Startup Life
Technology. Startups. Venture Capital. My Life.
Posts tagged energy
Turning Carbon Dioxide into Fuel
Mar 16th
It’s been said that we have been polluting the air with billions of tons of carbon dioxide and that its a bad thing. Well … not if you’re Frederic Goettmann, a chemist at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany. He is designing a catalyst that could help turn CO2 into fuel!
Goettman stated “We have taken the first step towards using carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a source for chemical synthesis. Future refinements could allow chemists to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels as sources for making chemicals. Liquid fuel could also be made from carbon monoxide split from CO2.”
Here are some highlights from the Goettmann article:
In an attempt to emulate this natural process, Goettmann and colleagues Arne Thomas and Markus Antonietti developed their own nitrogen-based catalyst that can produce carbamates. The graphite-like compound is made from flat layers of carbon and nitrogen atoms arranged in hexagons.The catalyst’s next useful step was to enable the benzene molecules to grab the oxygen atom from the CO2 in the carbamate, producing phenol and a reactive carbon monoxide (CO) species.
The researchers are now trying to bring their method even closer to photosynthesis. “The benzene reaction currently supplies the energy that splits the CO2,” Goettmann says, “but in plants it is light.” The new catalyst absorbs ultraviolet radiation, so the team is experimenting to see if light can provide the energy instead.
The Max Planck technique has only been demonstrated on a small scale and it has a low yield of 20%, he points out. “But it looks quite promising,” he adds. “The catalyst can be made cheaply and it works at a relatively low temperature.”
Investors, investors? Where are you? This is a disruptive technology in the making. If these guys are really able to turn carbon dioxide into fuel in a way that yields a net energy gain, it is a monumental step for energy sustainability. If they can adapt the technology to breakdown carbon dioxide and convert it to other non-polluting sources such as graphite, it could even be used to fight global warming — albeit, it would have to be used quite broadly!
global warming
Global Warming, Cleantech and Canada
Mar 9th
The world is ranting about global warming, and it should be. There is a very real problem, and finally politicians are appearing to try to combat them. Is their rationale money, power, influence or an actual regard for the sustainability of Earth?
In recent news President Bush announced an Ethanol deal with Brazil, which will work to increase the development of ethanol; Brazil produces much of its ethanol from sugar cane. Also today, the European Union heads of state agreed on a long-term strategy on energy policy, which followed agreements made in February 2007, when they agreed to cut greenhouse emissions by 20% by 2020. In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says that Kyoto targets are unattainable, as the former Liberal government committed to a reduction of greenhouse gases to 6% below 1990 levels … Canada is currently 35% over that mark (Vancouver Sun). So … what is Canada going to do to address this issue? Maybe allocate an increase to the investments in startups that are focusing on environmental biotechnology or cleantech solutions? Wow, that sounds like a good idea!
There are currently a number of Canadian company developing cleantech technologies, but certainly not enough. Of those companies innovating that space, most are grossly underfunded as many don’t even have websites! As the Toronto Star tech reporter, Tyler Hamilton, mentions in his cleantech blog – Clean Break – Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) , a fund created to finance cleantech startups, invested only $43.4 million on 15 new projects in 2005. The Alberta government is currently experiencing massive surpluses in the order of billions, its about time to start financing cleantech and environmental biotech startups so that Canada can remain competitive in the energy, or “Clean Energy” space in the future. Getting an early foothold in the market just seems like a good idea to me …
Canadian technology happens to be some of the most innovative in the world, so says Len Brody, who’s keynote address I saw at the Canadian Venture Forum. Nice guy, I managed to get myself a signed copy of his book Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but if your patriotic and want to find out a little more about Canadian business … maybe grab yourself a copy. In any case, if Canadian technology is so innovative, then INVEST IN IT. The lack of funding at the early stage, is crippling the growth and development of Canadian companies. CEOs are constantly chasing money, to stay cashflow positive and burn rates are minimized, which doesn’t allow these start-ups to effectively execute on their business plans.