For Stafford Sheehan, a cofounder and chemist at Air Company, perfume-making is more than simply creating an enticing scent. Air Company, established in New York, uses technology that transforms carbon dioxide into ethanol, which is then blended with essential oils and water to create the pale yellow Air Eau de Parfum. Sheehan emphasizes the unique value, stating, “Every 50-milliliter bottle uses 3.6 grams of CO2 that otherwise would have been released into the atmosphere.” This technology demonstrates an innovative and fascinating method of putting captured carbon to use, which Sheehan reiterates, adding: “Our package reads: ‘Turning CO2 into something beautiful.'”
Capturing and utilizing carbon: startups on the frontlines
While renewable energy and electric vehicles make gains toward reducing carbon emissions, the growing field of CCU is gaining traction as a possible game changer. According to the International Energy Agency’s 2019 study, around 230 million tons of CO2 are used each year. Advocates of CCU believe that the number of companies exploring new carbon applications has increased in recent years, indicating a promising option for combating climate change.
“Carbon-derived fuels and chemicals could theoretically grow to the scale of billions of tons of CO2 use per year if companies could perfect their technology and lower costs,” the report suggests.
Air Company’s scent is not the only endeavor in the CCU market. CleanO2, headquartered in Calgary, converts CO2 captured from building heating boilers into feedstock for soap manufacture. Newlight Technologies, situated in California, transforms atmospheric carbon into biodegradable plastics. Covestro AG, a German company, is using carbon-derived materials in a wide range of products, including vehicle shells and medical equipment.
Regulation and investment driving CCU growth
The worldwide venture capital community is increasingly interested in CCU, with approximately $500 million invested in carbon utilization startups in 2022 alone. This increase in investment contrasts significantly with 2015, when limited venture funding supported CO2 utilization technologies. Regulations and incentives are critical, with the Inflation Reduction Act, signed by US President Joe Biden in 2022, greatly increasing the tax credit for carbon capture and utilization, making these projects more financially viable.
“It’s very hard to be at cost parity with a 100-year-old industry that doesn’t even have to pay for its externalities,” admits Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech Global Inc.
Carbon utilization in concrete: a novel approach to building materials
CCU’s innovative uses extend into the construction industry. “Cement is a big offender in carbon emissions,” says Constance Cincotta, proprietor of Glenwood Mason Supply, a Brooklyn-based firm showcasing a novel solution. The startup collects CO2 from a residential building and turns it into a powder that resembles dry ice. This powder is then combined with cement, sand, and aggregate to form concrete blocks containing sealed-in CO2. The technique not only stores carbon but also increases the strength of the blocks.
Glenwood Mason Supply believes that the company has used approximately 100 tons of CO2 in its construction blocks since 2020. Amazon.com Inc. was drawn to the factory’s CO2-storing concrete blocks, and in 2022, the company convinced a real estate developer to buy approximately 50,000 blocks for the construction of a new warehouse in New York, which Amazon has leased.
Challenges and opportunities: the future of CCU technology
While CCU holds great promise, there are still hurdles ahead. Scaling up facilities to match the impact of oil refineries is a lengthy process. Startups like Air Company require large-scale production facilities to address rising demand for carbon-derived products. Despite the challenges, the appeal of transforming captured carbon into common things is fueling innovation in the CCU industry.
“We need to scale these facilities to the size of oil refineries today in order to have the impact on climate change that we want to have,” Sheehan says.
Despite its potential, the carbon utilization industry has yet to threaten the status quo. While Air Company began selling carbon-derived perfume in 2021, Sheehan says the business has yet to establish its first commercial facility due to the time-consuming process of collecting data and fine-tuning the technology for large-scale production.
