These new coal power stations, can they make diamonds?

[Police State]

with the new planned 'carbon-capture' power stations being planned; I was wondering if they could eventually turn all that captured carbon into diamonds? or is it the 'wrong' type of carbon?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8015676.stm

[elster]

Indeed

If the earth crust shifts and heats it up a bit.

You might have to wait a few billion years. But it sure is a possibility.

[SlipStream77]

Carbon is carbon, diamond is just a different allotrope to other forms such as graphite.

You can make artificial diamonds but it takes a lot of temperature and pressure so it's probably not very cost effective and the diamonds that are made are quite small IIRC.

[Police State]

SlipStream77 said:

Carbon is carbon, diamond is just a different allotrope to other forms such as graphite.

You can make artificial diamonds but it takes a lot of temperature and pressure so it's probably not very cost effective and the diamonds that are made are quite small IIRC.

ok, I understand that bit; what if the bore holes where they dump the carbon is deep enough to get way down to the really hot stuff? or is it so deep that it's beyond drilling capabilities?

As I see it, it really doesn't matter if the diamonds are small or even if we never see them, providing we can condense the carbon and forget about it.

[SlipStream77]

Police State said:

SlipStream77 said:

Carbon is carbon, diamond is just a different allotrope to other forms such as graphite.

You can make artificial diamonds but it takes a lot of temperature and pressure so it's probably not very cost effective and the diamonds that are made are quite small IIRC.

ok, I understand that bit; what if the bore holes where they dump the carbon is deep enough to get way down to the really hot stuff? or is it so deep that it's beyond drilling capabilities?

As I see it, it really doesn't matter if the diamonds are small or even if we never see them, providing we can condense the carbon and forget about it.

I see what you mean. I don't know. You might want to watch the film 'The Core' though

This has however reminded me of some videos I watched yesterday on Youtube of diesel dragsters - now that's what I call carbon emissions.

[elster]

Police State said:

SlipStream77 said:

Carbon is carbon, diamond is just a different allotrope to other forms such as graphite.

You can make artificial diamonds but it takes a lot of temperature and pressure so it's probably not very cost effective and the diamonds that are made are quite small IIRC.

ok, I understand that bit; what if the bore holes where they dump the carbon is deep enough to get way down to the really hot stuff? or is it so deep that it's beyond drilling capabilities?

As I see it, it really doesn't matter if the diamonds are small or even if we never see them, providing we can condense the carbon and forget about it.

As I said if the plates move around enough so the carbon is compressed, then move so that they are located in the right depth and right temperature.

Then in billions of years it is possible.

But no, it wont really. To many ifs , buts and maybes.

[AlexKP]

Industrial diamonds are already produced on a large scale sufficient to meet the needs of industry. They are in no real sense comparable to natural diamonds in terms of their aesthetic qualities. Cubic Zirconia is the manmade crystal that looks similar.

Even if artificial "natural" diamonds were made, I can't see much interest. The real value of diamonds is their rarity, in the same way that artifical pearls are worth a fraction of the natural equivalent.

[esselte]

Police State said:

with the new planned 'carbon-capture' power stations being planned; I was wondering if they could eventually turn all that captured carbon into diamonds? or is it the 'wrong' type of carbon?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8015676.stm

Isn't the gas, Carbon Dioxide,that will be captured rather than the solid carbon....?

[Oakey]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Actually, artificial diamonds can be made and they are usually of a higher quality than 'natural' diamonds:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond.h...

Diamonds aren't 'rare', that's just what the likes of DeBeers want you to think

[Police State]

esselte said:

Police State said:

with the new planned 'carbon-capture' power stations being planned; I was wondering if they could eventually turn all that captured carbon into diamonds? or is it the 'wrong' type of carbon?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8015676.stm

Isn't the gas, Carbon Dioxide,that will be captured rather than the solid carbon....?

the report mentions 'cooking' coal to produce gas and dust. Some comments have made mention of the diamonds being inferior; but I was simply thinking along the lines of the diamonds being highly compressed such that we can increase capacity for per Sqm for the captured carbon. Does it really take millions of years to compress carbon such that it forms diamond? or is it the case that they were formed in a much shorter timespan, but we have only been mining them for a relatively short time?

where are the PH scientists?...

[groucho]

If you could make diamonds easily wouldn't they then become worthless?

[Oakey]

No one bothered to read the above article then.

Here's a brief Wiki entry for the lazy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemesis

[esselte]

Oakey said:

No one bothered to read the above article then.

Here's a brief Wiki entry for the lazy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemesis

This is not what I understand as "Carbon capture" when related to power station flue gas....

Another Wiki entry which is what I was thinking of..

Edited by esselte on Tuesday 28th April 11:16