My thought was to use naturally occurring magnesium, Calcium and Potassium from sea water. The relative abundance of elements in sea water, expressed as a percentage by mass is:
*Cl -- 1.94% *Na -- 1.08% -- NaCO3 and soda ash *Mg -- 0.192% -- MgCO3 or chalk *S -- 0.900% *Ca -- 0.410% -- CaCO3 or limestone *K -- ).385% -- K2Co3 or potash
A solar or wind powered unit could turn atmospheric CO2 and elements from sea water into four useful families of chemicals and water that is mostly fresh. React some of the metals with the dissolved sulfur and you would have water that is agriculturally useful. All that is required is long term thinking. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
although seawater contains about 2.8 times the bicarbonate than river water based on molarity, the percentage of bicarbonate in seawater as a ratio of all dissolved ions is far lower than in river water. Bicarbonate ions also constitute 48% of river water solutes, but only 0.41% of all seawater ions.
I wonder whether simply bubbling CO2 through seawater would lead to precipitation of carbonates.
Phosphorus from bone could be a genuine profit maker, and facilities located along arid coasts such as Pt. Conception south to the tip of Baha and also along the eastern shore of the Sea of Cortez could provide usable water for agricultural irrigation or domestic water supplies.
Plus, a decision to manufacture such systems on a large enough scale to matter would drive down the price of solar and wind and give much needed employment. Just call it "THE WAR ON GLOBAL WARMING"! As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
Phosphorus from bone could be a genuine profit maker
bone meal is very popular in organic gardening.
you think any one of these ubergeeks ever tried bubbling the fumes through seawater?
too simple? some vested interest bruised? too cheap and easy? ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
why would it need to be stabilised for years, if it's going to be transformed by the plants into gases we can breathe profitably? ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
