New technologies aim to capture and repurpose CO2 emissions

Researchers and engineers are developing new methods to capture and repurpose carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change. In Kiel, Germany, the Bülk sewage treatment plant is expanding a test facility into a larger pilot plant. This system captures CO2 from the exhaust of a combined heat and power plant that burns biogas from sewage sludge. The process uses a natural reaction where CO2 and water create carbonic acid, which then reacts with limestone to form bicarbonate. This bicarbonate is intended to be discharged into the Baltic Sea for long-term storage. Scientists from the Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel will monitor the impact on the sea's alkalinity.

In a separate technological development, an international team including chemists from the Helmholtz Centre Berlin (HZB) is investigating the use of silver nanoparticles as electrocatalysts. Through the GreenQUEST project, researchers found that silver nanoparticles approximately 10 nm in diameter provide the best performance for reducing CO2 into carbon monoxide via electrolysis. This process can be used to create synthetic fuels. The project aims to develop affordable, sustainable “green” cooking fuel as a cleaner alternative to firewood, specifically targeting rural regions in South Africa.