Posted on 05/21/2012 3:30:16 AM PDT by LibWhacker
A bigger complication: you get Li3N by exposing Li to nitrogen. Refining lithium, however, consumes 35 kWh/kg. In comparison, burning one kg of coal produces just 2 kWh of heat energy (and much less than that in actual electrical output)
I reject the premise of the title that CO2 is “lemons”.
Very cool. But I still don’t get why people want to suffocate the plants.
This tech does seem pretty cool. It it is as good as it sounds, Al Gore and the other environmental pimps won't be happy because they really don't want solutions.
In my gut I suspect that the formation of lithium nitride requires a lot of energy, particularly if the starting material is elemental lithium. Production of elemental lithium is a highly energy intensive process.
Bingo! The answer as to why this will remain a laboratory curiosity -- at least as far as disposal of CO2 is concerned.
IF somone develops a semiconductor process/product based on the reaction product, a few Kg of CO2 might be sequestered by it. Qtherwise, it is a mere curiosity...
Of course, let me be the first to point out that there is ZERO need to "sequester" atmospheric CO2 in the first place...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.