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What can we make from carbon fiber? Could we make vehicle tires, etc? Can we take carbon out of (Original Post) theophilus Feb 2012 OP
Currently, we already make a lot from carbon fiber. TheWraith Feb 2012 #1
It takes energy zipplewrath Feb 2012 #2
Boing is making airplanes liberal N proud Feb 2012 #3
Roger Bacon discovered “graphite whiskers” in 1958 at Union Carbide’s Parma Technical Center NNN0LHI Feb 2012 #4
A qualified yes. The process for making carbon fiber is indirect and somewhat expensive ... eppur_se_muova Feb 2012 #5
Thanks so much for the info. And thanks to all who have responded! DUers are great! n/t theophilus Feb 2012 #6

TheWraith

(24,331 posts)
1. Currently, we already make a lot from carbon fiber.
Mon Feb 20, 2012, 06:08 PM
Feb 2012

Mostly in the form of carbon fiber polymers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-fiber-reinforced_polymer#Automotive_uses

As far as taking carbon out of the environment, that would require being able to not just capture carbon dioxide, but also convert it back to pure carbon, and then into a useful form. Possible, but complicated.

zipplewrath

(16,646 posts)
2. It takes energy
Mon Feb 20, 2012, 06:12 PM
Feb 2012

You have to actually use energy to separate the carbon atom from the oxygen atom in order to remove carbon from carbon dioxide. Plants use the energy of the sun. We could do the same thing. Once you have the carbon, I suppose you could use it to make carbon fibers, but you could just bury it too.

Oh, and it'd make lousy tires. Great ski's though. Good golf clubs as well.

NNN0LHI

(67,190 posts)
4. Roger Bacon discovered “graphite whiskers” in 1958 at Union Carbide’s Parma Technical Center
Mon Feb 20, 2012, 06:36 PM
Feb 2012

We have been using it in cars, satellites, sporting goods, etc., ever since.

Don

eppur_se_muova

(36,227 posts)
5. A qualified yes. The process for making carbon fiber is indirect and somewhat expensive ...
Mon Feb 20, 2012, 08:28 PM
Feb 2012

There is no direct conversion of graphite to carbon fibre which is practical on a large scale, though graphite "whiskers" can be produced this way on a very small scale -- more of a laboratory technique than a process suitable for production.

Carbon "nanofibres" can be grown from hydrocarbon precursors such as methane, and methane can be made from CO2 and H2. So if the H2 is "green", you've got a way to convert CO2 to CH4 to carbon fibre, but the conversion will be many, many times slower than the production of CO2, and consume quite a bit of energy as well.

Currently, carbon fiber is made mostly by pyrolysis (high-temperature decomposition) of carbon-containing precursors such as polyacrylonitrile. Acrylonitrile is made from propene, ammonia, and oxygen, with propene coming mostly form petroleum, so either one needs to find a competing process, or find a way to convert CO2 to propene. Some propene has been made from methanol, but I don't have details of this (it's probably safe to assume it's the methanol-to-gasoline process invented by Mobil a few decades ago) -- presumably a mixture of products is formed.

It's quite conceivable one could obtain propene from agricultural byproducts (which are just captured CO2) such as acetone (obtained by starch fermentation); but currently it is cheaper to go the other direction, and make acetone from propene, because of the artificially low cost of heavily-subsidised petroleum.

IF we can recover the CO2 economically, and IF we can obtain enough H2 in a renewable and economically competitive fashion, then CO, methane and methanol derived from CO2 will become just another stream of simple precursors to feed into the process streams built around inputs of coal, natural gas, and petroleum. The problem at this point is that the deck is stacked in favor of petroleum-based inputs.

Bear in mind that only a few percent of petroleum goes to make materials -- the majority is burned as fuel. So even industrial-scale conversion of CO2 to materials would only offset a tiny part of CO2 production from burning fossil fuels. Probably it would be better to convert CO2 into fuels such as methanol or dimethyl ether, which would at least form a closed carbon cycle when burned, without the need to bring more fossil carbon to the surface.

Also, if you're thinking of building "big stuff", keep in mind that carbon fiber is combustible -- you might want to think twice before using it in buildings, bridges, etc. in place of non-flammable steel and concrete.

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