Challenge #30
Taking carbon dioxide back out of the atmosphere.
If we are to counteract the current greenhouse effect, it is not enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; instead, very large amounts of CO2 will still have to be removed from the atmosphere. To this end, we are working on novel approaches for efficient CO2 extraction from air.
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Humanity must do everything possible now to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Otherwise, there is a risk of great suffering, accelerated species loss, and immense economic damage. On the one hand, we need to make much more significant reductions in our emissions, and on the other hand, we must try to take the already emitted greenhouse gases back out of the atmosphere.
Helmholtz is researching various natural and technological ways to recapture carbon dioxide that has already been emitted. Natural greenhouse gas sinks include, for example, forests, bogs, and seagrass meadows. Agriculture can also use soil to bind a great amount of CO2 in the form of humus.
CO2 can be filtered from the air not only by plants and microorganisms living in soils and oceans, but also by technological processes. Such processes, known as “direct air capture,” or DAC for short, use special filter materials or liquids that bind CO2 to themselves and thereby remove it from the air. At present, they still require a lot of energy to treat a large volume of air and extract the bound CO2 in its pure form.
Therefore, we are currently researching novel, more efficient approaches to DAC and its integration into existing infrastructures. For example, air-conditioning and ventilation systems could be equipped with CO2 filters in the future to rid the air of the greenhouse gas CO2 while improving air quality in buildings.
(Header: Climeworks)
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