Sunshine to Petrol Project

[alexander]

So there is a group of people out there working on a project that will convert [math]CO_2[/math] and [math]H_2O[/math] to [math]CO_1[/math], [math]H[/math] and [math]O[/math] using only Sunlight and a few rings of Cobalt Ferride. [math]CO_1[/math] as people here probably know is one of the building blocks of hydrocarbons, a major building block of fuels (such as Methanol and Gasoline).

 

So far they have come out with a prototype that looks (and works) like this:

[img=http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/01/S2P_580x.jpg]http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/01/S2P_580x.jpg[/img]

(bigger copy of the image available here: http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/images/solar_richdiver.jpg )

(picture of the Cobalt ring assembly: http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/images/richdiver.jpg )

 

Interested in learning more:

Scientists Use Sunlight to Make Fuel From CO2

Sandia's Sunshine to Petrol project to chemically transform carbon dioxide into carbon-neutral liquid fuels - December 5, 2007

 

you can also google for S2P solar

[freeztar]

you can also google for S2P solar

 

You can also search Hypography. :eek2:

 

http://hypography.com/forums/technology-news/13682-sandias-sunshine-petrol-project-seeks-fuel.html

 

http://hypography.com/forums/news-brief/13852-scientists-use-sunlight-make-fuel-co2.html

 

Just givin ya a hard time Alex. :(

 

It does seem like a very cool project!

[alexander]

I've had 8 hours of sleep over the past few knights, and work has been crazy, and i just came back from a 200 mile drive for work... what's your excuse for picking on me? (juuust kidding, but yeah, tired ;))

 

Besides, I don't check technology gadgets section nor the news section.... i wanted to discuss it from the engineering point of view, yeah.... (hey it's an excuse)

 

I have another thought, would it be cool, to use a thin coat of a semitransparent polymer photovoltaic compound over the reflective surface of the mirrors (which look like highly polished sheets of metal), so it can generate power while being a cool machine that generates fuel and decreases pollution :( AKA the uber cool machine :eek:

 

Do any of you know how badly the reflective properties of a surface would be hindered by a 75nm coat of 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C60 or other polymer-like semitransparent PV compound? :eek2: