Reusing and Recycling Carbon Dioxide to Combat Global Warming

Abstract

The world is at the brink of a catastrophe. Climate change via global warming is threatening to destroy the planet, which has existed for the last 4.5 billion years and been home to humans for 6 million years. The warning signs are glaring, urging humans to try and undo the excessive harm that we have inflicted upon the planet. Yet, a large population remains indifferent to the disastrous implications. If we hope to thrive for many more centuries, we must step up, educate ourselves and turn into environmentally-conscious and environmentally-friendly citizens. A silent killer, global warming has dire implications for our planet's future. It cannot be reiterated enough that if we do not act now, there may be no future for our planet. In the following article, I consider the solutions to only one aspect of climate change- global warming due to the greenhouse effect. The most wide-spread greenhouse gas responsible for global warming is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide plays a dual role in the atmosphere: an optimum amount of carbon dioxide in the air is essential to ensure life on Earth, yet a surplus of it promotes global warming. This article seeks to elaborate upon the main chemical methods by which the concentration of excess carbon dioxide can be mitigated: recycling of carbon dioxide by electrochemical processes, reusing of carbon dioxide in its transcritical state, and converting carbon dioxide into biomass.