December 10, 2008

Our scheduled speaker, Greg Mitchell, got called to Washington, DC on short notice.  He arranged for a colleague, Dr. Jamie Rhodes, to speak on the excellent topic described below.  Dr Rhodes' CV is attached. 

The program will start at 7 PM on Wednesday, Dec 10, at the California Center for Sustainable Energy, 8690 Balboa Avenue, #100 (2 blocks east of Hwy 163), and will run to 8 PM, plus time for questions.  There is no charge for this program.

For information, call me

Skip Fralick

858-244-4868

Biomass Energy and CO_2 Capture: Leveraging Photosynthesis for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation.

Description:

Biomass represents solar energy and atmospheric carbon fixed in organic matter via photosynthesis. It has been long recognized for its unique ability to integrate industrial energy systems with the biological carbon cycle. As a result, a significant body of research has explored its potential as a means for mitigating anthropogenic greenhouse gas

("GHG") emissions. Initially, this research focused primarily on substituting biomass for fossil fuels or sequestering atmospheric carbon in standing biomass. More recently, increasing emphasis is being placed on the ability to gain additional leverage by integrating bioenergy with carbon capture and storage systems ("CCS"), originally conceived to enable fossil fuel use with low CO_2 emissions to the atmosphere.

Independently, ongoing analysis suggests algal energy systems may represent a means for converting captured CO_2 into useful products with manifold sustainability benefits. This talk will characterize these various systems and their potential implications for mitigating anthropogenic GHG emissions.