Carbon XPRIZE

Mark · Post by **Mark** » 21 Sep 2016, 15:38

Could lead to something.....?
Carbon XPRIZE

It’s no mystery why an energy company might explore applications for gaseous waste emitted from its power plants, but making shoes isn’t usually on the agenda. For NRG, shoes made from carbon dioxide emissions are just the beginning. NRG began making its “Shoe Without A Footprint” sneakers by capturing effluent from power plants, cooling it, and separating out the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide then becomes the base of a chemical that is used to create the polymer that forms the shoe’s supportive foam. NRG has kept the details under wraps due to the proprietary nature of the process. To produce the shoe, the energy company worked in partnership with 10xBeta and D’wayne Edwards, a former Design Director at Nike. Some reports have stated that only the shoe’s sole or half its materials are made from the foam, but Marcel Botha, the CEO of 10xBeta, told Business Insider that the foam was used to make approximately 75 percent of the sneakers.

Continues....

fuzzy · Post by **fuzzy** » 21 Sep 2016, 16:44

That really is the least convincing rubbish I have seen posted in a long time.

Post by **adam2** » 21 Sep 2016, 20:25

Agree, certainly looks like nonsense.
The burning of hydrocarbons liberates energy and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide may be turned back into useful hydrocarbons, including those used to make shoes, but only by expending MORE energy than was liberated by the burning of the original hydrocarbons.

Whilst it might sound attractive to use renewably generated electricity to turn carbon dioxide back into valuable hydrocarbons, it would be simpler to omit the initial burning of the hydrocarbons and simply use renewably generated electricity to synthesise hydrocarbons if desired.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 22 Sep 2016, 09:47

Additionally, there are perfectly good materials out there already being used for shoes, such as hemp, rubber, pineapple leaves, cotton; then there's stuff much more readily recycled such as rubber, some plastics etc (acknowledging that recycling plastic is very energy intensive).

We need fewer industrial processes, not more.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 22 Sep 2016, 18:04

emordnilap wrote:Additionally, there are perfectly good materials out there already being used for shoes, such as hemp, rubber, pineapple leaves, cotton; then there's stuff much more readily recycled such as rubber, some plastics etc (acknowledging that recycling plastic is very energy intensive).

We need fewer industrial processes, not more.

And leather.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 23 Sep 2016, 10:01

And bamboo.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » 23 Sep 2016, 16:19

It's not all about shoes - there are 47 different ideas/projects entering:
http://carbon.xprize.org/teams

I agree that the best way forward is fewer people/processes/things, however that's virtually impossible in the current world we live in and would take a monumental shift in human attitudes and behaviour to change...... If we accept that's unlikely, at least projects like this are being worked on and potentially funded. You never know, something ground-breaking might just come out of it....... Better than not trying IMO.....

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 24 Sep 2016, 02:06

To process CO2 requires energy, lots of it. These trivial persuits are not worth the bother compared with the processes nature already provides. E.g. photosynthesis. This makes use of huge amounts of solar energy and turns CO2 into wood, other plant tissues and O2. Various animals can eat the plants, very handy. What dimwit humans do is to cut down tropical (and other) forests, either burn them on the spot or process the wood and feed it to power stations, release enormouse amounts of CO2 as the dead swampy vegetation in which the forests were growing decomposes, plant bloody silly oil palms, and then they tell everybody they are producing "renewable" fuels.

What a load of rubbish.

Far better to be more respectful of nature and stop pretending that humans are going to do something constructive. In present numbers humans are a destructive swarm, and these minor tinkerings only serve to perpetuate the myth that humans are good for the planet.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » 26 Sep 2016, 14:51

I agree with everything you say, however what do YOU propose.....??
Being more respectful of nature is all well & good, but won't really cut the mustard.....
Please Mr Logger, will you stop cutting down that tree to feed your family....

Maybe you could propose a genocide project ?
Or adding bromine to the water supply ?
Or maybe mass sterilisation ?
Or banning Islam/Catholicism ?
Or issuing free condoms ?

All have their difficulties, but we might get to the point where some of these things become necessary 'evils'.....

Regardless, I still think some of these CO2 projects are worth a look....
I'd much prefer our best scientific brains to be working on something (potentially) positive, rather than on nuclear weapons or pesticides or fracking or......

Mark · Post by **Mark** » 26 Sep 2016, 15:02

woodburner wrote:plant bloody silly oil palms.

I suppose you don't eat any foods that contains palm oil...??
Or use any personal care products that contain it....?
It's very difficult to avoid, but I'd be impressed if you do....

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 27 Sep 2016, 19:30

I don't eat any foods that contain palm oil, unless some bastard feeds it to the animals. I eat eggs, French and Swiss cheeses, prawns, fish, meat (grass fed by choice) veges fruit and mushrooms. I make chocolates using Tesco's dark chocolate so I suppose that may have some palm oil but I don't have a lot of control over that.

I use "Simple" block soap. Personal care products? WTF?

Anyway, even if I do get caught by palm oil, it doesn't stop them being bloody silly.