Scientists convert carbon in the air into baking soda

According to the CNN report, scientists have introduced a new method to capture and store carbon in the atmosphere, which is one of the main causes of global warming. With this method, which is three times more effective than current carbon capture methods, carbon can be absorbed from the air and turned into sodium bicarbonate, known as sodium bicarbonate, and stored in the oceans.

The researchers emphasized that the way to deal with the climate crisis is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. However, considering the fact that a large amount of carbon has already been released and that there will not be enough restrictions in the near future, the researchers stated that carbon in the air should also be removed.

According to the research, although forests and oceans clean the air, they cannot completely remove the carbon emitted by humans, so technological methods must be used.

In one of these technological methods, carbon is collected directly from places where it is emitted, such as steel and cement factories.

In the other method, where carbon is “directly captured from the air”, carbon pollution is absorbed directly from the atmosphere and destroyed by injecting it into the soil. However, since the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air is 4 per thousand, this method is difficult and expensive.

Climeworks, which is among the largest companies working on carbon dioxide capture technologies, has an annual CO2 removal capacity of 4,000 tons. On the other hand, this amount corresponds to the carbon pollution produced by 800 cars in a year.

CO2 IS CONVERTED INTO SODIUM BICARBONATE USING SEAWATER

Professor at Lehigh University, one of the researchers. Arup SenGupta noted that even large plants can clean up very little carbon, costing several hundred dollars per ton.

SenGupta claimed that copper is used in the absorbent material used to extract carbon from the air, thus achieving two to three times more CO2 removal capacity than existing ones.

Noting that copper can be produced easily and cheaply, SenGupta said that after capturing CO2 from the air, it can be turned into sodium bicarbonate using seawater and dumped into the sea.

“Even if you add the daily or even yearly emissions of CO2 from the atmosphere to the ocean, the increase in ocean concentration will be very, very small,” SenGupta said. she used the phrase.

Noting that the newly developed technology is now ready to be taken out of the laboratory and tested, SenGupta stated that by establishing such facilities offshore, the necessary amount of seawater can be provided for the process, and that this technology should be tested and developed in various locations around the world.

DISPOSAL OF SODIUM BICARBONATE IN THE OCEAN

On the other hand, Stuart Haszeldine, a member of the faculty of the University of Edinburgh, affirmed that the new method is “imaginative and sensitive”. Haszeldine stated that “international agreements prohibit the dumping of large quantities of sodium bicarbonate into the ocean.”

Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. Peter Styring argued that it is not known what effect even small amounts of sodium bicarbonate released into the oceans will have, due to a lack of comprehensive research. Styring said the new method is expensive and ineffective, and that it would be more effective to capture carbon from places like power plants and industrial facilities where there are higher ratios.

On the other hand, some scientists worry that a focus on technologies to remove carbon pollution could be perceived as a deviation from fossil fuel reduction policies and allow them to continue polluting the environment. But given the climate crisis situation, governments and international organizations are eager to develop this technology.

The results of the research were published in the journal Science Advances. (AA)