By Kiran Johnson
You’re being proposed to. As your soon-to-be partner gets down on one knee, they pull out the ugliest ring you have ever seen. ‘Ew’, you say. Little do you know that this ring is made up of 1,000 cubic meters of carbon pollution, which has been filtered from the air and compressed into a tiny black diamond with a clear, geometric cover encasing it.
Source: Studio Roosegaarde’s website
Smog Free Rings are the invention of Dan Roosegaarde and are an example of carbon capture. It is the product of his Smog Free Tower. Powered by green energy, the tower sucks in 30,000 cubic meters of polluted air per hour, filtering it and releasing clean air back into the atmosphere. The filtered out air particles are compressed to become dark gems, composed of 42% carbon, essentially making them diamonds.
This is one example of carbon capture’s capabilities, but what even is carbon capture?
At its simplest, carbon capture is the process of using technology to capture large amounts of carbon before it can reach the atmosphere. It’s predominantly used to capture the emissions from industrial processes, such as steel production or power generation. There are two types of carbon capture: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS).
CCS involves three steps: capturing the carbon from where it’s produced and separating it from other gases; transporting it, either through underground pipelines, trucks, or ships; then injecting it into rock formations deep underground for permanent storage. These storage sites may be saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs and need to be located at least 800 meters underground. This is so that the carbon remains in supercritical condition and will stay underground. On the other hand, CCUS involves re-using carbon for industrial processes by converting it into materials such as plastic, concrete, or biofuel.
Source: Context Energy Examined
Almost 50% of US carbon emissions come from energy production or manufacturing (Emily Rhode, 2021). If carbon capture were integrated into such a significant industry, the amount of carbon pollution would be significantly reduced. Additionally, carbon capture technology collects carbon directly at the source, preventing it from ever making contact with the environment. Other pollutants can also be filtered out of the air during the filtration of carbon.
While new technology, such as carbon capture technology, offers new solutions to our environmental crises, they may actually be harming our long term progress. Carbon capture encourages companies to rely on technological advancements instead of changing their ways and promoting sustainability. With this mentality, companies may become increasingly careless with their practices, thinking that as long as technology can prevent their business from affecting the environment, they can continue as they are. This approach, while not completely ineffective, is not viable for the long run. There are still many uncertainties surrounding the long-term storage capacity for carbon. Moreover, there’s always the possibility of transportation and storage site accidents, which would release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
Overall, carbon capture can be somewhat environmentally beneficial, but cannot be the only solution to mitigate carbon pollution. Along with the development of new technology, it’s important that efforts are still being made to make industrial processes more sustainable. An ideal future is one where industrial processes are not reliant on crutches such as carbon capture, but can function in a sustainable, non-destructive fashion.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think the advantages outweigh the negatives of carbon capture or not? Why?
Is carbon capture a feasible environmental solution or is it just feeding into ecomodernism?
Bibliography
Carbon Storage FAQs. (n.d.). Netl.doe.gov. https://www.netl.doe.gov/coal/carbon-storage/faqs/carbon-storage-faqs
College, D., & University, A. (n.d.). Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Pros and Cons. Treehugger. https://www.treehugger.com/carbon-capture-and-storage-ccs-pros-and-cons-5120005
Figure 1. The basic principle for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).(n.d.). ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-basic-principle-for-Carbon-Capture-and-Storage-CCS_fig1_328352287
Mah, A. (n.d.). What is carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)? - Context Magazine by CAPP. Https://Context.capp.ca/. Retrieved August 20, 2021, from https://context.capp.ca/infographics/2021/what-is-carbon-capture-utilization-and-storage-ccus/ Reissman, H., About the authorHailey Reissman is the editorial coordinator at TEDx., & Zuabi, A. N. (2017, November 3). This tower sucks up smog and turns it into diamonds. ideas.ted.com. https://ideas.ted.com/this-tower-sucks-up-smog-and-turns-it-into-diamonds/
Smog Free Ring | Smog Free Project | Studio Roosegaarde. (n.d.). Www.studioroosegaarde.net. https://www.studioroosegaarde.net/project/smog-free-ring
What is Carbon Capture and Storage? | National Grid Group. (n.d.). Www.nationalgrid.com. https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/what-is-ccs-how-does-it-work