title: Nongovernmental valorization of carbon dioxide.
abstract: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered the largest contributor to the greenhouse gas effect. Most attempts to manage the flow of CO2 or carbon into our environment involve reducing net emissions or sequestering the gas into long-lived sinks. Using CO2 as a chemical feedstock has a long history, but using it on scales that might impact the net emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere has not generally been considered seriously. There is also a growing interest in employing our natural biomes of carbon such as trees, vegetation, and soils as storage media. Some amelioration of the net carbon emissions into the atmosphere could be achieved by concomitant large withdrawals of carbon. This report surveys the potential and limitations in employing carbon as a resource for organic chemicals, fuels, inorganic materials, and in using the biome to manage carbon. The outlook for each of these opportunities is also described.
authors.affiliation: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd, Golden, CO 80401, USA. gene_petersen@nrel.gov
authors.forename: Gene
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Donn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Viviani
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Magrini-Bair
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kelley
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moens
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DuBois
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D003625:Data Collection; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D010944:Plants; D012987:Soil; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D002245:Carbon Dioxide