CO2 capture from the air is not feasible

This conclusion is drawn from a research report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University (USA), recently published in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences in December. / 2011.

Researchers conclude that capturing CO2 directly from the air with modern technology will cost 10 to 20 times the capture of CO2 from large centralized waste sources such as power plants and cement plants. bamboo shoots, fertilizer plants and refineries because airborne CO2 concentrations are about 300 times lower than carbon emissions from factories. The current cost of capturing CO2 in centralized sources is between 50 and 100 USD / ton.

'In theory, capturing CO2 directly from the air is a great idea. However, in practice this requires a lot of energy, and if you use the fossil energy itself to absorb and recreate carbon into useful products, we will fall into a vicious circle . The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere is even more than the amount captured , 'commented Jennifer Wilcox, Stanford University's energy and environmental researcher.

Wilcox said that capturing CO2 directly from the air is only feasible when taking advantage of non-carbon energy sources such as solar energy and wind power. But to replace power plants that emit CO ₂ with non-carbon sources will be extremely expensive.

The co-author of the study, Howard Herzog, also said: 'The initiative on CO2 filtering systems directly from the air seems feasible. But when you look at the empirical data - the engineers have studied how the actual effect of this work - you will no longer have hope. '

The study concluded that the best way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is to directly reduce emissions.