CO2 utilization

Catalyst with Shayle Kann

The IPCC says that we likely need to capture hundreds of gigatons of CO2 if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. So what are we going to do with all that carbon?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Julio Friedmann, chief scientist at Carbon Direct. Julio says we will store the vast majority of that CO2. But the markets for using CO2 in things like concrete, fizzy water, and chemicals will play an important role in developing the carbon management economy. Shayle and Julio cover topics like:

• The roughly 50 carbon capture facilities operating today and how much carbon they capture
• Why we should recycle carbon at all when we could just store it
• Current uses for CO2, like fizzy water, enhanced oil recovery, and concrete
• Emerging chemical uses, like jet fuel, ethanol, urea, and methanol
• Substituting glass and metal with products that use recycled carbon, like polycarbonate and carbon fiber
• The “over the horizon” stuff, like making space elevators from graphene
• Solving the challenge of local opposition to carbon infrastructure
• Who will pay the green premium for products made with recycled carbon

Recommended Resources:

Center on Global Energy Policy: Opportunities and Limits of CO2 Recycling in a Circular Carbon Economy: Techno-economics, Critical Infrastructure Needs, and Policy Priorities

Canary Media: US Steel plant in Indiana to host a $150M carbon capture experiment

NBC: Biden admin seeks to jumpstart carbon recycling with $100 million in grants

Are growing concerns over AI’s power demand justified? Join us for our upcoming Transition-AI event featuring three experts with a range of views on how to address the energy needs of hyperscale computing, driven by artificial intelligence. Don’t miss this live, virtual event on May 8.

Catalyst is supported by Origami Solar. Join Latitude Media’s Stephen Lacey and Origami’s CEO Gregg Patterson for a live Frontier Forum on May 30th at 1 pm Eastern to discuss Origami’s new research on how recycled steel can help reinvigorate the U.S. solar industry. Register for free on Latitude’s events page.