The escalating climate crisis has spurred a global race to develop innovative technologies to capture and utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. These various technologies aim to transform CO2 from a harmful greenhouse gas into a valuable resource, removing it from the atmosphere and putting it to environmentally friendly use.
One of the most promising developments in this field is the direct air capture (DAC) technology. DAC systems, such as those developed by companies like Carbon Engineering and Climeworks, extract CO2 directly from the atmosphere. These systems use large fans to draw in air, which then pass through a solution that binds to the CO2 molecules. Once captured, the CO2 can be stored underground or used in commercial applications.
Carbon Engineering, a Canadian company, has made significant strides in DAC technology. Their system not only captures CO2 but also converts it into clean, synthetic fuels. This process, known as Air-to-Fuels, uses renewable energy and water to transform the captured CO2 into hydrocarbons, the primary components of gasoline and jet fuel. This technology offers a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, reducing our reliance on non-renewable oil extraction while also curbing CO2 emissions. Airplane fuel especially has been seen as hard to replace with renewable energy, as so far the technology is too heavy to replace with batteries and electric motors. Air-to-Fuels isn’t a net-zero solution, but it is low-carbon.
Swiss-based Climeworks is another pioneer in DAC technology. They have developed modular CO2 collectors that can be stacked to scale up the capture process. Their most advanced site in Iceland, called Mammoth, filters CO2 from air and then injects it underground. Climeworks offers their technology as a service for individuals and businesses to remove their carbon footprint by capturing and storing an equivalent amount of CO2, an initiative to monetize carbon sequestration. Bill Gates has bought these credits to offset his family’s personal carbon footprint from private jet travel.
Another development is the use of CO2 in the construction industry. Solidia Technologies, a U.S.-based company, has developed a concrete that uses CO2 during the curing process. This technology not only reduces the amount of CO2 released during concrete production — a significant emissions source, but also permanently stores CO2 within the concrete itself, effectively turning buildings into carbon sinks.
In the realm of plastics production, Newlight Technologies has developed a method to use greenhouse gasses, including methane and CO2, as a resource to produce a biodegradable plastic called AirCarbon. This material can be used in a variety of products, from furniture to packaging, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics. AirCarbon solves two problems — reducing atmospheric CO2 and transitioning away from petroleum plastics that never fully degrade. That is, current plastics are never fully broken down to molecules by microorganisms, which is then repurposed in the ecosystem. Microplastics just get smaller, become airborne, and are ingested by every organism on the planet. It’s been found in new-fallen snow at the north pole and in mother’s milk.
Lastly, the field of carbon mineralization is gaining traction. This process reacts CO2 with minerals to form carbonates, which can be used in construction materials. Companies like Blue Planet have developed a system that captures CO2 from flue gas and converts it into synthetic limestone, a key ingredient in concrete. This process effectively turns CO2 into a commodity, providing a financial incentive for carbon capture.
These commercial CO2 uses are the future to solving global warming, an example of human ingenuity turning problems and challenges into opportunities. By transforming CO2 from a waste product into a valuable resource we can at least slow the accumulating effects of our carbon footprint by providing an economic incentive, a motivation that has been absent from the climate conversation.