[stephanheijl]

I've been looking at the use of algae with regards to sequester img CO2 from the atmosphere. This seems to have some remarkable advantages: single molecules which make mass production easier, presumably less finicky operating procedure and way more straightforward to pump into disused oil wells. From the abstract it does seem to need CO2 being supplied to it as opposed to drawing it from the atmosphere actively. I assume this could be used in exhausts of some kind? Definite benefit is the fact that the CO2 is captured immediately as opposed to over a years long timeline, like trees.

[galangalalgol]

I'm interested in causing algae blooms near the equator with iron sulfide. Not for co2 capture, most of that would get released on decomposition, but for the albedo effect. It also has the failsafe that if it gets too cold the algae will die preventing a snowball earth. They did some tests for salmon production, and scaling that linearly for area covered it would be less than a $1.5 billion project. Also we get salmon.

[JohnL4]

Within striking range for any single trillionaire.

Reminds me of this article (which also mentions algal blooms): http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/09/how-to-t...

«Few experts think that relying on geo-engineering would be a good idea. But no one knows how soon reality will trump ideology, and so we may finally have hit on a useful form of alarmism. One of the virtues of Keith’s succinct, scary book is to convince the reader that unless we find a way to talk about climate change, planes full of sulfuric acid will soon be on the runway.»

[sargun]

Would you get enough salmon to offset the cost? What’s the net cost of this approach?

[galangalalgol]

I wouldn't count on any savings from the $1.5B. You would get more salmon than we know what to do with and you have to harvest them or the overpopulation would mess with the ecosystem.

[jtolmar]

> more salmon than we know what to do with

Bury them in the ground as fertilizer?

Requires people to fish them up, but maybe we can redirect some of the effort that goes into overfishing to that.