In this blog, I focus on United’s effort to reduce carbon emissions by 2050 using “carbon capture” technology. Their efforts here are in partnership with another innovative company called Carbon Engineering. Founded in 2009, Carbon Engineering made it its mission to rid the world of carbon. To reach this goal they thought of something futuristic, which is Direct Air Capture facilities(DAC).
DAC is a way for carbon to be caught out of the air and pumped into the ground. Each of their carbon capture facility has large fans on the surface through which air flows. They separate oxygen and carbon dioxide using a solution of potassium hydroxide which is drizzled on the fans and the resulting chemical processes allow the company to capture most of the CO2 as carbonate salt. For this storage to be safe, the salt is purified and reverted to its gas form. The far more purified air is released into the atmosphere, with 75% less CO2.
As per the company, each year, one of these plants takes the place of around 40 million trees and gets rid of 1 million tons of CO2. To reach carbon-free by 2050, Carbon Engineering estimates they need to build 200+ facilities.
It is satisfying to see technology play such a huge role in helping us find solutions to the climate crisis. However, we still must ask ourselves what impact we have on the environment. We must stop this rapid growth of carbon emissions by becoming more responsible in our daily use and as society continuously push for the adoption of green energy.
SOURCES
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