{"id":213404,"date":"2019-05-09T00:36:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T04:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=213404"},"modified":"2019-05-09T00:36:17","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T04:36:17","slug":"secret-sauce-calgary-researchers-turn-greenhouse-gases-into-carbon-fibre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/05\/09\/secret-sauce-calgary-researchers-turn-greenhouse-gases-into-carbon-fibre\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret sauce: Calgary researchers turn greenhouse gases into carbon fibre"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lines from tanks of carbon dioxide and methane feed into a small chamber the size of a balloon. Once it’s exposed to extreme heat, black powdery residue appears in a glass tube. A piece of metal in the tube acts as a catalyst. (Photo: Patrick Hendry\/Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CALGARY — A researcher at the University of Calgary says she has developed a method of turning greenhouse gases into valuable carbon nanofibres.<\/p>\n

Mina Zarabian came up with the concept while completing her doctorate in chemical and petroleum engineering at the university’s Schulich School of Engineering.<\/p>\n

Zarabian and her professor, Pedro Pereira Almao, worked together to come up with the technique.<\/p>\n

The nanofibres have multiple industrial uses that included replacing metal in cars and airplanes, wind turbines, battery manufacturing and construction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a process that turns natural gas and CO2, carbon dioxide, both known as greenhouse gases, into solid carbon nanofibres which can be sold in a brick or powder for a lot of industries that utilize them,\u201d Zarabian said during a tour of her lab.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be used everywhere that you can imagine … transportation vehicles to make them lighter and more durable so they can be more fuel efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

The transformation moved from its theoretical beginnings in the chemistry lab to a working model at the university.<\/p>\n

Lines from tanks of carbon dioxide and methane feed into a small chamber the size of a balloon. Once it’s exposed to extreme heat, black powdery residue appears in a glass tube. A piece of metal in the tube acts as a catalyst.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s the secret sauce of our process,\u201d said Zarabian. \u201cThe good thing is it’s not something very magical or expensive or platinum or some super-fancy expensive metal. It’s a normal metal which can be found anywhere with a high amount of resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carbon fibres are expensive and currently cost about $100 per kilogram, she said.<\/p>\n

Zarabian would like to see the technology eventually installed at natural gas power plants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we are going to send clean electricity without carbon to Alberta and then also harvest carbon fibre to build something useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesman with Greenpeace said he’s happy efforts are continuing to reduce greenhouse gases, but the problem won’t be solved by technology alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout seeing the technology, it’s hard to say how well this would work,\u201d said climate campaigner Mike Hudema.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of questions to be answered, including how much it would cost and is it possible to build it to the scale required to make a real difference?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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