhere, thousands of coal or oil fired powerplants. How do you scrub the CO2 from all of those?

Answer 4

the major variables that verify plant distribution are climate (temperatures, evapotranspiration, frosts, rainfall), water availability, topography (slope, component, elevation), and soils (geology). more effective ranges of carbon dioxide in the ambience is fairly in all probability having a information superhighway effect on the international warming trend of late, it really is ensuing in climate replace. save in options climate is between the major variables that determines plant distribution. Any variations in climate will therefore replace plant distributions (will the flora be able to evolve to the recent soils, topography and water availability the position the elements favours them too?) i'm attentive to the better temperatures and reduce rainfall in south-west Western Australia already ensuing in the decreased density of jap Jarrah forests and a shrinking volume. climate replace will also effect upon water availability (yet another major variable for flora). there is an rather good type of carbon dioxide accessible for flora in the deserts and polar areas of the international, inspite of the undeniable fact that very few (if any) flora boost in those areas. Carbon dioxide does provide more effective skill to augment (and in shorter time sessions) for flora, inspite of the undeniable fact that the more effective major limiting elements for flora in the international are climate, water, topography and geology.

Answer 5

that is a good theory, unfortunately, it isn't complete. How are they suppose to turn the CO2 into carbon, or the solid form of CO2?

Answer 6

That won't be liked very much because the creation of of global warming or cooling is typically said to be industry and the solution is typically more socialism.