New Tech Captures CO2
Calgary Carbon Capture Machine
University of Calgary climate scientist David Keith has created a device to efficiently capture carbon dioxide directly from the air, using readily available technologies.
Instead of capturing CO2 at power plants, Keith and a team of researchers have demonstrated a machine that can capture the trace amount of CO2 present in the air at any place on the planet.
From Science Daily:
“At first thought, capturing CO2 from the air where it’s at a concentration of 0.04 per cent seems absurd, when we are just starting to do cost-effective capture at power plants where CO2 produced is at a concentration of more than 10 per cent,” says Keith, Canada Research Chair in Energy and Environment.
“But the thermodynamics suggests that air capture might only be a bit harder than capturing CO2 from power plants. We are trying to turn that theory into engineering reality.”
The research is significant because air capture technology is the only way to capture CO2 emissions from transportation sources such as vehicles and airplanes. These so-called diffuse sources represent more than half of the greenhouse gases emitted on Earth.
“The climate problem is too big to solve easily with the tools we have,” notes Keith, director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy’s (ISEEE) Energy and Environmental Systems Group and a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering.
“While it’s important to get started doing things we know how to do, like wind power nuclear power and ‘regular’ carbon capture and storage, it’s also vital to start thinking about radical new ideas and approaches to solving this problem.”
Energy-efficient and cost-effective air capture could play a valuable role in complementing other approaches for reducing emissions from the transportation sector, such as biofuels or electric vehicles, says David Layzell, ISEEE’s Executive Director.
“David Keith and his team have developed a number of innovative ways to achieve the efficient capture of atmospheric carbon. That is a major step in advancing air capture as a solution to a very pressing problem,” Layzell says.
“David Keith’s vision and originality are key factors in our ranking this year as the top engineering school in Canada for sustainability initiatives, ” says Elizabeth Cannon, Dean of the School of Engineering.
More after the jump: Science Daily
Photo: University of Calgary
