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Scientists close to turning air into fuel
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Carbon Capture - Level 0
Scientists can make carbon capture work. A company called Carbon Engineering can capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and turn it into fuel. This will help to fight global warming. Scientists say they have cut the cost of carbon capture. It was $1,000 per ton of captured CO2. It is now as low as $94 per ton.
The technology works by taking CO2 from the air and freezing it in a liquid. This is heated and mixed with hydrogen to make gasoline. Carbon Engineering said: "We can confidently say that...air capture...is a [realistic] and buildable technology." It can make carbon-neutral fuels. It can also remove carbon from the air.
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Carbon Capture - Level 1
Scientists are close to making carbon capture work. Carbon capture is capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and storing it somewhere safe. A company called Carbon Engineering says it is close to capturing CO2 from the air and turning it into carbon-neutral fuel. This is a big step forward in fighting global warming. Scientists also said they have cut the cost of carbon capture from $1,000 per ton of captured CO2 to as low as $94 per ton.
The technology works by sucking air into special towers. CO2 is mixed with a liquid and frozen. This is then heated and mixed with hydrogen to make fuels like gasoline. A Carbon Engineering professor is hopeful about the future and the fight against climate change. He said: "We can confidently say that...air capture...is a [realistic] and buildable technology for producing carbon-neutral fuels in the...future, and for removing carbon in the long run."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Carbon Capture - Level 2
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Scientists are close to making carbon capture work. Carbon capture is taking waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants and storing it so it does not harm the environment. A company called Carbon Engineering say its scientists are close to capturing CO2 from the air and turning it into carbon-neutral fuel. This is a big step forward in the fight against global warming. The scientists also said they have reduced the cost of carbon capture, to as low as $94 per ton of CO2 captured. Scientists used to say carbon capture would cost about $1,000 per ton captured.
Carbon Engineering's technology works by sucking air into special towers. CO2 is mixed with a liquid and frozen. It is then heated and mixed with hydrogen. This produces fuels like gasoline and jet fuel. Carbon Engineering's Professor David Keith is hopeful about the future of this process. He thinks his company could fight climate change. He said: "After 100 years of practical engineering...we can confidently say that...air capture...is a [realistic] and buildable technology for producing carbon-neutral fuels in the immediate future, and for removing carbon in the long run."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Carbon Capture - Level 3
Scientists at the Canadian company Carbon Engineering have said they are close to making carbon capture work. Carbon capture is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from places like power plants and then storing it so it does not harm the environment. Carbon Engineering says its scientists are close to capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and turning it into carbon-neutral fuel. This could be a big step forward in the fight against global warming. The scientists also said they have greatly reduced the cost of carbon capture, to as low as $94 per ton of CO2 captured. Many scientists believed carbon capture would cost about $1,000 per ton captured.
The technology works by sucking air into special industrial towers. The CO2 is mixed with an alkaline liquid and frozen. It is then heated and combined with hydrogen. This produces liquid fuels like gasoline and jet fuel. The founder of Carbon Engineering, Professor David Keith, was optimistic about the future of this process. He believes his company could help to combat climate change. He said: "After 100 years of practical engineering and cost analysis, we can confidently say that while air capture is not some magical cheap solution, it is a viable and buildable technology for producing carbon-neutral fuels in the immediate future, and for removing carbon in the long run."
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