http://www.mitsuichem.com/csr/report/pdf/14_15_mk09en.pdf
As we have been reporting, Carbon Dioxide, as arises, relative to natural sources of emission, such as volcanism and seasonal vegetative rot, in a small way from our varied and productive uses of Coal, can be collected and productively recycled.
From Japan's Mitsui Chemicals Corporation, we present some very brief excerpts from the enclosed link, with comment appended:
"Establishing an Innovative Technology to Synthesize Methanol from CO2
On May 23, 2009, a pilot plant at the Mitsui Chemicals Osaka Works became the first site in the world to synthesize methanol from it's carbon dioxide (CO2) exhaust.
Methanol can be used to make the raw materials for plastics ... ."
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They use, according to the full release, molecular Hydrogen in their Methanol synthesis from Carbon Dioxide; and, according to Mitsui, they are: "developing photo-catalysts for splitting water" into Hydrogen and Oxygen in an energy-efficient way.
Such photo catalysis is, we remind you, also an important feature of some of the Carbon Dioxide recycling technologies being developed, as we have documented, by a few of our USDOE's National Laboratories, such as Sandia.
And, in addition to being "used to make the raw materials for plastics", Methanol can, via the ExxonMobil MTG(r) technology, also be converted into Gasoline.
Now, consider:
What would be the final outcome if, one by one, we started to refit each of our Coal-fired power stations in the United States with a version of Mitsui's pilot plant, as it is attached to one of Mitsui's factories, to "synthesize methanol from it's carbon dioxide (CO2) exhaust"?
And, what would be the positive economic effect, in terms of the synthesis costs, of using a power generating station's waste heat to drive the process?
We could find ourselves swimming in Gasoline and building automobiles out of high-performance plastics, all synthesized from Carbon Dioxide, via Methanol.
Would we really rather tax our vital Coal industries out of existence, through Cap and Trade legislation; or, make them the economic slaves of the Big Oil industry, through enforced Geologic Sequestration in waning oil fields?
We do have some choices. Let's get ourselves informed and start making the right ones.