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The world’s first farm of mechanical CO2 absorbing trees will start operating in April
In a recent interview with Inverse, University of Arizona professor Klaus Luckner talked about how mechanical trees, he has developed, will capture CO2 from the air.
According to the professor, they are columns consisting of disks with a diameter of more than one and a half meters, covered with a special resin. The distance between the disks is about 5 cm. At the moment the air passes through this structure, the disks absorb atmospheric CO2. It takes approximately 20 minutes for the disks to fill with carbon dioxide, after which they are immersed in a container below, where water and steam move CO2 into a closed chamber.
Last July, Luckner received a $2.5 million grant from the US Department of Energy to work on his trapping devices. The scientist plans to create three farms capable of absorbing up to 1000 tons of CO2 per day. The first farm will start operating in April.
In his interview, Luckner recalled that the current CO2 capture technologies are very imperfect, and therefore cannot significantly reduce the effect of global warming. In contrast, “mechanical trees” will consume a minimum amount of energy.
However, according to the professor, the key problem is the preservation of the collected CO2, because if it “runs away” back into the atmosphere, then our grandchildren will have to “catch” it again.
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-carboncapture-idUSKCN1S52CG
https://www.inverse.com/innovation/mechanical-trees-co2-climate-change
As nice of an idea as this is I find it a little hypocritical that we cut down huge amounts of tress and hectares of forest just to build a “fake tree” that barely catches C02 and clumsily lets it loose again into the atmosphere and additionally uses energy, witch productions creates the pollution that it’s trying to fight. It is literally a fight against windmills.
I agree with the comment above. The idea itself is good because these mechanical trees are going to be used against a huge problem. However, I think that people should focus on reducing deforestation and planting new trees rather than try to create artificial ones.
That is an awesome concept, which I hope will be transferred to the real life on the biggest possible scale. Global warming is a number one problem in the modern world and some inventions like this can at least reduce the amount and impact of harmful CO2.
The idea is great but will require mass implementation to make a difference. Do you know where these farms are located?
This great idea and in all honesty i love the design. Alhough in the future as this idea will spread to diffrent parts of the world it will be nice to see this trees designed in the more ,,natural” way