Researchers unveiled a proposal Wednesday to capture and store carbon dioxide in train cars, a solution they cast as a cheaper and less land- and energy- intensive alternative to the carbon capture facilities they hope will eventually help the world cut greenhouse gas emissions.
There is a model of a train car.
The train cars are an unusual spin on carbon capture and storage technologies, which are designed to capture the carbon dioxide generated by burning fossil fuels before it enters the atmosphere and then store the gas underground.
The train cars have large forward-facing vents that take in carbon dioxide as they move forward, and can then store the greenhouse gas in a liquid reservoirs before shipping it to geological sequestration sites, where carbon is stored in underground geologic formations or rocks.
The trains are seen as a solution to some of the pitfalls of more traditional approaches to carbon capture, which often involve energy- intensive fans and require substantial amounts of land and permits.
Ozin said that rail-based carbon capture cars would be invisible to the public.
The researchers estimate that the price to capture carbon dioxide through the rail cars is $50 per ton.
It could be up to 6000 tons. That is how much carbon dioxide the average carbon-capture train can remove from the atmosphere each year.
As temperatures in the United Kingdom hit a record high Tuesday, experts say is the result of human-driven climate change.
Carbon capture is an experimental technology that has been tested through small-scale projects. Extra funding for carbon capture projects was included in the Build Back Better Act, which was passed last November. There are currently 21 carbon capture, utilization and storage facilities in the world. The United Nations warned in April that carbon emissions from 2010 to 2020 were higher than ever before, and that humans must act now or never to combat global warming. The method can be costly and inefficient, may increase air pollution, and could distract from larger goals to transition to renewable energy sources.
The gold rush is caused by carbon capture. Better solutions are warned by some. The Washington Post has an article about it.
Billions of dollars are being spent on carbon capture by congress. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? The news broadcasts on CBS.
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