Transcript Slide 1

CarbonSafe, Greensols and Newcomen
Engines
Talk by John Harrison B.Sc. B.Ec
“For that which is common to the greatest number has
the least care bestowed upon it. Every one thinks
chiefly of his own, hardly at all of the common interest;
and only when he is himself concerned as an
individual.” (Aristotle 350 BC)
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A Planet in Crisis?
 In the next 50 years it is crunch time for:
– Energy
– Water
– waste and
pollution
– loss and
degradation of
topsoil
– global warming.
 Are we thinking about it? Do we have an
answer?
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Fresh Water
 The amount of water in the world is finite.
The number of us is growing quickly and our
water use is growing more quickly.
 A third of the world's population lives in
water-stressed countries. By 2025, this is
expected to rise to two-thirds.
 The world's supply of fresh water is running
out. Already one person in five has no
access to safe drinking water.
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Global Warming
Rises in the levels
of carbon dioxide
and other gases
(methane, water
vapour)
Are causing a rapid
rise in temperature
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The Carbon Cycle and Emissions
Emissions
from fossil
fuels and
cement
production
are the
cause of the
global
warming
problem
Source: David Schimel and Lisa Dilling, National Centre for Atmospheric Research 2003
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Energy Crisis
Peak Oil Production (Campell 2004)
Most models of oil reserves, production and consumption show peak oil around
2010 (Campbell 2005) and serious undersupply and rapidly escalating prices by
2025. It follows that there will be economic mayhem unless the cement and
concrete industry acts now to change the energy base of their products.
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Waste & Pollution
Waste releases methane, can
cause ill health in the area, leads to
the contamination of land,
underground water, streams and
coastal waters (destroying our
fisheries) and gives rise to various
nuisances including increased
traffic, noise, odours, smoke, dust,
litter and pests.
Most damaging is the release of
dangerous molecules to the global
commons
There are various estimates, but we produce about 5-600
million tonnes of waste each year.
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Ecological Footprint
Our footprint is exceeding the capacity of the planet to
support it. We are not longer sustainable as a species and
must change our ways TO SURVIVE
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We Must Learn from Nature (Biomimicry)
 Nature is the most frugal economist of all. The waste from
one plant or animal is the food or home for another.
 By studying Nature we learn who we are, what we are and
how we are to be.” (Wright, F.L. 1957:269)
 In nature photosynthesis balances respiration.
 We have nothing that balances our emissions in the technoprocess
 There is a strong need for similar efficiency and balance
By learning from
Nature we can all
live together
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Biomimicry
 The term biomimicry was popularised by the book of
the same name written by Janine Benyus
 Biomimicry is a method of solving problems that uses
natural processes and systems as a source of
knowledge and inspiration.
 It involves nature as model, measure and mentor.
The theory behind biomimicry is that natural processes
and systems have evolved over several billion years
through a process of research and development
commonly referred to as evolution. A reoccurring theme
in natural systems is the cyclical flow of matter in such a
way that there is no waste of matter or energy.
Nature is very economical about all Processes.
We must also be MUCH more economical
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Economically Driven Sustainability
$ - ECONOMICS - $
The challenge is to harness human
behaviours which underlay economic
supply and demand phenomena by
changing the technical paradigm in
favour of making carbon dioxide and
other wastes resources for new
materials with lower take and waste
impacts and more energy efficient
performance.
Sustainable processes are more efficient and therefore more
economic. Natural ecosystems can be 100% efficient. What is needed
are new technologies that allow material and energy flows to more
closely mimic natural ecosystems.
Innovation will deliver these new technical paradigms.
Sustainability will not happen by relying
on people to do the right thing
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Sustainability = Culture + Technology
Increase in demand/price ratio for
greater sustainability due to cultural drift.
$
ECONOMICS
New Technical
Paradigms are
required that deliver
sustainability.
