The first solar-powered carbon capture systems

Several months ago I presented you with a system that was capable of transforming CO2 from the air into rock, a huge prototype that could help a lot to reduce the carbon footprint.

Now it is the turn of another idea, this time based on solar energy, capable of absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, an idea that has won a $700,000 contract to capture and store carbon in Australia.

The AspiraDAC company is responsible for this invention, which will carry out the work with its first client, Stripe.

Under the contract, AspiraDAC will deploy approximately 180 of the machines to capture and store 500 tons of CO2 by 2027 at an agreed price of $1,000 per ton.

How does the carbon capture machine work?

Created in collaboration with the University of Sydney, it uses a sponge-like substance that traps CO2 molecules as air travels through it. There are certain fans that suck air into containers filled with these sponges, and the heat is used to extract pure CO2 that can be channeled and stored underground.

They believe that they can spend only 20 dollars for each ton of CO2, counting compression, transport and storage.

By the end of this year the machines will already be working, it is not yet known where, but it is certainly a step forward for the industry, although for now they are only focused on Australia.

This technology is still in its early stages, but they believe they will be able to reduce costs and reach megaton scale in the next decade, and gigaton scale in the decade after that.

We are not talking about the technology that will save the world, since without reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, the proportion of what is generated and what is captured will continue to be very unequal.

More information in The Guardian.