Use photosynthesis to recycle waste gas from power plants

The idea of ​​planting single-celled algae on the pipeline of exhaust gas from power plants may be the best way to recycle this gas.

This is an intriguing idea: T because carbon dioxide is produced by the burning of fossil fuels into the air, reclaim it with photosynthesis . It can then be converted into biofuel, or even simply dried and returned to fuel for the power plant. Currently, some groups are trying to apply this method.

One of them is GS CleanTech, which developed a bioreactor based on the invention of a group of scientists from the Ohio Coal Research Center of Ohio University.

The GS CleanTech bioreactor uses a parabolic mirror to direct sunlight into fiber optic cables. These fiber optic cables transfer light to ' glowing disks ' acrillic acid inside the reactor. These disks diffuse light passing through vertical polyester sheets that form the substrate on which algae grow. Finally, this polyester sheet cannot withstand the weight of algae, and they fall into a tube used to collect the gas escaping from the power plant.

(Photo: AFP) The GreenFuel Technologies group based in Cambridge (Massachusetts, USA) takes a different approach. The reactor of this group consists of a series of clean tubes, each with a built-in light barrier. The construction of such pipes causes the emissions from the power plants to be swung down to the outer compartment and again pushed back up through the light barrier in the middle. This ' bubble ' gas causes chaotic movement and circulates the algae around this reactor. Continuous changes between light and dark when algae cells circulate increase the amount of carbon that these cells retain, by promoting chemical reactions that usually occur only at night.

A preliminary test of GreenFuel's reactor type at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's power plant shows that this type of furnace can extract 75% of carbon dioxide from the emissions of a power plant. Another important test is being carried out by Arizona Public Service at the company's Redhawk plant and another trial is planned to take place in Louisiana.

GreenFuel claims within a year, one hectare of the group's reactors are capable of producing 30,000 liters of oil, which can be used as biofuel, along with enough carbohydrates to produce ripening. thousand liters of ethanol, which can be used as an alternative fuel source for gasoline.

Rob Carlson, of the University of Washington, said that if money is earned from selling products generated from power plant emissions, then the gas from a waste will turn into a valuable product. And even electric companies can collect money from emissions.

Truong Son