Aakanksha Jetley, Pune
President Joe Biden of the United States has granted $1.2 billion to help build two carbon capture facilities in Texas and Louisiana. These facilities will use the contentious Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology, which has drawn criticism for being energy- and financially demanding and producing results that some experts claim do not warrant the resources invested.
Direct Air Capture, or DAC, is a cutting-edge technology designed to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. Air is drawn into processing buildings by powerful fans, where CO2 is extracted by chemical processes. One of the American businesses collaborating in the Biden administration’s endeavor, 1PointFive, claims that the CO2 captured is either used to produce new goods like low-carbon fuels and building materials, or it is safely stored below through geologic sequestration.
As CO2 and methane amplify the greenhouse effect, removing carbon is essential for halting global warming. By trapping more heat in the atmosphere and driving CO2 levels up, human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation have led to rising temperatures.
However, there are difficulties in directly removing CO2 from the atmosphere. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), this technique uses more energy and costs more money than capturing CO2 from specific sources. Compared to emissions from industry or power plants, atmospheric CO2 is significantly more diluted.
Solid DAC (S-DAC) and liquid DAC (L-DAC) are two methods for absorbing ambient CO2. While L-DAC relies on an aqueous basic solution that releases collected CO2 through equipment operating at high temperatures, S-DAC uses solid adsorbents at ambient to low pressure.
Currently, 27 DAC plants have been put into operation throughout the world, capturing almost 0.01 million tonnes of CO2 annually. There are now 130 other facilities in various phases of development. According to experts, improvements in the use of captured CO2, such as those made in the production of synthetic fuels, could bring down prices and create a market for DAC. The method’s high energy requirement might be lessened through research into more effective energy sources.
The enormous funding allocated for DAC technology emphasizes its promise in a world where mitigating climate change is a growing priority. Despite ongoing difficulties, there is still hope for effectively using this technology to combat global warming thanks to ongoing research and innovation.