Carbon Capture: Possible Solutions, Pt. I

Much of the discussion regarding CCS focuses on coal, however, natural gas is also a problem – though it's not as big a problem, said Benson. Twenty-five percent of our emissions are from an industry that requires very hot processes, like melting and purifying materials using very high temperatures. Presently, no good substitute for these processes exists.

"Sequestration has the potential to help the transition for those kind of processes, which we rely on and that are important, and also for natural gas. Places like Italy and California have a very high reliance on natural gas for energy supply. But emissions for natural gas are not acceptable either. If we converted all of our emissions to natural gas, the emissions would still be way too high," said Benson.

Cars, of course, emit carbon emissions as well, but it's tough to put an industrial scrubber on a tailpipe. Nonetheless, electric cars, cleaner diesels and improved mileage will cut down emissions.

Coal Dust on the Highway

_{Source: Candescense}

How Do You Separate CO2?
The technology for separating CO2 from emissions is really not the problem. Storing it permanently is. The most common storage process involves using a liquid solvent to bind with the CO2. The emission gases are then collected, chilled and mixed with the solvent, which captures the CO2 in a chemical reaction. By changing into a more solid state the CO2 can be separated from other gases. It later gets reheated, which makes the solvent and the CO2 divide. The CO2 then goes into storage while the solvent can be reused.

Other methods of scrubbing include: absorbents, selectively permeable membranes and cooling down the flue gases to force CO2 to condense. Scientists are looking at other ways of scrubbing that would be more efficient.

On a more positive note, capturing gases and keeping them out of the atmosphere has worked before. Remember acid rain? After regulations passed, major manufacturers invested in scrubbers, which got rid of a huge amount of sulfuric gas.