SOLAR “SEA”QUESTRATION

Project Summary:

The main thrust of our project as the “Ocean Energy” group was to optimize the growth and utilization of aquatic plants as a strategy to sequester Carbon Dioxide.

Main Ideas:

Use of the plant family Lemnaceae, (Duckweed) and various seaweed and algae that would include growing and harvesting with solar robotic equipment, and processing into food products, and energy products, specifically: natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol, and fuel pellets.

Proposal of a Net Metering Strategy that includes both an Electricity Grid, and a Gas Grid. Our two units of “exchange” in these grid systems are electrons and methane. Any entity that uses the existing infrastructure to “purchase” gas and electricity, could “sell back to the grid”.

Proposal to move toward Natural Gas Fuel Cells and Carbon Fuel Cells to generate electricity, with all subsequent Carbon Dioxide used to optimize growth of our aquatic plants.

Proposal to feed the Gas Grid by focusing on Biomass Gasification, along with traditional coal gasification processes. Methane from gasified biomass would enter the grid, or go directly to the Fuel Cell Power Plant.

Solar Concentration by use of passive solar orientation of structures and reflective walls and

surfaces.

Solar/Robotic/Aquatic “Sea Tractor” with counter rotating pontoon screws, and counter rotating “salad spinner” centrifuges to harvest aquatic plants.

In all cases, we are looking to optimize connected and open Loops, for example using Carbon Dioxide from the power plant, and Nitrogen and Phosphorus from municipal or agricultural waste to enhance growth of duckweed, followed by processing of duckweed starch to ethanol, feeding duckweed protein to fish farm, then returning the fish manure in a short loop back to the duckweed pond. Duckweed that would be gasified, sent to the Gas Grid and used in a natural gas fuel cell… would produce Carbon Dioxide that would be looped back, directly or indirectly to grow more duckweed.

Presented by *BioMassive Dynamic Corporation, July 30^th, 2010

West Virginia Governor’s School for Mathematics and Science.

*Nathan Deskins, Tyler Steffey, Morgan Rice, Samantha Engel, Nick Gallagher, KayCee Murray

R. J. Jacobs and Richard J. Pollack