Carbon Chemistry
CO2 CH2O CH4
oxidized reduced
low energy high energy
chemistry oflife
chemistry of the earth
CO2 + H2O CH2O + O2
photosynthesis
respiration
organiccarbonburial
atmosphericO2
Organic carbon on Earth
KerogenMinable coalOilGas Clathrates
1,200,0005,000
200300
5,000
Gton C
Natural Carbon Cycle
300
310
320
330
340
350
360
370
380
390
400
300
310
320
330
340
350
360
370
380
390
400
1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005
Atm
osp
he
ric p
CO
2,
ppm
Atm
osp
her
ic p
CO
2, p
pm
Year
Mauna Loa, Hawaii
Barrow, Alaska
300
250
200CO
2 (
ppm
)
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
T,
C
0100200300400
Age (kyr BP)
0.30.40.50.60.70.8
Me
tha
ne ( p
pm
)
Oil Distribution
Oil Reserve/Production
BellCurve
PopsicleCurve
Resource Extraction Rate
Time
Hubbert’s Peak
Sperm Oil Hubbert
0
1
2
3
4
1900 1950 2000 2050
U.S. Oil Production
Bill
ion
Ba
rrel
s p
er
yea
r
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Gto
n C
per yea
r
U.S. Oil Hubbert
Hubbertwas here
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
1900 1950 2000 2050 2100
World Oil Production
Hubbert Peaks
200 Gton Ceventual
500 Gton Ceventual
117 Gton Calready
extracted
Bill
ion
bar
rels
per
yea
r
Year
World Oil Hubbert
Methane hydrates
Seawater
Ocean Temperature
Clathrate MeltingTemperature
Sediment+ Seawater+ Bubbles
Sediment+ Seawater+ Clathrate
Mud
0 10 20 30
5
4
3
2
1
0
Temperature, °C
Depth, km
Clathrate Sensitivity to Temperature
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
-4 -2 0 2 4 6
Ste
ady
Sta
te M
eth
an
e In
ven
tory
, G
ton
C
Ocean Temperature, Offset from Present Day
Coal
Oil/GasLGM
Today Future?
Global United States
PetroleumGasCoalNuclearHydroRenewables
France Denmark
Japan China India Brazil
Energy
Oil Use
residentialcommercialindustrytransportationelectricity
Gas Use
Coal Use
Electricity Use
U.S. Energy
Energy ConsumptionPer Person
0
2
4
6
8
10
12ki
loW
atts
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Glo
bal
U.S
.
Fra
nce
Den
ma
rk
Japa
n
Chi
na
Ind
ia
Bra
zil
tera
Wa
tts
Energy Consumption
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Energy Consumptionper Dollar GDP
Wa
tts
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
Gas Oil Coal
Carbon Emission per Energy Yield
Gto
n C
per
te
raW
att
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Carbon released per person
me
tric
ton
s
0
0.1
0.2
0.30.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
Glo
bal
U.S
.
Fra
nc e
Den
ma
rk
Japa
n
Chi
na
Ind
ia
Bra
zil
Carbon per dollar GDP
kilo
gra
ms
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Bill
ion
me
tric
ton
s ( G
ton
)
Carbon release in CO2 per year
Climate
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000
Ocean Invasion, 300 years
Reaction with CaCO3, 5000 years
Reaction with Igneous Rocks, 400,000 years
Year A.D.
CO2 ReleaseLong Lifetime of CO2
400
420
440
460
480
500
520
540
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Kyr Before Present
Inso
latio
n, W
/ m2
Ice
Vo
lum
e
i0Trigger-minima
Red = Trigger-minima events
Cri
t ical
Inso
latio
n i 0
, W
/ m2
pCO2
400
410
420
430
440
450
460
470
100 200 300 400 500 600
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Time, kyrPast Future
pC
O2,
atm
Ins ol a
ti on
, 5000 Gton C
1000
a
c
i0
300 Gton C
Interglacial Periods
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
Glo
ba
l T O
ffse
t, °
C d
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
-500 -400 -300
-200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500
b
SOLUTION: LUNAR SOLAR POWER SYSTEM
• SUN SENDS 13,000 TWs OF RELIABLE SOLAR POWER TO LUNAR SURFACE
• BASES ON MOON CONVERT SOLAR POWER TO MICROWAVE BEAMS
• BEAMS DELIVER POWER TO RECTENNAS
- Safe (<20% of sunlight)
- Reliable (through clouds, rain, smoke, etc.)
• RECTENNAS ON EARTH
- Convert beams to electricity
- Deliver electricity to power grid
Carbon Sequestration