Monthly focus

Capturing carbon

07 November 2018

Many carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies are still in their early stages of development. Image credit - veeterzy/ Unsplash

In its landmark report in October, the UN's International Panel on Climate Change said that every package of measures we choose to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C must include a way of removing carbon dioxide emissions from the air and reusing or storing them. This month, Horizon looks at what's being done to advance these carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies. We talk to one expert who is trying to trap emissions from the cement industry before they are released, and find out how International Space Station technology is inspiring the capture of ambient carbon dioxide. We also investigate how captured CO2 can be reused, and examine just how safe it is to store the gas underground.

Scientists at Hellisheidi geothermal power plant in Iceland have demonstrated a carbon capture and storage cycle at half the cost of previous estimates. Image Credit: Arni Saeberg, CarbFix

environment | energy | industry

27 November 2018

Storing CO2 underground can curb carbon emissions, but is it safe?

At first glance, it almost sounds crazy. Can we really take carbon dioxide emissions from an industrial plant and store them underground? To find out, research is currently taking place to test if such an idea is not only viable but safe, and prove that to the public.

The CRI plant sells around 4,000 tonnes of methanol produced from waste CO2 per year. Image Credit - Carbon Recycling International

environment | industry

19 November 2018

Waste CO2 to be turned into ingredients for fuel, plastics and even food

Scientists are ramping up efforts to turn waste CO2 from industry into chemicals such as methanol in a bid to reduce emissions and provide a new source of raw materials for use in fuel, cement and food production.

The International Space Station air filter which expels CO2 has inspired scientists to try to create an Earth-based version. Image credit - NASA/Mark Garcia

environment | industry

12 November 2018

System to rid space station of astronaut exhalations inspires Earth-based CO2 removal

When astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) exhale carbon dioxide (CO2), it’s removed from the air and pumped into space. Could an Earth-based version help remove greenhouse gas emissions from our atmosphere?

Through a project called CEMCAP, Kristin Jordal and her colleagues found that when it comes to cement production, 90% carbon capture is a realistic target. Image credit - Kristin Jordal

interview | environment

07 November 2018

To slash emissions, industries must capture carbon and store it

The technology to help limit global warming to 1.5˚C already exists, but there needs to be the will to use it, according to Kristin Jordal, an engineer and senior research scientist at the Norwegian research organisation Sintef.

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Image credit - Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash

Construction: Building for the future

The construction industry has a heavy carbon footprint, accounting for some 40% of global emissions, and yet, as the world’s population grows, demand for housing and building is only soaring. We kick off 2021 by looking at how the construction sector can become greener and some of the radical solutions required. We speak to sustainable architecture expert Dr Catherine De Wolf about the need to design recyclable buildings and how that will require a fundamental restructure of the way the construction industry works. We look at nearly zero energy wooden homes and investigate whether this material can help us kick our concrete habit – concrete being the most used substance on Earth. We home in on techniques to make cement greener and piezoelectric to light up spaces with the addition of vegetable waste, and at how self-healing building materials can prolong the life of civil infrastructures. And we explore the promise of fungal architecture to see whether structures grown from fungus can green the way we build.

Image credit - ESA/Gaia/DPAC, licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

The Milky Way

In December, as the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission to create a precise 3-D map of a billion objects in the Milky Way releases its next tranche of data, we take an in-depth look at what we know – and what we don’t – about our home galaxy. We speak to astrophysicist Prof. Ralf Klessen about why it might enhance our understanding of the Milky Way to consider it as a constantly evolving ecosystem rather than studying different parts in an isolated way. We speak to scientists who are trying to image the centre of the galaxy, which is hidden from view behind giant dust and gas clouds, and we explore the latest research into how stars are formed. And finally, we find out what the galaxies surrounding the Milky Way can tell us about our home system.

Better predictions of volcanic eruptions would help protect the lives of those living close to them. Image credit - Jorge Nava - Navart/Wikimedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Unravelling the when, where and how of volcanic eruptions

There are about 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide and about 50 eruptions occur each year. But it’s still difficult to predict when and how these eruptions will happen or how they’ll unfold. Now, new insight into the physical processes inside volcanoes are giving scientists a better understanding of their behaviour, which could help protect the 1 billion people who live close to volcanoes.

Bacteria that can help buildings heal themselves have been tested at Tintern Abbey in Wales and shown to improve the stone's microstructure without affecting colour or breathability. Image credit- Nilfanion/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>

Buildings, tunnels and bridges could soon repair themselves

Stone and concrete structures with the ability to heal themselves in a similar way to living organisms when damaged could help to make buildings safer and last longer.

Capturing carbon

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Storing CO2 underground can curb carbon emissions, but is it safe?

Waste CO2 to be turned into ingredients for fuel, plastics and even food

System to rid space station of astronaut exhalations inspires Earth-based CO2 removal