The plant that sucks CO2 out of the air and seals it into asphalt

Tackling atm47ospheric pollution and significantly diminishing CO2 levels through direct action is a scientific strategy gaining traction. This is achieved by harnessing polluted air, absorbing the carbon dioxide, and repurposing it for societal benefits. This enticing notion has spurred the development of cutting-edge technology in the United States, attracting substantial government investment. However, the financial aspect remains a challenge.

To elaborate further, Tracy, California, is home to Heirloom Carbon Technologies, a pioneering start-up that has constructed the first commercial facility implementing "direct air capture". This technology seizes greenhouse gases and currently, only two such establishments exist globally - the other being in Iceland. This method could play a vital role in the fight against climate change, as the captured gas is permanently embedded into asphalt. This prevents further global warming and facilitates infrastructure development.

The facility in Tracy represents the initial phase, with a disposal capacity of merely 1,000 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to the pollution generated by 200 cars in a year. Nonetheless, the company's leadership envisions increasing the number of facilities, thereby augmenting their annual carbon capture to millions of tons.

This concept has gained the Biden administration's approval, leading them to award $1.2 billion to multiple companies, including Heirloom, in August. This was aimed at facilitating the construction of more expansive direct air capture plants in Texas and Louisiana. Besides governmental support, the companies' primary revenue source would be selling carbon removal credits to other businesses eager to compensate for their emissions.

Prominent corporations like Microsoft, Airbus, and JPMorgan Chase have already begun investing millions to comply with pollution regulations. For instance, Microsoft has inked a deal with Heirloom to eliminate 315,000 tons of greenhouse gases soon.

The entire process relies on a basic chemical reaction where calcium oxide encounters carbon dioxide, forming calcite. This is then heated to 900 °C in a renewable energy-powered furnace, releasing CO2 which is stored for future use in asphalt production. The remaining calcium oxide is mixed with water, spread on trays and exposed to open air to absorb carbon dioxide over three days. Consequently, calcite is formed again, and the cycle restarts.

Presently, the process costs approximately $600 per ton of removed CO2, a point of contention. However, Heirloom is confident that through economies of scale, costs can be slashed to about $100 per ton. Environmentalists argue that such solutions are merely controlling global warming levels, not reducing them, thus diverting from the necessary drastic emission cuts.