T.R.E.E.

Partly in response to Richard Branson's Virgin Earth Challenge to find "a commercially viable design which results in the removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases so as to contribute materially to the stability of Earth's climate", Prof. Tony Richardson, Director of The Urban Transport Institute and TreeSmart Australia, has launched the Transpirational Regenerative Emissions Extractor which can be rolled out on a large scale to remove huge quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere. This technology extracts CO2 emissions from the atmosphere after they have been created from a wide range of anthropogenic sources (such as electricity generation and transport systems) and has two major features.

The underlying chemical reaction is based on transpiration whereby the Extractor emits oxygen and water vapour into the atmosphere while extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The energy used to power this process is totally solar-based, with millions of small receptors strategically placed on the exterior of the Extractor. These receptors track the sun during the course of the day to capture maximum solar energy.

Realising that the construction of the millions of Extractors needed for large scale emissions extraction would require a large workforce and significant input energy, the design of the Extractor is such that it "builds itself" during the process of emissions extraction. The carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere provides ample quantities of carbon which, when combined with an equal weight of other construction materials, produces a carbon fibre material that forms the skeleton of the Extractor on which the solar energy receptors are attached. In a virtuous circle configuration, as more emissions are extracted from the atmosphere, the Extractor grows larger, enabling it to extract even more emissions, until it reaches a point where structural design considerations and capillary-action hydraulic limitations limit further growth of the Extractor. The Extractor can then be disassembled and the stored carbon can be placed in more secure long-term storage options. The process can then be repeated to build a new set of Emissions Extractors.

The Transirational Regenerative Emissions Extractor (T.R.E.E. for short) would be totally weatherproof and can be constructed outdoors where it will withstand significant winds and rain. It would also have numerous other social, economic and environmental benefits, and will come in a wide variety of shapes and colours (mainly shades of green). The development of the Extractor has been a true family effort and Prof. Richardson would like to thank his wife and Mother (Nature).

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