Carbon dioxide performs a similar life-giving role to plants as oxygen does for animals and humans. However, high levels of carbon dioxide can become harmful to our environment and our bodies.
Although carbon dioxide is naturally occurring, the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that our factories produce outweighs anything nature produces. According to the Global Carbon Project, humans have contributed at least 2,000 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
4 Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies
The amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere traps the heat of the sun inside it, leading to global warming. It is also the root cause of climate change effects, such as worsening heat waves, forest fires, and the melting of polar ice caps.
Carbon dioxide removal technologies help lower the increasing amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Below are four carbon dioxide removal technologies that are used across the country.
Reforestation
Forests and photosynthesis of plants naturally removes carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Reforestation efforts, including expanding, restoring, and managing forests, aim to leverage this principle.
Forests and trees in the U.S. alone can remove 500 million metric tons of CO2 — which is equal to all yearly CO2 emissions from our agricultural sector.
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) also uses the principle of photosynthesis to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. BECCS captures and stores carbon emissions produced by burning biomass for energy.
The carbon is then stored long-term underground or in other products, such as concrete. This reduces the amount of carbon dioxide trees and forests needed to photosynthesize while also reducing the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.
Soil Carbon Sequestration
This carbon dioxide removal technology displaces carbon from the air and into the soil. Practices such as no-till agriculture, planting cover crops, and limiting or preventing overgrazing allows farms and ranches to increase carbon in the soil. Increasing the amount of carbon dioxide stored in soils helps enhance soil health and improve crop yields.
Ocean-based Concepts and Technology
Ocean-based technology and concepts concentrate on accelerating the natural carbon cycles in the ocean. For example, running an electric current through seawater can extract carbon dioxide faster.
Similar to how trees are used to filter and reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere via photosynthesis, aquatic or coastal plants like seaweed, algae, and phytoplankton can do the same. Seaweed cultivation and coastal blue carbon not only helps reduce CO2 but also helps restore the ocean’s ecosystem.
How to Reduce CO2 in Homes
High amounts of carbon dioxide in our homes can affect our work and health. Too much carbon dioxide indoors can cause increases in heart rate and blood pressure, decrease in cognitive function and concentration, and impede decision making performance.
With AlgenAir’s aerium, it is possible to use ocean-based concepts at home and filter CO2 indoors using algae.
Algae naturally feeds on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses and pollutants. Studies suggest that algae can absorb and filter carbon dioxide up to 10 times more than large trees. In limited indoor spaces, one algae air filter is as effective as having 25 different plants reducing the CO2 in the air.
This means the aerium also produces as much oxygen as 25 plants, which further improves indoor air quality and our health. Learn more about our algae air filter, the aerium, or order one for your home by visiting our website at www.algenair.com.
