Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
This invention relates to system for lowering planetary temperature and reducing atmospheric CO2, and, more specifically, a system that provides a reflective structural foundation for algae growth and various methods for harvesting algae.
The polar ice caps of the planet earth reflect sunlight. This prevents solar energy from being absorbed by the earth's oceans. With the more recent shrinking of ice cap surface area, the amount of solar energy reflected away from the earth has lessened, and the amount of solar energy absorbed by the earth's ocean has increased, contributing to global warming.
Algae growing in the sea are being used as a raw material to produce fuel. The algae absorb carbon dioxide, and releases oxygen. When algae die, it decomposes. The decomposition process gives off carbon dioxide. If algae are harvested/processed before it has a chance to decompose naturally, and then the algae are used as a fuel, this offsets carbon dioxide that would have been produced by burning fossil fuels.
The invention is a system for lowering planetary temperature and reducing atmospheric CO2, using novel artificial ice. The invention provides an artificial ice substrate deposited on a body of water such as a lake or ocean. The top surface of the artificial ice reflects a portion of the sunlight back away from the earth. The bottom surface has nutrients for enhancing the growth of algae. Several weeks after placement in the body of water, a ship pulls the artificial ice substrate onboard, scrapes the algae off into a collection tank, re-applies nutrients to the underside of the ice substrate, and then deposits the artificial ice back into the lake or ocean.
In an alternate embodiment, to handle a harvesting surface area that is wider than a ship, an alternated ship construction with multiple floating booms and collection trays, and an end tug is provided. The booms with collection trays are extended from the ship, the artificial ice is pulled over the extended booms while the algae are collected. Then nutrients are re-applied and the artificial ice is deposited back into the lake or ocean.
In another embodiment, the ship harvests by rendering the entire artificial ice structure, including attached marine plants.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The light-reflecting top surface 18 can be specifically designed to reflect the most harmful spectra. The light-reflecting top surface 18 preferably has a 3-corner “retro reflector” surface to cause solar light rays to reflect back towards the sun. The 3-corner retro reflector surface can shorten the distance back out to space even where the wave action of the body of water 14 changes the angle of the floating sheet 12. (It is noted that automobile tail lights and street signs use a 3-corner retro reflector surface.)
The bottom surface of floating sheet 12 can be provided with a layer of plant nutrients or fertilizer 20. The layer of plant nutrients or fertilizer 20 is preferably of the time-release variety. The floating sheet 12 and the fertilizer layer 20 are preferably specifically translucent at certain light frequencies to allow these specific light frequencies to reach the marine plants 16.
The floating sheet 12 can be constructed from sheets of organic material such as straw, corn stalks, corn cobs, bamboo, bagasse, etc. Fibers from the sheet can present a non-uniform bottom surface texture to form fiber protrusions that provide more surface area for marine plants, such as algae and plant plankton. In an alternate embodiment, the floating sheet 12 could be a layer of oil (preferably vegetable oil) which has reflecting pigment or the retro-reflecting particles infused within it.
Therefore, the artificial ice 10 reduces global warming in two ways—first by reflecting some sunlight away from the earth, and second by growing marine plants that absorb the greenhouse gas CO2.
In a first alternate preferred embodiment as shown in
In a second alternate preferred embodiment,
In the system of the present invention, marine plants 16 must be harvested before significant decomposition. If harvested before decomposition, then at the point of harvest, the marine plants 16 have absorbed CO2, released oxygen, and have provided a net carbon reduction benefit in the effort to reduce greenhouse gases.
Therefore, as to harvesting marine plants 16, the system of the present invention provides a large ship 40 that processes artificial ice 10, 10′. As shown in
As shown in
As shown at the left side of
Now largely free of marine plants 16, floating sheet 12, 12′ is further pulled by the second harvesting wheel 66 and deposited back into the body of water 14. Just before floating sheet 12, 12′ is re-deposited, pipe 63B delivers a liquid fertilizer layer 20 through sprayer 72. The fertilizer layer 20 may be sprayed onto the bottom surface of floating sheet 12, 12′, or the fertilizer layer 20 may be sprayed onto surface of the body of water 14 just as floating sheet 12, 12′ enters the water. Either way, fertilizer layer 20 is captured by floating sheet 12, 12′. It should be understood that if the embodiment of
Floating boom 70 can be extended in length to match the appropriate dimension of the artificial ice 10, 10′ by adding additional pontoon units. In this regard, for those floating booms 70 that are very long, to assist in control and to avoid pipe breakage, an additional tug boat 80 (
After ship 60 has collected rendered marine plant 16 material, ship 60, which is preferably a factory ship, processes the marine plant material 16. In other words, the marine plant material can be processed into fuel that can be stored in the ship 60. Specifically, the marine plant material 16 is converted to fuel using one of several methods including but not limited too: thermal decomposition using pyrolysis or gasification followed by condensation, fermentation followed by distillation, or enzymatic reduction. Pyrolysis is one of the preferred methods because it is fast, efficient and yields mostly a liquid fuel product. There are several known pyrolysis techniques. Thus, marine plant material in collection tank 61 is transferred via pipe to pyrolysis processing 109. The resulting fuel is transferred via pipe to fuel tank 102.
It should be noted that most pyrolysis processes produce biomass oil, which in the present invention would be delivered by the ship at port. The biomass oil undergoes a second and further conversion to diesel oil. However, it should be noted that it is also possible to bypass the use of two separate conversion processes by using a single process: see prior art shown in FIG. 8. If this process is used in pyrolysis processing (
The artificial ice 10, 10′ are preferably hundreds of feet wide and miles long. Additional tugs (not shown) can be used for towing the artificial ice 10, 10′ away from the floating boom 70.
Alternatively, the ship 60 can re-configure the floating boom 70 to consume the entire artificial ice sheet 10, 10′ in addition to the marine plants 16, according to the process shown and described in
It should be noted that small solar powered boats (not shown) may be utilized to help maintain the position of artificial ice 10, 10′. Specifically, a solar powered boat may be connected by tow cable to artificial ice 10, 10′, at each of several corners. Each solar powered boat operates automatically to maintain a pre-selected GPS coordinate, making adjustments in position as circumstances require. This allows the artificial ice 10, 10′ to maintain a relatively fixed location for later harvesting. Alternately, several redundant transmitters may be attached to each artificial ice 10, 10′ section to transmit GPS coordinate location on a specified frequency to allow later harvesting.
Besides fuel, there is another means, referred to as Carbon Credits, to derive benefit from the process described above. A Carbon Credit is a device which allows companies who exhaust excessive carbon into the atmosphere to offset their carbon by paying other companies who have the means to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. The “credit” is actually a paper representation of a specific amount of carbon, (or other greenhouse gas) which has been sunk or offset. The process described above can produce carbon credits in two ways. A) The reflective surface of floating sheet 12 (
As various modifications could be made to the exemplary embodiments, as described above with reference to the corresponding illustrations, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61604297 | Apr 2012 | US |