Climate Change Could Be Delayed? Mechanical Trees Could Absorb Carbon Dioxide Tell Us How

Scientists recently said that forests of mechanical trees have layers of discs designed intentionally to absorb carbon dioxide that could be erected to delay climate change.

Developed by Professor of Engineering Klaus Lackner at Arizona State University, the trees are thousands of times more efficient than the natural variety.

A Mail Online report described them as "tall vertical columns of discs" about five feet each in diameter and spaced two inches apart. They are covered in a chemical resin, not to mention positioned like a stack of vinyl records.

The said resin captures CO2 from the air as it blows over the surface, and once full, they fall into a barrel where the CO2 is steamed off and put into a secured environment.

Repurposing CO2

At present, the CO2 is stored differently from the real trees, converting the gas back to oxygen. It is kept out of the environment although it is put to no other use. Other projects, though, have explored reusing stored carbon dioxide.

Such repurposing could include using CO2 to produce synthetic fuel that can be used in aircraft, lessening the demand for gas and oil.

Essentially, Lackner is planning three large mechanical farms, with the first slated to open later this year in Arizona, backing a $2.5 million grant by the Department of Energy.

Once all mechanical farms become operational, they will be able to soak up 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide each day, described as an essential step in balancing the carbon budget of the world.

Over the last two centuries, since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been burning fuels in quite larger quantities, emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

This is a powerful greenhouse gas. More so, it has been entering the atmosphere at a more rapid and greater level than natural resources like trees, which can eliminate it.

Essentiality of Lessening Energy Consumption of Carbon-Capturing Devices

In this ASU-initiated study, the researchers also realized it is essential to lessen the energy consumption of devices that capture carbon from the atmosphere. One of these solutions is the mechanical trees, developed by Lackner and his lab.

As the air blows through, the discs' surfaces then absorb CO2. Twenty minutes or so after, the discs become full, and they sink into a barrel below, explained the professor.

Currently, Lackner continued explaining, "people are using carbon from fossil fuels" to extract energy. CO2 can be converted to synthetic fuels like diesel, gasoline, or kerosene that do not have carbon by mixing captured CO2 with green hydrogen developed with renewable energy, as indicated in a report from The Conversation.

The said fuel can ship through existing pipelines and be stored for years, and thus, heat and electricity can be produced in Boston on a winter night through the use of energy collected in West Texas as sunshine last summer.

Lackner elaborated that a "tankful of synfuel" does not cost much, and it is more cost-efficient than a battery.

Use of Synthetic Fuels

In November 2021, the United Kingdom Royal Air Force completed its initial flight using just synthetic fuel, developed from a hydrogel extracted from water and carbon extracted from CO2 in the atmosphere.

Their recommendation, said the professor, is when carbon comes out of the ground, it needs to be matched with an equal elimination.

Say one produces a ton of carbon associated with gas or oil. There is a need to put a ton away. It does not need to be the same ton. He continued, although there needs to have a certificate of sequestration that guarantees "it has been put away."

The other essential part is that if one puts it away, it needs to be done so in a form that will last for at least a century, keeping it out of the atmosphere as long as possible.

Related information about trees that absorb CO2 is shown on BBC's YouTube video below:

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