How to Separate Carbon from Carbon Dioxide?

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I am doing some experiments at home. How can I separate carbon from carbon dioxide? Do I just heat up carbon dioxide gas to the point of separation? Can I use electrolysis?

Extra Credit: How many volts of electricity would I need to separate the carbon from carbon dioxide?

To the Mods: I don't know why there are two topics of mine. Please delete one of them. Thank you.
[Mod. edit: done, and posts from that thread moved to this thread]

Plant a tree.

O2 is released into the atmosphere and C is stored within the biomass (wood) and eventually buried.

Awww, poo, you just asked an interesting question.

My first thought was photosynthesis, but then I googled and found this.

http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/in ... 54820.html

Plants are the cheapest way.

If not:

http://www.actapress.com/PaperInfo.aspx ... reason=500

I doubt if you can do it at home, but using a metal complex of 2,2'-bipy (either nickel or cobalt) in DMF with a glassy carbon working electrode it is possible to reduce CO2 to form things like formaldehyde or methanol. I think that the ideal goal would be to form dimethyl carbonate from CO2.

DMC could be used as a nice liquid fuel which petrol engines might be able to run on. The DMF is a big problem as it is a horrible solvent. It causes cancer of testicles and birth defects.

Another alternative would be to use a water gas shift reaction to form carbon monoxide from CO2, the CO could be converted with H2 using a Ni cat to form methane. If we used a different cat then maybe we could make motor fuel. Sasol in south africa does this type of chemistry.

To actually separate carbon from carbon dioxide is a painful and expensive process. The last technology to do so required temperatures in the thousands. It's not cost effective or a good idea.

The best thing to do is simply sequester the CO2. It's an acid, so run it through some sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water. The usable carbon can be extracted and used for fertilizer or something.

sequester the co2 with sodium bicarbonate. I know scrubbing isn't what you're looking for, but it works and it's energy effective.

So is sodium bicarbonate baking soda? I would like to know where I can buy it since this option seems to be, by large and far, the best option. I just need carbon/oxygen/hydrogen elements by themselves to do some experiments. That's the goal.

if your goal is to separate CO2 without converting it into anything else then you will have more than a few problems. Look at the bonds in the CO2 molecule. that double bond is between the oxygen and the carbon atoms exceedingly hard to break. I will have to look up the energies needed if you want the bonds strength. your best bet MIGHT be to first reduce the CO2 with powdered carbon and then try to break up the carbon monoxide.But to be blunt this is rather pointless if your intentions are to do anything profitable.
Woodpecker's suggestions are definitely worth following. there is an incredible amount of potential in this field of chemistry and it's one I have been pursuing for some time now. Still if you want to produce elemental samples why not just reduce charcoal for carbon and cobble together an electrolysis setup ( Hoffman's apparatus, beaker& tubes, etc) to produce your samples?
I recommend you look at the Fischer-Tropsch, Bergius, and the methanol to gasoline processes as well as GTL ( gas to liquids) processes. these topics might be enough but if they are not the are the best starting points I myself have found

Sodium bicarbonate is not baking soda, but baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate. I don't know what kind of salt it would produce however. *not a chemist but my dad is, heh, just picked up a few things along the years. I think you can use baking soda, there might be enough in there to do the trick, or crush some TUMS antacid, heh =D. Water softener pellets contain sodium carbonate a strong base that may work.

But if you need carbon, burn some wood. Plenty in there, and don't worry, the sun will make more. Maybe try a science supply house and get some pure carbon. I'd assume it's fairly easy to procure, it is after all the base of all life on earth.

Electrolysis of water is a simple, albeit energy-intensive, way of obtaining hydrogen and oxygen. Dissociation of carbon dioxide isn't typically a reasonable method of acquiring carbon or oxygen. If your only goal is to obtain (relatively) pure carbon there are much easier ways; for example, burning table sugar.

How about the Sabatier Process?

The Sabatier reaction or Sabatier process involves the reaction of hydrogen with carbon dioxide at elevated temperatures and pressures in the presence of a nickel catalyst to produce methane and water. Optionally ruthenium on alumina (aluminum oxide) makes a more efficient catalyst.

Then use electrolysis to reduce the water to free hydrogen and oxygen.

Could you grow some small grasses in a glass thing sealed off then suck it out with a needle or something?

Probably not what you are looking for, but if you burn magnesium in carbon dioxide you end up with magnesium oxide and carbon.