Equilibrium shift
Supply
Greater Value/for
impact
(Sustainability) and
economic growth
Increase in supply/price ratio for
more sustainable products due to
technical innovation.
Demand
#
A measure of the degree of sustainability of an industrial ecology is where
the demand for more sustainable technologies is met by their supply.
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Changing the Technology Paradigm
We need materials that require less energy to
make them, that last much longer and that
contribute properties that reduce lifetime energies.
The key is to change the technology paradigm
“By enabling us to make productive use of
particular raw materials, technology
determines what constitutes a physical
resource1”
1.Pilzer, Paul Zane, Unlimited Wealth, The Theory and Practice of
Economic Alchemy, Crown Publishers Inc. New York.1990
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Examples of Economic Changes in Technical
Paradigms that result in Greater Sustainability
Incandescent Fluorescent
Led Light
Light Globes
<20 watts
25 watts
100 watts
1700 lumens 1700 lumens 1700 lumens
Light Globes in the last 10 years have evolved from
consuming around 100 watts per 1700 lumens to less
that 20 watts per 1700 lumens. As light globes
account for around 30% of household energy this is as
considerable saving.
Solar Panels Producing More than one Electron for
each Photon of Light
In all solar cells now in use - in everything from satellites to
pocket calculators - each incoming photon contributes at most
one energised electron to the electric current it generates. This
barrier has now been broken by Victor Klimov of Los Alamos
National Laboratory, New Mexico USA .
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Examples of Economic Changes in Technical
Paradigms that result in Greater Sustainability
C
Eco-Cements
C
Waste
C
C
C
Waste
Eco-cements set by absorbing CO2 out of the air
and are suitable for the Pareto proportion (80%)
of materials used for construction in the built
environment. Coupled with capture of CO2
during manufacture the resulting sequestration
is significant
Robotics
Construction in the future will be largely done by robots
because it will be more economic to do so. Like a color
printer different materials will be required for different parts
of structures, and wastes such as plastics will provide
many of the properties required for the cementitious
composites of the future used. A non-reactive binder such
as TecEco tec-cements can supply the right rheology, and
like a printer, very little will be wasted.
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Economics of Sustainability
 Solving global warming will require new
technologies and probably require less money
than is being spent on the new space station.
 Markets do not take a longer term view and
governments should therefore step in and
support innovation to develop new technologies
that deliver sustainability.
 Present inefficient technologies such as persist
in power generation may be locked in as a result
of network externalities and sunk costs.
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A Low Energy Post – Carbon & Waste Age?
The construction
industry can be
uniquely responsible
for helping achieve this
transition
Maybe then we can move
confidently into a more
sustainable future.
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Abatement and Sequestration
 To solve sustainability problems our approach
should be holistically balanced and involve
– Everybody, every day New technical
– Be easy
paradigms are
– Make money
required
Sequestration
Abatement
and
+
Abatement = Efficiency
and conversion to non
fossil fuels
CarbonSafe =
Sequestration and
waste utilisation.
TecEco’s Contribution
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The TecEco Dream – A More Sustainable Built Environment
CO2
CO2 FOR
GEOLOGICAL
SEQUESTRATION
CO2
MINING
MAGNESITE
+ OTHER
INPUTS
“There is a way to
make our city streets
as green as the
Amazon rainforest”.
Fred Pearce, New
Scientist Magazine
TECECO
KILN
MgO
OTHER
WASTES
PERMANENT
SEQUESTRATION &
WASTE
UTILISATION (Man
made carbonate
rock incorporating
wastes as a
TECECO CONCRETES building material)
RECYCLED
BUILDING
MATERIALS
SUSTAINABLE CITIES
We need materials that
require less energy to
make them, that last
much longer and that
contribute properties
that reduce lifetime
energies
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The TecEco CarbonSafe Geo-Photosynthethic Process
Inputs:
Atmospheric or smokestack CO2, brines,
waste acid, other wastes
Outputs:
The CarbonSafe Geo-Photosynthetic
Process is TecEco’s evolving technoprocess that delivers profitable
outcomes whilst reversing underlying
undesirable moleconomic flows from
other less sustainable processes.
