Written By Bradley Charko
Original Image can be found here.
The current nature of the world is almost completely dependent on oil gas for everyday use and tasks. Canada especially is dependent on the industry primarily out of Alberta, for a large portion of the economy, which makes it very susceptible to substantial fluctuations in market prices. Amid the climate crisis, the industry is additionally susceptible to criticism from activists and the general public, due to its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions into Earth’s atmosphere. Activists such as Greta Thunberg have been calling for a full shutdown of all greenhouse gas emissions to slow and eventually reverse the crisis and restore the state of the environment to what it was in the pre-industrial era. Due to the dependence the world has on the industry, a complete overhaul would be a difficult and economically harmful task, thus other methods of doing something similar may be necessary.
Climate Activist Greta Thunberg speaks at the U.N.
Climate Conference (AP Photo/Paul White)
An alternative solution to a complete shutdown of the industry is carbon technology. A new form of the process was recently developed by RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. This process serves to convert gaseous carbon dioxide into solid carbon to avoid its release into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.
How the technology works
Essentially, liquid metal is heated to between 100-120 degrees centigrade. This is important as it allows the reaction to naturally occur. Next, carbon dioxide in gaseous form is injected into the column. Due to the high heat of the metal, the carbon dioxide very quickly undergoes a chemical transformation in which the molecule splits and forms solid carbon as a byproduct.
Usefulness of this Technology
The splitting of the carbon dioxide molecule is a particularly accelerated process, which in the words of the researchers at RMIT Melbourne who invented it, makes it “commercially viable, while so many alternative approaches have struggled”. This means that the technology can be implemented in an industrial way so that large processes which produce carbon dioxide can be theoretically improved to emit little to no hydrocarbons. One large benefit to this technology is that it can serve as a method to reduce future emissions into the atmosphere, as well as both serve as a method to aid in carbon capture and storage concerns. As a general statement, however, a downside to this type of process (like many others which are similar) is that it requires energy in the heating of metal for the splitting of hydrocarbons, thus both safety and production of this energy can become a concern.
Progress of this Technology
Currently, the main vision for this process will be in the decarbonization of “heavy industries”. A patent was filed to secure the ownership of the novel process and a contract has been recently signed with the ABR, an Australian environmental company, to commercialize and put this process into use in the cement and steel production industries. Eventually, the hope for researchers involved is for the process to be used in multiple more industries and areas, to be yet another technology to help reverse the looming global climate disaster.
So What?
Technologies like this won’t completely solve the climate crisis, or other energy problems the Earth experiences, however many scientists believe in an approach on multiple fronts, which include many different types of technology and solutions. Research and innovation like this is an amazing step in the right direction to a sustainable future.
References
ScienceDaily. (2022, January 19). Decarbonization tech instantly converts carbon dioxide to solid carbon. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220119121411.htm
Zuraiqi, K., Zavabeti, A., Clarke-Hannaford, J., Murdoch, B. J., Shah, K., Spencer, M. J. S., McConville, C. F., Daeneke, T., & Chiang, K. (2022, January 17). Direct conversion of CO2 to solid carbon by Ga-based Liquid Metals. Energy & Environmental Science. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/ee/d1ee03283f
Decarbonisation tech instantly converts CO2 to solid carbon. RMIT University. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/media-releases-and-expert-comments/2022/jan/decarbonisation-tech