$100 Million Carbon Dioxide Removal Tech Prize Up for Grabs
Mar 01, 2021
iCrowdMarketing powered by iCrowdNewswire
Tesla's Elon Musk recently put up $100 million as prize money for innovations to remove carbon dioxide from the environment. Increased emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels are viewed as environmental threats contributing to the greenhouse effect. If carbon capture is successful, it can become a viable alternative to the climate change problem. However, it is also important to point out that in addition to carbon dioxide removal, identifying clean sources of fuel must be adopted hand in hand with transitioning to using environmentally-friendly energy forms.
Carbon Capture
Engineers and scientists play a vital role in developing new or alternative sources of energy to power up homes, businesses and vehicles, and as such, the study of chemical engineering is a key area in higher education. Chemical engineers occupy a bright spot in industry and research by understanding how systems work and identifying engineered solutions to fix problems and issues such as carbon dioxide removal and efficient energy alternatives. Therefore, innovative solutions to capture carbon from the air directly or from factories are game changers.
The tech prize money offered by the billionaire is aimed at attracting innovators who can get rid of carbon dioxide from the oceans and the environment at high levels. Tech solutions such as direct air capture, nature-based processes and mineralization qualify as innovations during the four-year competition. At present, Climeworks and Carbon Engineering are two companies that develop and use direct air capture processes. Musk says that he wants teams to come up with real systems that remove CO2 on a large scale. Thus, participants in the competition must be able to build a functioning carbon removal prototype capable of removing at least 1 t/d. The system must be able to put away carbon for at least 100 years.
Alternative Options
According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, carbon removal technologies that reduce global warming to 1.5°C will be promoted. Other alternatives include massive reforestation and ocean chemistry changes. Earth Innovation estimates that reforestation efforts undertaken since 2000 are on track to get rid of 103 billion tons of CO2 from the air between 2020 and 2050. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, keep carbon in the trees and soil, and release oxygen in the air.
Experts also say that reforestation and carbon removal technologies are not going to solve the climate change problem. In addition to these initiatives, it is critical that efforts are stepped up to reduce and eliminate current CO2 emissions. This is possible by transitioning to lower-carbon sources of fuel and the use of clean energy across all sectors in the economy from transportation to agriculture. Moreover, strong federal policy action is vital to increase carbon capture and removal. Governments must devote resources to research and development, provide funding, and deploy incentives such as tax credits. In short, both natural solutions such as planting trees, and technological innovation, stand a better chance at CO2 sequestration and achieving net-zero emissions, if possible, to counter climate change.
Carbon dioxide is a pervasive problem that not only affects the environment, but also the health of the population. Reducing its levels and aiming to achieve a carbon neutral state will involve natural and technological solutions.