The full potential of carbon capture technology

The environmental impact of the world’s industrial revolution has been on top of the news agenda for years. The burning of fossil fuels, and production of electricity, fertilizers, chemicals and other materials, have led to the highest levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) ever recorded.[1] These industrial processes are the greatest contributor to climate change and they have a drastic effect on our ecosystems. As a result, we now need to find innovative and effective solutions to limit or reverse the harm they do.

As with most problems, the first step is usually to break them down. And this is exactly what we could do with carbon dioxide…

What if we could use CO₂ for positive purposes by converting the carbon into useful chemicals and materials?

This would reduce CO₂ in the atmosphere, enable capture of necessary industrial emissions, and ultimately eliminate the need to source carbon from oil. It is an elegant way to solve a large global problem, while providing the world with important products.

The logical next step is to figure out how to use the carbon from CO₂ to make useful products sustainably. This type of technology is called Carbon Capture & Utilization (CCU). 

Our Volta program uses electrochemistry to turn CO₂ into sustainable chemicals and materials. This technology uses renewable electricity to directly convert CO₂, making it the perfect combination of renewable energy and a climate-friendly feedstock. Additionally, this technology produces high value ingredients, chemical building blocks and fuels, all without using a single drop of oil pumped from the ground. 

We believe that technologies like Volta are critical to closing the carbon cycle and creating a truly circular economy. We’re collaborating with partners in the cosmetic and personal care industries to use CO₂-based ingredients for products, which marks the first step to provide society with a whole range of necessary goods – from commodity chemicals, to even aviation fuels in the future. Every contribution we can make will help us move forward to a renewable, sustainable future..

If you would like to find out more about the technology, check out our Volta program here.

[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/greenhouse-gases/