Potable water, gypsum, sodium bicarbonate, salts, building
materials, bottled concentrated CO2 (for geo-sequestration
and other uses).
Solar or solar
derived energy
CO2
CO2
CO2
MgO
TecEco
MgCO2
Cycle
TecEco
Kiln
MgCO3
Coal
Carbon or carbon compounds
Magnesium oxide
Fossil fuels
CO2
Oil
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CO2
Greensols
Process
1.29 gm/l
Mg
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The TecEco CarbonSafe Industrial Ecology
Inputs
Brines
Waste Acid
CO2
Outputs
Gypsum, Sodium
bicarbonate, Salts,
Building materials,
Potable water
We must design whole new technical
paradigms that reverse many of our
problem molecular flows
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The CarbonSafe Geo-Photosynthetic Process
Waste
Acid
Seawater
Carbonatio
n Process
CO2 from power
generation or industry
Other salts
Na+,K+,
Ca2+,Cl-
Magnesite (MgCO3)
Solar Process to Produce
Magnesium Metal
Simplified TecEco Reactions
Tec-Kiln MgCO3 → MgO + CO2 - 118 kJ/mole
Reactor Process MgO + CO2 → MgCO3 + 118
kJ/mole (usually more complex hydrates)
CO
2
Other Wastes
1.354 x 109 km3 Seawater containing 1.728 10 17
tonne Mg or suitable brines from other sources
Magnesia
(MgO)
Eco-Cement
Tec-Cement
Gypsum +
carbon waste
(e.g.
sewerage) =
fertilizers
Bicarbonate
of Soda
(NaHCO3)
Gypsum
(CaSO4)
Sewerage compost
CO2 as a biological or
industrial input or if no
other use geological
sequestration
Magnesium
Thermodynamic
Magnesite
Cycle
(MgCO3)
Hydroxid
e
Reactor
Process
CO2 from power
generation, industry
or out of the air
Sequestration Table – Mg from Seawater
Tonnes CO2 sequestered per tonne magnesium with various cycles
through the TecEco Tec-Kiln process. Assuming no leakage MgO to built
environment (i.e. complete cycles).
Billion
Tonnes
Tonnes CO2 sequestered by 1 billion tonnes of Mg in seawater
1.81034
Tonnes CO2 captured during calcining (same as above)
1.81034
Tonnes CO2 captured by eco-cement
1.81034
Total tonnes CO2 sequestered or abated per tonne Mg in seawater
(Single calcination cycle).
3.62068
Total tonnes CO2 sequestered or abated (Five calcination cycles.)
18.1034
Total tonnes CO2 sequestered or abated (Ten calcination cycles).
36.20
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Why Magnesium Carbonates for Sequestration?
 Because of the low molecular weight of magnesium, magnesium
oxide which hydrates to magnesium hydroxide and then
carbonates, is ideal for scrubbing CO2 out of the air and
sequestering the gas into the built environment:
 More CO2 is captured than in calcium systems as the calculations
below show.
CO 2
MgCO

3
44
84
 52 %
CO 2
CaCO

3
44
 43 %
101
 At 2.09% of the crust magnesium is the 8th most abundant
element
 Magnesium minerals are potential low cost. New kiln technology
from TecEco will enable easy low cost simple non fossil fuel
calcination of magnesium carbonate with CO2 capture for
geological sequestration.
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Reduction Global CO2 from CarbonSafe Process
Mass of CO2 (Gt)
Global CO2 in the Atmosphere
3,500
3,300
3,100
2,900
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
M ass CO2 in the atmosphere without "CarbonSafe"
sequestration (Gt)
M ass CO2 in the atmosphere with "CarbonSafe"
sequestration (Gt)
Upper CO2 limit (Gt)
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The Greensols Process
 The Greensols process involves the addition of waste acid and
CO2 to brines containing magnesium including seawater.
