Gaia Engineering – An Economic Approach to Solving Climate Change, Water and Waste Problems

1. Gaia Engineering – An Economic Approach to Solving Climate Change, Water and Waste Problems John Harrison B.Sc. B.Ec. FCPA. TecEco Managing Director

2. Living to Our Full Potential? • “Every part of creation has a right to live to its full potential” – The Upanishads. • A common enough theme with humanity. • A theme on a collision course with sustainability. • To avoid future disaster three choices: • Restraint, change the way we do things or both. • Can we “have our cake and eat it?”. • Only if we reinvent the way we do things.

3. The Techno - Process 10,000 years ago we lived in homeostatic balance with the planet.Our unique “intelligence” has allowed us to learn how to extract energy, food and materials from our environment to “economically” improve our well being. I call this physical interface of our economy the techno - process. Biosphere Geosphere Detrimental affects on earth systems Waste Take Move 500-600 billion tonnesUse some 50 billion tonnes Materials Manipulate Materials Make and Use Anthroposphere

4. The Correlation Between WIP and Emissions World Industrial Product (deflated world `GDP' in real value - i.e. World physical production). CO2 emissions (in CO2 mass units: Doubling time = 29 years. Data: CDIAC; statistics: GDI. The correlation between the WIP and the CO2 emissions is very high. Source: Di Fazio, Alberto, The fallacy of pure efficiency gain measures to control future climate change, Astronomical Observatory of Rome and the Global Dynamics Institute

5. Sequestration of Carbon and Wastes in the built environment During earth's geological history large tonnages of carbon were put away as limestone and other carbonates and as coal and petroleum by the activity of plants and animals. Sequestering carbon in calcium and magnesium carbonate materials and other wastes in the built environment as in Gaia Engineering mimics nature in that carbon is used in the homes or skeletal structures of most plants and animals. CO2 CO2 In eco-cement concretes the binder is carbonate and the aggregates are preferably carbonates and wastes. This is “geomimicry” CO2 C CO2 Waste Pervious pavement 5

6. The technical case The Carbon Cycle Source: The Woods Hole Institute converted to billion metric tonnes or petograms CO2 TecEco plan through Gaia Engineering to modify the carbon cycle by creating a new man made carbon sink in the built environment. The need for a new and very large sink can be appreciated by considering the balance sheet of global carbon in the crust after Ziock, H. J. and D. P. Harrison[5] depicted in the next slide.

7. Technical implications • A range of hydraulic concretes can be specified in which a variable hydroxide component is more or less carbonated and in which the silicate components (e.g. CSH) play an important catalytic role. • Coarse and fine aggregate can be made in the same way. • The kinetics are just as important as the thermodynamics of the chemistry. • The pH Eh stability fields of concrete can be maintained so steel reinforcing can continue to be used (subject matter of a new patent). • Mixed calcium-magnesium carbonation does not result in shrinkage problems. • Such concretes are suitable for at least the Pareto proportion of uses.

8. Size of Carbon Sinks Modified from Figure 2 Ziock, H. J. and D. P. Harrison. "Zero Emission Coal Power, a New Concept." from http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/01/carbon_seq/2b2.pdf by the inclusion of a bar to represent sedimentary sinks

9. How much CARBONATE TO BALANCE EMISSIONS? MgO + H2O => Mg(OH)2 + CO2 + 2H2O => MgCO3.3H2O40.31 + 18(l) => 58.31 + 44.01(g) + 2 X 18(l) => 138.368 molar masses.44.01 parts by mass of CO2 ~= 138.368 parts by mass MgCO3.3H2O1 ~= 138.368/44.01= 3.14412 billion tonnes CO2 ~= 37.728 billion tonnes of nesquehonite MgO + H2O => Mg(OH)2 + CO2 + 2H2O => MgCO340.31 + 18(l) => 58.31 + 44.01(g) + 2 X 18(l) => 84.32 molar masses.CO2 ~= MgCO344.01 parts by mass of CO2 ~= 84.32 parts by mass MgCO31 ~= 84.32/44.01= 1.915912 billion tonnes CO2 ~= 22.99 billion tonnes magnesite The density of magnesite is 3 gm/cm3 or 3 tonne/metre3 Thus 22.9/3 billion cubic metres ~= 7.63 cubic kilometres of magnesite CaO + H2O => Ca(OH)2 + CO2 + 2H2O => CaCO356.08 + 18(l) => 74.08 + 44.01(g) + 2 X 18(l) => 100.09 molar masses.CO2 ~= CaCO344.01 parts by mass of CO2 ~= 100.09 parts by mass MgCO31 ~= 100.09/44.01= 2.27412 billion tonnes CO2 ~= 27.29 billion tonnes calcite (limestone) The density of calcite is 2.71 gm/cm3 or 2.71 tonne/metre3 Thus 27.29/2.71 billion cubic metres ~= 10.07 cubic kilometres of limestone Full calculation: http://www.tececo.com/sustainability.carbon_cycles_sinks.php

10. Global Producion of cement and concrete

11. The economic case • The profit margin for the production of cement and concrete is low. • Generally less than 5% more often less than 3%. • It follows that: • A carbon cost if fully implemented (i.e. a zero tax or cap) is likely to be much more than the current profit margin. • A carbon credit (offset) of the same amount or more (as in the case of Gaia Engineering) would result in considerably more profit than is currently being made. • If fully implemented with both binder and aggregates made of man made carbonate the potential trade in credits or offsets is enormous. • There is likely to be a high level of government support if the technology is promoted by the industry.

12. Portland CementManufacture CaO Gaia Engineering Flow chart TecEcoTec-Kiln Industrial CO2 MgO Clays Brine or Seawater TecEcoCementManufacture MgCO3 and CaCO3“Stone” Extraction Fresh Water Eco-Cements Tec-Cements Extraction inputs and outputs depending on method chosen Buildingcomponents & aggregates Building waste Built Environment Other waste

13. CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 Gaia Engineering Process Diagram Gaia Engineering delivers profitable outcomes whilst reversing underlying undesirable moleconomic flows from other less sustainable techno-processes outside the tececology. Inputs: Atmospheric or industrial CO2,brines, waste acid or bitterns, other wastes Outputs: Carbonate building materials, potable water, valuable commodity salts. Carbon or carbon compoundsMagnesium compounds Carbonate building components Solar or solar derived energy TecEcoKiln TecEco MgCO2 Cycle MgO Eco-Cement MgCO3 Extraction Process 1.29 gm/l Mg.412 gm/l Ca Coal Fossil fuels Oil

14. CO2 in the air and water Cellular Respiration Cellular Respiration burning and decay Decay by fungi and bacteria Photosynthesis by plants and algae Gaia Engineering, (Greensols, TecEco Kiln and Eco-Cements) Limestone coal and oil burning Organic compounds made by heterotrophs Organic compounds made by autotrophs Consumed by heterotrophs (mainly animals) Anthropogenic Sequestration Using Gaia Engineering will Modify the Carbon Cycle More about Gaia Engineering at http://www.tececo.com.au/simple.gaiaengineering_summary.php

15. Gaia Engineering summary • Gaia Engineering is: • Potentially profitable • Technically feasible • Would put the industry back in control of the carbon agenda • Solve the industries profitability problems • Solve the global warming problem