EURACTIV Energy & EnvironmentCarbon circularity requires EU action: lessons from 3 EU projects [Promoted content] https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/opinion/carbon-circularity-requires-eu-action-lessons-from-3-eu-projects/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #carboncaptureandutilisation #CCU #Chemicals #fossilfree #promoted
Carbon circularity requires EU action: lessons from 3 EU projects [Promoted content] https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/opinion/carbon-circularity-requires-eu-action-lessons-from-3-eu-projects/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #carboncaptureandutilisation #CCU #Chemicals #fossilfree #promoted
Green NGO supports controversial CCS to ensure e-fuels reach CO2 neutrality https://www.euractiv.com/section/alternative-renewable-fuels/news/green-ngo-supports-controversial-ccs-to-ensure-e-fuels-reach-co2-neutrality/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #carboncaptureandstorage #carboncaptureandutilisation #CO2neutrality
EURACTIV TransportGreen NGO supports controversial CCS to ensure e-fuels reach CO2 neutrality https://www.euractiv.com/section/alternative-renewable-fuels/news/green-ngo-supports-controversial-ccs-to-ensure-e-fuels-reach-co2-neutrality/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #carboncaptureandstorage #carboncaptureandutilisation #CO2neutrality
dezeen (unofficial)Carbon-capturing Celour paint allows anyone to "participate in CO2 removal in their daily lives"
Design graduate Kukbong Kim has developed a paint made from demolished concrete that is capable of absorbing 20 per cent of its weight in carbon.
Called Celour, the paint can sequester 27 grams of CO2 for every 135 grams of paint used.
"That is the same amount of carbon dioxide that a normal tree absorbs per day," Kim said.
The indoor-outdoor paint is made of waste concrete powder, a cement-based residue from concrete recycling that is normally buried in landfills, where it can alkalise the soil and have a detrimental effect on local ecosystems.
Celour is a carbon-capturing paint that comes in three colours
Through a chemical process called mineral carbonation, which takes place when the paint reacts with the CO2 in the surrounding air, Kim says Celour can reabsorb a significant part of the emissions that were generated by producing the cement in the first place.
Eventually, she hopes to optimise the capturing capacity of the paint so that it completely negates the carbon footprint of the cement it is made from.
"I think it is too early to describe Celour as carbon neutral," Kim said. "It needs further study but I want to make it a carbon-negative product. That is my goal."
"It's not enough if we just stop emissions, as we already have high levels of CO2 in the air," she added. "We need to participate in CO2 removal in our daily lives."
Concrete naturally reabsorbs some of the carbon it emits
Cement is the most carbon-intensive ingredient in concrete and is responsible for eight per cent of global emissions.
But when concrete is recycled, only the aggregate is reused while the cement binder is pulverised to create waste concrete powder and sent to landfill, where it can disturb the pH balance of the surrounding soil.
"Waste concrete powder is high in calcium oxide," Kim explained. "And when it is buried and comes into contact with groundwater or water in the soil, it turns into calcium hydroxide, which is strongly alkaline."
The waste concrete powder is filtered, pulverised and mixed with a binder, water and pigments
With her graduate project from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, the designer hopes to show the usefulness of this industrial waste material by maximising its natural ability to capture carbon.
Studies have shown that cement already reabsorbs around 43 per cent of the CO2 that is generated in its production through the mineral carbonation process.
This is set off when concrete is cured by adding water, which reacts with the calcium oxide in the cement and the CO2 in the air to form a stable mineral called calcium carbonate or limestone.
A traditional concrete block continues to cure throughout its life but because this process is reliant on exposure to air, only its outer layers will react with the CO2 while its core will remain uncarbonated.
Celour could store carbon for thousands of years
But Kim was able to improve the material's carbon-capturing capabilities by turning the waste concrete pounder into a paint, mixed with a binder, water and pigments.
This is spread thinly on a surface so that more of the material is exposed to the air and can carbonate.
In addition, the coarse powder was further filtered and pulverised to increase the relative surface area of the particles while a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) binder creates small gaps for air to enter.
"I have done a lot of experiments with different ingredients to maximise carbon absorption by increasing the surface area that comes into contact with carbon dioxide in the air," she explained.
"Graphene, which can capture lots of carbon thanks to its structure, was also considered as a binder but excluded because it is currently priced high and cannot be mass-produced."