 The process produces:
– Valuable salts
• These salts will pay for the process
– Fresh water
• considerable profits could be generated
 The problem of brines from reverse osmosis processes is
avoided.
 CO2 is sequestered as magnesium carbonate further used by
TecEco in the CarbonSafe process.
 10 km by 10 km by 150 metres thick is all the magnesium
carbonate required a year to more than meet our needs for
sequestration.
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Why Greensols is Important
 For many years geologists have wondered how all the
huntite, magnesite and dolomite found in nature was
formed.
 Greensols solves this geological enigma. Waste acid
hydrolyses water which is therefore able to release the
positively charged magnesium ions out of solution.
 The protons associated with the anion in an acid attach
to water and de polarise it thereby releasing Mg++ for
precipitation as carbonate potentially resulting in
massive sequestration.
Contacts:
John Harrison, TecEco Pty. Ltd. www.tececo.com
Prof Chris Cuff, Greensols Pty. Ltd.
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Thinking About Energy…..
 Australia is a big country with huge transmission losses over long
distances.
 We should be choosing decentralised generation options over
centralised ones if they can be demonstrated to be more efficient
– Recent breakthroughs in solar technology will result in double or more efficiency
– Abundant solar energy ins available e.g. Townsville with sun 330 days a year.
 Unfortunately, sustainable energy other than from hydro so far does
not suit large centralized power generation power plants and is
therefore discredited by them further slowing their introduction.
 Policies are therefore needed to encourage more sustainable
generation of electricity such as a system of eco credits and debits
as described in our last TecEco newsletter (No 59?).
 Newcomen engines can potentially significantly increase the
efficiency of existing fossil fuel powered electricity generation.
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Newcomen Engines
In contrast to Rankine cycle engines Newcomen engines capture the pressure change and
heat released in the transition from a vapour back to a liquid. Newcomen engines can be
retrofitted to existing fossil fuel and nuclear power stations and as a bonus produce distilled
water.
The Newcomen engine concept follows from the original steam engine invented around 1712
and with the application of modern technology heat exchangers, condensers pumps, turbine
technology and a few other ‘smarts’ have the potential to significantly improve efficiency.
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Low Grade Heat and Newcomen Engines
 The world's resources of low grade heat, both natural
and man-made far exceed our energy requirements.
 Low grade heat resources are not used because they
cannot efficiently be used to drive conventional
turbine generators.
 Newcomen engines utilise the large volume
differences when water vapour collapses to form a
liquid. And can utilise low grade heat.
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A Simple Solar Powered Newcomen Engine
Primary vapour is generated in a large evaporation chamber. When it collapses on
cooling the rush of air and steam towards reduced pressure powers a turbine as in
conventional fossil fuel powered power stations.
To reduce visual clutter, the thermal feedback loop has been omitted.
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Solar Powered Newcomen Engine (2)
In the above version brine in the evaporation chamber is heated directly by solar energy and by heat
liberated when secondary vapour condenses in the underlying condensation chamber.
Fresh brine is continuously added at the cold end of the trough, with hot, concentrated brine being drawn off
at the hot end. The heat stored in the concentrated brine is re-cycled, to pre-heat the turbine cooling
water.
At the cool end of the condensation chamber, the secondary vapour always ends up transferring its latent
heat to the overlying brine, because the vapour pressure builds up until it reaches its dew point.
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Fresh Water and Sequestration Using
Newcomen Engines
 Newcomen engine generators can produce fresh water
as a by product.
 Newcomen generator systems are designed to work
using low grade heat, so by combining a Newcomen
generator with a suitably designed carbon capture
plant the capture process can be made more cost
effective.
Contacts:
John Harrison, TecEco Pty. Ltd. www.tececo.com
Dr Bill Courtney, Cheshire Innovation
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TecEco Binder Systems
SUSTAINABILITY
PORTLAND
POZZOLAN
Hydration of the
various components
of Portland cement
for strength.
