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Comment by jarenmf | Hacker News Reader

> 92% efficiency in converting a tonne of CO2, using just 230kWh of energy. They estimate this equates to a cost of around $100 per tonne of CO2.

Not sure if this is really competitive enough. Just read recently[1][2] that EEMPA based solution can capture at a cost of $47

[1] http://netl.doe.gov/projects/files/CostAndPerformanceBaselin... [2] https://scitechdaily.com/cheaper-carbon-capture-is-on-the-wa...

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Hum... You are comparing a process that separates CO2 from a gas with a process that chemically breaks CO2. Those things do not compare.

That depends on what you are trying to achieve? Sure, the captured CO2 is still CO2, but you can put it in an empty gas field somewhere and the net effect on atmospheric CO2 (which is what we are concerned about with regards to climate change) is the same as if you had split apart the molecules.

The process described in the paper can be used only after CO2 is separated from the air, not instead of it.

Nevertheless converting CO2 into a solid reduces the volume one thousand times and makes its storage very simple.

I doubt that there could be found enough subterranean spaces that can be sealed well enough, in which to pump as much CO2 as it would be needed to reduce the concentration in the air.

Yes, and as long as you can store it somewhere, all the power to you. Just ignore the chemical option and do that.

But anybody wanting to use the carbon or store it on any way that is not the limited amount of underground space will use both.

Assuming 16 tons per person per year emissions [0], you can offset 1 person's carbon footprint for $1600 per year.

[0]: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/carbon-costs-quantifie...

Every American uses around 400 gallons of gasoline and 12,000 kwh electricity per year. So if you put a tax of $2 on each gallon of gasoline and 7 cent on every kwh electricity, you would finance that.

And once it scales, it will be cheaper and cheaper, jut like most other products. With a 10 percent price reduction per year, it would be $620 per person in 10 years, roughly the same as an internet bill.

In the rest of the world it's even cheaper. The average person in the world could be offset for $400 now.

But if you get a load of solid carbon as a byproduct that could offset a lot of the energy cost, assuming the solid carbon is in a useful form.

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