Newsletter of Week 43 of 2021
The newsletter of calendar week 43 of 2021 is now available here.
CO₂-removal News
Die Zeit: The Ministry of the Future: The future is already here (German)
German newspaper article about the novel „The ministry for the Future“ by Kim Stanley Robinson (with Geoengineering implications).
The Conversation: COP26: 4 ways rich nations can keep promises to curb emissions and fund climate adaptation
„The time has come for Canada and other rich nations to pony-up and pay for the devastation they have caused countries in the Global South. That means, for a start, providing far greater climate adaptation financing to low-income countries and plugging the holes that siphon their limited fiscal resources to tax havens. Two Canadians have prominent roles at the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. United Nations Ambassador Bob Rae, is co-chair of the COP26 finance panel, and Mark Carney is the UN special envoy for COP26, responsible for getting financial institutions to join the new Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net-Zero. They are experienced and highly respected individuals with solid reputations as mediators. However, despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent climate plan, Canada’s record on greenhouse gas emissions reduction has been abysmal. Furthermore, its failure to meet its climate finance commitments to developing countries will not be viewed favourably as Ambassador Rae attempts to negotiate a meaningful international climate agreement. The UN says more than 160 financial firms are signed onto the alliance. The “Big Six” Canadian banks — BMO, CIBC, National Bank, RBC, Scotiabank and TD — signed on days before the summit was to begin. Their pledge will undoubtedly be met with allegations that this was merely a public relations exercise. Since the Paris deal was signed in 2015, Canada’s five largest banks have provided $700 billion in financing to fossil fuel companies.“
Seyidov, Ibrahim (2021): CO2 capture by adsorption (master’s thesis)
Seyidov, Ibrahim (2021): CO2 capture by adsorption. Master’s Thesis. University of Stavanger, Stavanger/Norway. Faculty of Science and Technology. Available online at https://uis.brage.unit.no/uis-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2823473/no.uis%3Ainspera%3A78834591%3A56321194.pdf?sequence=1.
„In this thesis project, CO2 removal by the DAC method using a suitable adsorbent, namely, zeolite, is studied. Adsorption and desorption processes on the Z8 test plant are implemented by applying the temperature swing adsorption (TSA) principle. The test facility Z8 at Greencap Solutions includes a packed adsorbent bed and advanced instrumentation and control systems. It contains three adsorption columns, two of which are for water removal before the carbon capture. For moisture removal from flowing air, silica gel desiccant is deployed. The CO2 capture process is done by the flowing air over a packed bed of zeolite beads. CO2 initially gets captured at the bed inlet, and after the progression of the capture process, the zeolite beads near the packed bed inlet becomes saturated with CO2, and CO2 is captured further into the bed. Near the end of the capture process, CO2 is detected at the outlet of the packed bed, initially at very low concentrations. The concentration augments with time, and this is called breakthrough, and the CO2 concentration trends a breakthrough curve.“
Video: This Is CDR Ep10: Carbon Fiber from CO2 with Aaron Fitzgerald (Open Air)
„In this installment we are pleased to welcome Aaron Fitzgerald to tell us about Mars Material’s efforts to develop a new pathway for carbon fiber production using captured CO2 as a raw material, and discuss his experiences with New York’s carbontech ecosystem as part of Venture for ClimateTech and the C2V Initiative’s inaugural cohorts.“
Video: What’s Enhanced Weathering? Interview with PhD Student Veronica Furey (The Future Forest Company)
„The Future Forest Company are co-funding Veronica Furey to study her PhD, investigating enhanced weathering at the Glenaros Estate on Mull. In this video Veronica gives us a brief insight into her studies and the potential of enhanced weathering as a negative emissions technology. Enhanced weathering is a method of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through acceleration of naturally occurring rock mineralisation processes. It can lock away carbon for over 100,000 years, and is an extremely effective method of CO2 removal. The Future Forest company are conducting a pilot for enhanced weathering on the Glenaros Estate on Mull before we scale up across the UK. This will help us establish what particle size of rock we need, how long it will take it to dissolve, the effect it will have on the soil and the growth rate of trees, and the process we need to set up elsewhere. Veronica is interviewed by Flora. Flora is currently studying for her MSci in Science Communication at the University of Manchester, following her undergraduate degree in Biology. Flora’s particularly concerned with environmental issues including climate change and the effects of deforestation.“
Video: Recording: The Chemistry of Nature Based Solutions (Royal Society Of Chemistry)
„Introducing the field of Nature Based Solutions and discussing the chemistry occurring in different ecosystems.“
Video: Recording: Carbon Removal and Environmental Justice: An Equitable Path to Net-negative (Carbon 180)
„Climate change is here, affecting the lives of communities across the globe. We’ve already reached an untenable degree of warming, and cutting emissions alone won’t reduce the impacts of CO2 already trapped in the atmosphere. “Carbon removal” encompasses a variety of emerging methods to clean up those legacy emissions. The question facing the climate community today is how. This discussion takes a hard look at how to deploy carbon removal, from healthy soil practices to direct air capture, that centers the needs of communities, prioritizing engagement, safety, equity, and justice. Without just policy and broader community involvement, many carbon removal projects won’t get off the ground, slowing the clean-up of legacy emissions.“
Video: Talking with people outside carbon removal (Carbon Removal Updates)
„We need to remove 100 parts per million of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That means removing about 1 trillion tons of carbon dioxide…and doing something useful with it! I’ve got an insatiable desire to help figure this out. The changing climate will create the first trillionaire.“
Video: How to turn emissions into products (DW Planet A)
„Some companies are trying to make a carbon difference by manufacturing products made out of pollution. But is it really helping? What’s behind the fancy technology, and how does this bode for the planet’s—and consumer’s—future? We’re destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we’ll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.“