American Airlines Signs Deal To Trap, Remove 10,000 Tons of CO2

As part of American Airlines' plan to limit pollution that causes climate change, the airline has signed a deal with the startup Graphyte, which focuses on turning byproduct wastes into blocks that are dense in carbon, to trap 10,000 tons of CO2 beneath the ground.

Deal Comes As Part of American Airlines Plans To Reduce Carbon Emissions

American Airlines has become Graphyte's first commercial customer. The airline bought up to 10,000 tons of permanent removal of carbon that are to be delivered in early 2025. The first carbon casting is set to happen at Graphyte's facility in Pine Bluff.

Barclay Rogers, Graphyte CEO, explains in a press release that the deal serves as a landmark agreement between both companies. Rogers adds that it shows the rising demand for scalable and affordable high-quality carbon removal and for the carbon casting technology's ability to result in great impacts when it comes to combatting climate change.

American Airlines aims to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050. One way for the carrier to reach these goals would be to replace old aircraft with models that are newer and more sustainable. Jill Blickstein, who serves as the American Airlines' chief sustainability officer, explains that the company focuses on boosting new technologies that are low in carbon to reduce the climate impact of aviation. Blickstein explains that industries like aviation that are hard to abate will require permanent, high-quality, scalable, and affordable carbon credits to reach the goals of reducing emissions.

The airline is also working on its transition to the use of sustainable aviation fuels and reducing airplane contrails that could boost global warming.

Graphyte Startup

Graphyte is supported by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which was founded by Bill Gates. The startup utilizes a process called carbon casting that permanently removes and traps carbon dioxide with smaller energy amounts and lower costs.

Such a process takes products of biomass, including wood and crop residue, and dries it to stop decomposition from happening. It then converts it into blocks that are dense in carbon. The blocks are then kept in a polymer barrier and managed in a facility for storing them.

Graphyte says that it is capable of trapping carbon for just $100 per ton. In comparison, the largest CO2 removal plant that operates today captures CO2 for companies, including Shopify, Stripe, and Microsoft, for $600 per ton.

Insiders in the industry commonly say that it is necessary for a ton of removal to cost $100 in order to make the technology affordable for further scalability. Graphyte was able to achieve this by taking up less energy for its carbon casting compared to other companies, as typical machines that gather carbon dioxide from the oceans and atmosphere tend to require huge amounts of electricity.

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