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MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical

(news.mit.edu)
173 points rbanffy | 2 comments | 13 Nov 24 15:42 UTC | HN request time: 0.418s | source
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VyseofArcadia ◴[13 Nov 24 16:15 UTC] No.42127346[source]▶
Time scale is also something I want to know about. "Can I remove CO2 from the air and turn it into something valuable in a way that is cost effective?" is one question. Another question is, "Can I remove CO2 from the air and turn it into something valuable faster than a tree?"
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sampo ◴[13 Nov 24 16:25 UTC] No.42127435[source]▶
> "Can I remove CO2 from the air and turn it into something valuable faster than a tree?"

In some climate zones, grasslands do it better than forests.

https://climatechange.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/grasslands-mo...

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criddell ◴[13 Nov 24 17:08 UTC] No.42127874[source]▶
A tree gives you wood. What are the valuable outputs of grasslands?
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1. sampo ◴[13 Nov 24 17:29 UTC] No.42128082[source]▶
> What are the valuable outputs of grasslands?

If you use grasslands for grazing cattle you get meat, or also wool with sheep. Sequestering carbon into grassland soil (or into any soil, really) makes them better at absorbing and retaining rainwater, reducing the risks of catastrophic floods in the watershed area.

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2. criddell ◴[13 Nov 24 18:23 UTC] No.42128565[source]▶
Good points. I wasn't thinking of second order products.