Unfunded Projects
The Gaia Engineering Tececology Project
Technology Summary
TecEco believe to be successful in the long run sequestration must involve converting CO2 and wastes into resources. To do this TecEco have developed an economically viable tececology referred to as the Gaia Engineering tececology that mimics nature. This geomimicry process includes a number of components that together will make sequestration profitable. Valuable by-products include potable water, mineral salts and Eco-Cements, which themselves utilize waste and set by absorbing CO2.
Gaia Engineering is connected to cities and go-photosynthetic in the way it mimics photosynthesis by reversing carbon flows from fossil fuel consumption. Most components are driven by non-fossil energy and working together, consume rather than produce wastes.
The Gaia Engineering tececology comprises an evolving number of key sub-processes, which as they are as of May 2006 are depicted in the figure below. They are:
- The Greensols Process, for precipitating magnesium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, gypsum and other salts and potable water from seawater.
- TecEco’s Tec-Kiln, for low-temperature, non fossil fuel
calcination of magnesium carbonate converting it to magnesium oxide, and - A Hydroxide Carbon Capture Cycle (The HCSCC)
for additional CO2 capture. - TecEco Eco-Cement sequestration.
- algal capture
The Gaia Engineering (formerly CarbonSafe) Industrial Ecology
The Greensols Process is the preferred option for producing the magnesium carbonate required for the Gaia Engineering tececology process. It uses industrial CO2 from power stations and waste acid as inputs, providing initial carbon sequestration. There is a virtually unlimited supply of magnesium in seawater and the process is potentially very low cost. Potable water and a number of high value commodity salts are additional products of the process.
In the Gaia Engineering industrial ecology the magnesium carbonate that is produced by the Greensols process is calcined in the TecEco Tec-Kiln, thereby capturing high-concentration carbon dioxide and producing magnesium oxide. The carbon dioxide from the Tec-Kiln can be utilised by various processes, such as the production of biofuels, or geo-sequestered. The magnesium oxide produced can either be used to make TecEco cements or alternatively diverted to the Hydroxide/Carbonate Slurry Carbon Capture sub-process (HCSCC sub-process).
TecEco Cements are revolutionary in that they utilise other wastes and, in the case of Eco-Cement, absorb more atmospheric CO2 as they harden and as a means of greening cities they are unsurpassed.
MgO that is input to the HCSCC sub-process is dissolved to form the hydroxide slurry that is used to capture CO2 in a cyclical de-carbonation/carbonation process. The HCSCC sub-process is more energy efficient than Tec-Kiln calcination, but can only be cycled a limited number of times before re-calcination in the Tec-Kiln is necessary prior to for reuse or diversion to the manufacture of Eco-Cements.
More details about the revolutionary Gaia Engineering industrial ecology are to be found on the TecEco web site at www.tececo.com.
Proposed Work Program
It is important to note that Gaia Engineering is a tececology that embraces a number of industrial processes and it follows that these components must also be investigated for the system to be evaluated properly.
Draft Project Timetable
- Starting at year one
- Detailed scientific evaluation of the Gaia Engineering industrial ecology. Questions addressed in much more detail will include:
- To what extent can Gaia Engineering solve global warming?
- This will involve expansion of the moleconomic modeling that TecEco have already undertaken.
- What will be required to implement it?
- How well does the science behind it stack up?
- To what extent can Gaia Engineering solve global warming?
- Detailed analysis of Gaia Engineering in relation to principles of biomimicry.
- What are the economic consequences of Gaia Engineering? Detailed econometric evaluation of Gaia Engineering.
- Energy-to-outcomes analysis of implementing Gaia Engineering industrial ecologies.
- Detailed analysis of the costs and benefits of using the Gaia Engineering process compared to other processes for solving global problems.
- How will Gaia Engineering affect the well being of people?
- What is the best way to implement Gaia Engineering?
- Can Gaia Engineering be implemented globally or only regionally by countries that can afford it?
By the end of year five
- In conjunction with other projects proposed by TecEco it is hoped to implement a model Gaia Engineering pilot tececology
- Through this process economic and technical models will be developed to predict the benefits of implementing Gaia Engineering industrial ecologies that will be used as marketing tools to stimulate government and private investment in the different facets of the process.
- Climate change models will be modified to include a number of scenarios based on different rates of take-up of Gaia Engineering technology.
- Regardless of whether global warming is caused by human activity on the planet or not, by implementing an exemplar and through a detailed analysis of Gaia Engineering it is hoped to demonstrate that living more sustainably has positive economic ramifications.
- Micro-climate models will be developed to predict the effect of assembling Gaia Engineering industrial ecologies in various climatic regions.
Project Administration
Project administration will be undertaken by TecEco.
Project Costs
It is estimated that a budget of around $5 million will get a comprehensive study of Gaia Engineering completed (without actual design, detailed analysis or construction of component exemplars) and that somewhat less would be required for a pre-feasibility and proof of concept only study.
Project Outcomes
Implemented on an appropriate scale, the Gaia Engineering industrial ecology is capable of substantially correcting our negative impacts on the planet as it will sequester significant quantities of carbon dioxide, utilise wastes and produce valuable outputs.
In relation to the coal industry it will produce sufficient atmospheric and industrial CO2 to account for the outputs that result from the burning of coal in coal fired power stations globally.
Supporting Partners
John Harrison of TecEco is the inventor of Tec, Eco and Enviro-Cement, the Tec-Kiln and will be responsible for the HCSCC design. He will be teaming with Professor Chris Cuff of Greensols Pty Ltd who has developed the Greensols process for precipitating magnesium carbonate, and other salts, from seawater. It is also hoped that other partners from government research organisations and from the coal and power industries will get involved.