Kwa Stafford Sheehan, mwanzilishi mwenza na mtaalamu wa kemia katika Kampuni ya Air, kutengeneza manukato ni zaidi ya kutengeneza harufu yenye kuvutia. Kampuni ya Air, iliyoanzishwa huko New York, hutumia teknolojia ambayo hubadilisha kaboni dioksidi kuwa ethanoli, ambayo kisha huchanganywa na mafuta muhimu na maji ili kuunda Eau de Parfum ya manjano. "Sheehan alisisitiza thamani ya kipekee, akisema, ""Kila chupa ya mililita 50 hutumia gramu 3.6 za CO2 ambayo ingekuwa imetolewa katika anga.""Teknolojia hii inaonyesha njia ya ubunifu na ya kuvutia ya kuweka kaboni iliyofungwa kwa matumizi, ambayo Sheehan anasisitiza, akiongeza: ""Kufanya CO2 kuwa kitu kizuri.""" "Kukamata na kutumia kaboni: kuanza katika mstari wa mbele: Wakati nishati mbadala na magari ya umeme hufanya faida kuelekea kupunguza uzalishaji wa kaboni, uwanja unaokua wa CCU unapata traction kama uwezekano wa kubadilisha mchezo. """ Kulingana na utafiti wa Shirika la Kimataifa la Nishati, kila mwaka, takriban tani milioni 230 za CO2 hutumiwa katika mazingira ya mazingira. Watetezi wa CCU wanaamini kwamba idadi ya makampuni ya kuchunguza matumizi mapya ya kaboni imeongezeka katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, ikionyesha chaguo la kuahidi la kupambana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. "Kuna uwezekano wa kuongeza matumizi ya mafuta na kemikali zinazotokana na kaboni kwa kiwango cha tani bilioni za CO2 kwa mwaka ikiwa makampuni yanaweza kuboresha teknolojia yao na kupunguza gharama,"" ripoti hiyo ilisema." Air Company's harufu si juhudi tu katika soko CCU. CleanO2 ni kampuni ya kimataifa ya kutengeneza sabuni ambayo hutumia CO2 inayotokana na kutengeneza boilers za joto na kuifanya kuwa sabuni ya msingi. Newlight Technologies, iliyoko California, hubadilisha kaboni ya angahewa kuwa plastiki inayoweza kuharibika kibiolojia. Kampuni ya Covestro ya Ujerumani, ambayo ni kampuni ya kuunganisha vifaa vya umeme na vifaa vya matibabu, imesema kuwa imepanga kuunda vifaa vya umeme kwa kutumia kaboni. Usimamizi wa CCU na Uwekezaji unaendesha Ukuaji wa CCU Jumuiya ya mtaji wa biashara ulimwenguni kote inazidi kupendezwa na CCU, na karibu dola milioni 500 zimewekezwa katika kuanzisha matumizi ya kaboni mnamo 2022 pekee. Ongezeko hili la uwekezaji linatofautiana sana na 2015, wakati ufadhili mdogo wa uwekezaji uliunga mkono teknolojia za matumizi ya CO2. Sheria za kupunguza mfumuko wa bei, zilizosainiwa na Rais Joe Biden mnamo 2022, zinaongeza sana mkopo wa kodi kwa kukamata na kutumia kaboni, na kufanya miradi hii iweze kuendelezwa zaidi kifedha. "Ni vigumu sana kuwa na gharama sawa na sekta ya miaka 100 ambayo haipaswi hata kulipa kwa ajili ya mambo yake ya nje", anakiri Jennifer Holmgren, Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa LanzaTech Global Inc. Kutumia kaboni katika saruji: mbinu mpya ya vifaa vya ujenzi Matumizi ya ubunifu ya CCU yanaenea katika tasnia ya ujenzi. "Sementi ni mkosaji mkubwa katika uzalishaji wa kaboni", anasema Constance Cincotta, mmiliki wa Glenwood Mason Supply, kampuni ya Brooklyn inayoonyesha suluhisho la kisasa. Kampuni hiyo ya kwanza inakusanya CO2 kutoka kwenye jengo la makazi na kuigeuza kuwa unga unaofanana na barafu kavu. Kisha poda hiyo huchanganywa na saruji, mchanga, na mchanga ili kutokeza vipande vya saruji vyenye CO2 iliyofungwa. Mbinu hiyo haifungi tu kaboni bali pia huongeza nguvu ya mawe hayo. Glenwood Mason Supply inakadiria kuwa kampuni hiyo imetumia karibu tani 100 za CO2 katika vitalu vyake vya ujenzi tangu 2020. Amazon.com Inc. ilivutiwa na viunzi vya saruji vya kuhifadhi CO2 vya kiwanda hicho, na mnamo 2022, kampuni hiyo ilishawishi msanidi mali ya kumiliki kununua karibu viunzi 50,000 kwa ujenzi wa ghala jipya huko New York, ambalo Amazon imekodisha. Matatizo na fursa: siku zijazo za teknolojia ya CCU Ingawa CCU ina ahadi kubwa, bado kuna vizuizi mbele. Kuongeza vifaa ili kukidhi athari za viwanda vya kusafisha mafuta ni mchakato mrefu. Kampuni mpya kama Air Company zinahitaji vifaa vya uzalishaji wa kiwango kikubwa ili kukabiliana na ongezeko la mahitaji ya bidhaa zinazotokana na kaboni. Licha ya changamoto, rufaa ya kugeuza kaboni iliyochukuliwa kuwa vitu vya kawaida inachochea uvumbuzi katika tasnia ya CCU. "Tunahitaji kupanua vifaa hivi kwa ukubwa wa viwanda vya kusafisha mafuta leo ili kuwa na athari juu ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ambayo tunataka kuwa nayo, "Sheehan anasema. Licha ya uwezo wake, sekta ya matumizi ya kaboni bado haijahatarisha hali ilivyo. Wakati AirCorp ilianza kuuza manukato ya kaboni mnamo 2021, Sheehan anasema biashara hiyo bado haijaanzisha kituo chake cha kwanza cha kibiashara kwa sababu ya mchakato wa kukusanya data na kurekebisha teknolojia kwa uzalishaji mkubwa.