Carbon Engineering

Carbon Engineering
Private
Industry Carbon Capture
Headquarters Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Key people
 Adrian Corless, MASc, Chief Executive Officer
David Keith, PhD, Executive Chairman
Website www.carbonengineering.com

Carbon Engineering is a Calgary, Alberta-based company commercializing technology to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere.[1][2] The company was founded in 2009 by David Keith, now a professor of public policy and applied physics at Harvard University.[3] It is based on his research conducted at the University of Calgary.[4] Carbon Engineering is funded by several government and sustainability-focused agencies as well as by private investors, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and oil sands financier N. Murray Edwards.[5][6][7]

Technology

Carbon Engineering’s Direct Air Capture (DAC) system integrates two main cycles. The first cycle is the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere in a device called an “air contactor” using an alkaline hydroxide solution.[3][8] The second cycle regenerates the capture liquid used in the air contactor, and delivers pure CO2 as an end product.[9][8][10] These cycles operate in tandem continuously, producing a concentrated stream of CO2 gas as an output, and requiring only energy, water, and small material make up streams as inputs. Energy is used in such a way that no new CO2 emissions are incurred, and thus do not counteract what was captured from the air.[11] The captured atmospheric CO2 can be stored underground, used for enhanced oil recovery, or turned into low-carbon synthetic fuels.[7][11]

Pilot Plant Demonstration

In 2015, Carbon Engineering started operations of its full end-to-end pilot plant, located in Squamish, B.C. The facility is designed to capture roughly 500 tons of atmospheric CO2 per year.[7]

Based on the data obtained from the pilot plant, Carbon Engineering intends to scale up its technology to build commercial plants, which eventually would each have the capacity to capture 1,000,000 tons of CO2 per year.[12] At that scale, one Carbon Engineering air capture plant could negate the emissions from ~250,000 cars – either by sequestering the CO2 or by using the recycled carbon dioxide as a feedstock to produce synthetic fuel.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Peters, Adele. "These Enormous Fans Suck CO2 Out Of The Air And Turn It Into Fuel". Fastcoexist.com. Fast Company. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Harris, Richard. "This Machine Can Suck Carbon Out Of The Air". NPR. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 Karstens-Smith, Gemma. "Carbon Engineering unveils groundbreaking carbon capture project in Squamish, B.C.". CBC News. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Cressey, Daniel. "Commercial boost for firms that suck carbon from air". Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Hamilton, Tyler. "Snatching CO2 back from the air". TheStar.com. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Eisenberg, Anne. "Pulling Carbon Dioxide Out of Thin Air". New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Gunther, Marc. "The business of cooling the planet". FORTUNE. Time Inc.
  8. 1 2 SEMENIUK, Ivan. "Could this plant hold the key to generating fuel from CO2 emissions?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "1 Climate Change Technology Company That Could Lead to a Green Future, and It's Not Solar". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  10. ↑ Wenz, John. "This Giant Wind Wall Sucks Carbon Dioxide Out of the Air". Popular Mechanics. Hearst. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  11. 1 2 Baker, John. "Market outlook: Out of thin air". ICIS Chemical Business. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Jones, Nicola. "Can Pulling Carbon from Air Make a Difference on Climate?". Yale Environment 360. Yale University. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  13. ↑ Smith, David. "CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY: CLEANING UP OUR SKIES". WeAreSalt.org. Disqus. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
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