Carbon Blocks for Atmospheric Carbon Sequestration

Votes: 1
Views: 1974

This submittal addresses further development of Carbon Blocks per provisional patent BJR 17-001 Prov, Carbon Blocks Made from Photosynthetic Plant Biomass for Long Term Sequestration of the Carbon from Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, and Process for Manufacture (4/5/17). These blocks provide an extremely simple, but effective, measurable, and immediate method of direct removal of the green house gas (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2) from earth’s atmosphere via conversion to plant based carbon (C) biomass by photosynthesis (specifically, in the form of fast growing, minimal maintenance weeds) and long term storage (sequestration) of the dried and ground plant matter and associated carbon inside the blocks to completely prevent carbon return to the atmosphere through the normal decomposition process.

NOTE - The blocks are called ‘carbon’ blocks because the plant photosynthesis converts atmospheric CO2 gas to plant structural proteins containing C. Raw vegetation is about 50% water, and after drying the remaining plant material is about 50% C. So, 2 lbs of raw vegetation after drying will weigh about 1 lb of which ½ lb will be C. The demonstration model described herein contains this amount of C.

The five main block manufacture steps are:

• Grow: grow weeds to capture CO2 in the form of C in weed biomass
• Harvest: harvest weeds – harvesting to be done by manual methods
• Grind: grind weeds to allow consolidation by pressing into blocks – grinding to be done by manual methods such as a grinding mechanism attached to an exercise bike
• Dry: dry ground weeds using solar dryers
• Form: form final blocks as follows: mix ground weeds with water proof and fire proof organic binder; mold the exterior block shell from a plant based plastic into a 5” x 5” by 9” long shape with a 4´diameter x 8” long central cavity; extrude the weed/binder mixture into the block cavity – this extruded material will be the block core; seal blocks with organic sealant to prevent water ingress

The blocks have a small financial value in the form of carbon credits, but the primary value results from the block structural strength allowing their use in structural applications. The basic blocks will be suitable for lightly loaded landscaping and similar applications, but ‘engineered’ blocks will be enhanced with internal structural supports making them suitable for highly loaded applications at much lower weight than traditional stone block of the same size.

The above emphasis on manual labor is important because such labor produces minimal CO2 emissions, thus maximizing the carbon removal benefit of the blocks. Further, all the labor associated with this process, especially grinding the dried weeds, provides a significant means of healthy exercise. Most critically, the carbon contained in every block by each individuals effort will reduce their carbon footprint. Conceivably, an individual could take out more carbon than they put in, leading to a carbon negative lifestyle. Further, enough individuals around the world could possibly remove enough carbon to slow the current rate of CO2 increase.

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Brian Rampolla
  • Type of entry:
    individual
  • Profession:
    Engineer/Designer
  • Brian is inspired by:
    Personal action to combat climate change
  • Software used for this entry:
    None
  • Patent status:
    none