DURABILITY
Reaction of alkali with
pozzolans (e.g. lime with
fly ash.) for sustainability,
durability and strength.
TECECO CEMENTS
STRENGTH
TecEco concretes are
a system of blending
REACTIVE MAGNESIA
reactive magnesia,
Hydration of magnesia => brucite for strength, workability, Portland cement and
dimensional stability and durability. In Eco-cements
usually a pozzolan
carbonation of brucite => nesquehonite, lansfordite and
with other materials
an amorphous phase for sustainability.
and are a key factor
for sustainability.
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TecEco Formulations
 Tec-cements (5-15% MgO, 85-95% OPC)
– contain more Portland cement than reactive magnesia. Reactive magnesia
hydrates in the same rate order as Portland cement forming Brucite which uses
up water reducing the voids:paste ratio, increasing density and possibly raising
the short term pH.
– Reactions with pozzolans are more affective. After all the Portlandite has been
consumed Brucite controls the long term pH which is lower and due to it’s low
solubility, mobility and reactivity results in greater durability.
– Other benefits include improvements in density, strength and rheology, reduced
permeability and shrinkage and the use of a wider range of aggregates many of
which are potentially wastes without reaction problems.
 Eco-cements (15-95% MgO, 85-5% OPC)
– contain more reactive magnesia than in tec-cements. Brucite in porous
materials carbonates forming stronger fibrous mineral carbonates and therefore
presenting huge opportunities for waste utilisation and sequestration.
 Enviro-cements (5-15% MgO, 85-95% OPC)
– contain similar ratios of MgO and OPC to eco-cements but in non porous
concretes brucite does not carbonate readily.
– Higher proportions of magnesia are most suited to toxic and hazardous waste
immobilisation and when durability is required. Strength is not developed
quickly nor to the same extent.
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TecEco Technologies Take Concrete into the Future
 More rapid strength gain even with added
pozzolans
– More supplementary materials can be used reducing
costs and take and waste impacts.
 Easier to finish even with added pozzolans
Tec Cements
– The stickiness concretes with added fly ash is
retarding use
 Higher strength/binder ratio
 Less cement can be used reducing costs and
take and waste impacts
 More durable concretes
Tec & EcoCements
– Reducing costs and take and waste impacts.
 Use of wastes
 Utilizing carbon dioxide
 Magnesia component can be made using non
fossil fuel energy and CO2 captured during
production.
Eco-Cements
Contact:
John Harrison, TecEco Pty. Ltd. www.tececo.com
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TecEco CO2 Capture Kiln Technology
 Can run at low temperatures.
 Can be powered by various
non fossil fuels.
– E.g. solar
 Theoretically capable of producing much more reactive
MgO
– Even with ores of high Fe content.
 Captures CO2 for bottling and sale to the oil industry
(geological sequestration).
 Grinds and calcines at the same time.
– Runs 25% to 30% more efficiently as use waste heat from
grinding
 Will result in new markets for ultra reactive low lattice
energy MgO (e.g. cement, paper and environment
industries)
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Sustainable Materials in the Built Environment - 2007
Technical Focus
Sustainable Materials in the Built
Environment
2007
Innovation - Process – Design
Announcement and Call for Papers
18th to 20th February 2007
Melbourne, Australia
www.materialsaustralia.com.au/SMB2007
This Conference will focus on:
 The impacts and connectivity
of different parts of the supply
chain.
 Fabrication, performance,
recycling and waste
 New developments in
materials and processes
 Reviewing existing materials
assessment tools
 Future directions in regulation
 Opportunities/barriers to
introduction of sustainable
materials and technologies in
the building industry.
 New materials and more
sustainable built
environments: the evidence?
Joint Venture Websites
ASSMIC Website: www.aasmic.org
Materials Australia Website: www.materialsaustralia.com.au
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