The paint can be used both indoors and outdoors
Cement has long been used to create traditional paint, which is also capable of sequestering CO2. But Kim hopes to harness these carbon-capturing benefits while keeping a polluting waste material out of landfills and avoiding the emissions associated with making new cement.
How long the paint is capable of storing carbon is dependent on what happens to it after it is no longer needed. But Kim says it could be locked away for thousands of years unless exposed to extreme heat, which would alter the chemical structure of the carbonate.
As part of our carbon revolution series, Dezeen has profiled a number of carbon capture and utilisation companies that are working on turning captured CO2 into useful products from bioplastic cladding to protein powder and concrete masonry units.
The post Carbon-capturing Celour paint allows anyone to "participate in CO2 removal in their daily lives" appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #products #design #royalcollegeofart #productdesign #concrete #studentprojects #materials #graduates #paint #cement #carboncapture #carboncaptureandutilisation #mineralcarbonation
New York State governor Andrew M Cuomo has launched a $9 million fund to support research into ways of capturing atmospheric carbon and turning it into useful products.
The Carbontech Entrepreneurial Fellowship Program will provide technical expertise for "carbon-to-value" technology that stores captured CO2 in physical objects.
The programme is part of the state's aim of becoming a leading hub for carbontech businesses as well as supporting its goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 85 per cent by 2050.
"Revolutionizing the development of products made from carbon capture will create the landscape to achieve deep decarbonization in our fight against climate change," Cuomo said.
"Attracting scientists with cutting-edge skills and knowledge to realize new products is essential to growing our green economy, and we are bringing their research out of the lab to pave the way for a more climate resilient future to benefit all New Yorkers."
Programme commercialises removal of CO2
The programme is part of a burgeoning "carbontech" sector that aims to commercialise the removal of atmospheric CO2, which is the main cause of climate change.
Players include Finnish company Solar Foods, which plans to make food from captured carbon, and Australian company Mineral Carbonation International, which turns CO2 into construction materials.
Other carbontech companies include Canadian company Carbicrete, which makes concrete from CO2, and Dutch brand Made of Air, which makes bioplastic from carbon-rich farm and forest waste.
Carbon capture key technology in fight against climate change
The Carbontech Entrepreneurial Fellowship Program will be administered and funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
"By focusing on bringing together novel ideas with entrepreneurs, we are fostering a new pipeline of sustainable, emission-reducing products that will help New York shrink its carbon footprint and build healthier communities," said NYSERDA president and CEO Doreen M Harris.
"Carbon-to-value" is a similar concept to carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), which is emerging as one of the key planks in the fight against climate change. It involves capturing carbon from the atmosphere and turning it into useful objects that double as long-term stores for the element.
Atmospheric carbon can be captured using direct air capture machines, such as those developed by Climeworks. It can also be captured naturally in biomass including trees, hemp, bamboo and algae.
Earlier this year Elon Musk launched the $100 million XPrize Carbon Removal competition, which calls for new devices that sequester carbon dioxide.
"Decarbonization a top priority"
The New York State fellowship programme follows April's launch of the $10 million Carbontech Development Initiative, a programme "to establish New York State as a world-class hub of carbon-to-value research, technology transfer and commercialization."
"Capturing carbon and using it requires innovation, and this program will enable us to work with industry leaders who possess the necessary knowledge, technology and vision," said Cuomo in April.
"If we want to reach our ambitious goal of creating a greener, cleaner future for all New Yorkers, we need to make decarbonization a top priority. The Carbontech Development Initiative will help us to establish this innovative practice right here in New York, while simultaneously fueling economic growth and community engagement."
New York City's greenhouse gas emissions were visualised in a groundbreaking animation by graphics firm Real World Visuals.
Released in 2012, the computer-generated timelapse shows the city being buried under a mountain of bubbles representing the city's 54 million tonnes of annual CO2 emissions.
Carbon revolution
This article is part of Dezeen's carbon revolution series, which explores how this miracle material could be removed from the atmosphere and put to use on earth. Read all the content at: www.dezeen.com/carbon.
The sky photograph used in the carbon revolution graphic is by Taylor van Riper via Unsplash.
The post New York State announces $9 million "carbontech" fund to boost research into carbon-capturing products appeared first on Dezeen.
#carbonrevolution #all #technology #news #newyorkstate #carboncapture #carboncaptureandutilisation
