A Calgary-based company is currently working on a project that could suck massive quantities of C02 emissions right from the air. A fitting location for a company that wants to make carbon emissions obsolete.
The prototype machine is currently at the University of Calgary, and the company behind the project, Carbon Engineering, is excited to extend the prototype into a full-scale mega-machine that is proposed to eliminate the emissions of about 300,000 cars. The machine is essentially a giant fan, that sucks CO2 from the air and into a container. Air flows from one end of the container to the other, while CO2-absorbent liquid is poured in through the top. The liquid and CO2-laced air then meet in a device at the end of the container that uses tightly-corrugated PVC sheets, where the CO2 is converted into carbonate. The result is a liquid containing carbonate, which can be processed and properly disposed of. Currently, the plant in Calgary is trapping over 100 kilos of CO2 everyday.
One of the most exciting prospects of this project is the possibility of creating a recycling loop between CO2 emissions and gasoline. As is stated in the video, “Combine captured atmospheric carbon dioxide with hydrogen, generated from water using renewable energy. Combining it with CO2 from air-capture could produce hydrocarbons like gasoline and jet fuel.” That’s right—the CO2 that is sucked from the atmosphere would be used to reproduce oil, which would then be burned and rejoin the cycle of air-capture. If this works, it would allow us to literally recycle burned gasoline. Still, this is an expectation better anticipated with fingers crossed.
The mechanism works in a similar way to trees, which would effectively absorb CO2 if there were enough of them. This could be an aesthetically and environmentally positive option, though some see it as unrealistic given the amount of forest we dedicate to agriculture, logging and otherwise. The giant CO2-sucking fan proposed by Carbon Engineering, on the other hand, has the benefit of operating on agriculturally sterile land.
As it stands, the technology is available—the team simply needs the resources to multiply the number of machines, expanding the amount of CO2 that can be captured. “We can and must transition to sustainable sources of low carbon energy. We’re doing that, but it will take time. With the appropriate design, and the right scale, we can start today.” Says David Keith, the President of Carbon Engineering.
As is stated in the video, “Combine captured atmospheric carbon dioxide with hydrogen, generated from water using renewable energy. Combining it with CO2 from air-capture could produce hydrocarbons like gasoline and jet fuel.” That’s right—the CO2 that is sucked from the atmosphere would be used to reproduce oil, which would then be burned and rejoin the cycle of air-capture. If this works, it would allow us to literally recycle burned gasoline.