What to do about CO2, Canberra,

Emeritus Professor Stephen Kaneff will talk on "What to do about CO2", 11 March 2009 at the ANU in Canberra:

CSES SEMINAR SERIES

What to do about CO2
Emeritus Professor Stephen Kaneff

DATE: 2009-03-11
TIME: 12:30:00 - 13:30:00
LOCATION: Ian Ross Seminar Room

ABSTRACT:
Human activity over the past three centuries is causing increasing impact on aspects of our environment, which has been relatively quasi-stable for the past few thousand years. During this short time, much infrastructure has been established by human effort and currently appears increasingly in jeopardy. Agriculture and other aspects which maintain livelihood also appear problematic.

Many means for ameliorating environmental changes due to human activity are basically known and technologically available, but few are being implemented or proposed for implementation. On the other hand, some potentially more complex and less promising, involving the collection and sequestration of CO2 by means yet to be developed and validated, are receiving attention and resources

This presentation outlines an array of practical means for handling the problems of CO2 by recourse to various disciplines both in concert and individually, with some emphasis on the employment of renewable energies. CO2 is a valuable material in itself and, while its generation can be avoided in the production of our energy needs, when it exists it can be used as a raw material in other processes and products, avoiding its introduction to the biosphere

Applying known science and technology for processing CO2, and employing, as appropriate, approaches for avoiding its production, given the determination and resources of amounts already expended in existing industries, it is apparent that the emission of CO2 to the biosphere by human activity could be brought into balance within less than 30 years (ie. no nett emissions) and thereafter an actual reduction of existing atmospheric CO2 could be achieved.



BIO:
Emeritus Professor Stephen Kaneff, B.E., PhD.

Main interests: Energy conversion and applications, especially in relation to the collection, concentration, transport, storage and utilisation of solar energy - directed to the realisation of systems for providing a solar driven chemistry (environmentally more-benign than currently provided by fossil-driven chemical systems), as well as the provision of readily accessible products such as electricity, fresh water and more-direct uses of process heat.

Established R & D within the Department of Engineering Physics, Research School of Physical Sciences, ANU, in December 1970. Significant advances have included the first commercial solar power station (providing energy to the township of White Cliffs); a community power station successfully operated at Albuquerque (NM, USA); and the SG3 grid-connected large dish collector system at Sullivan's Creek. Other large collectors have also been developed.

These technologies, in conjunction with other renewable energy approaches and means stemming from other disciplines, have pointed to the application of solar-derived energy to constitute one of the very few practical opportunities for ameliorating present problems stemming from the increase in greenhouse gases caused by human activity. This has formed a basis for work over the past 3 years, resulting in the identification of concomitant problems and their magnitude and investigation and development of practical large-scale approaches for not only countering increases in environmental degradation, but, by applying existing resources, actually reducing existing degradation.

Benign approaches have been identified and could, given decision and determination, be implemented to increasing, even timely extent. Many other approaches await adequate R & D.