Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Why not apply this mantra to carbon dioxide emissions?
Several efforts are under way in Canada that will advance applications and technologies that divert carbon dioxide streams for useful purposes. Instead of a waste, why not treat carbon as commodity?
Carbon reuse applications could have a big impact in how we reduce greenhouse gas concentrations. Using algae to recycle CO2 into fuels not only makes the use of existing fossil fuels more efficient, it keeps petroleum that would otherwise be used to fuel cars and trucks locked underground. This is sequestration at its finest: If you leave the carbon in the ground you don’t have to take it out and put it back in later.
A recent video posted by Algenol explains how Carbon Capture and Reuse can make a big impact on climate change:
The future of carbon reuse in the United States will largely depend on how quickly companies like Algenol can start using carbon dioxide from power plants that use fossil fuels, or other types of carbon-intensive manufacturing.
One way to accelerate that process is for the EPA to include carbon reuse in its upcoming regulations on power plant emissions. ABO is encouraging all of its members to contact the EPA and make sure that carbon reuse becomes an approved technology for new and old power plants.