Does the Lorax still speak for it if it is a mechanical tree? The mechanical trees we are talking about don't have a disco mode like the Oak-amatic in the 2012 "Lorax" film, but they do have a big job, soaking up rogue carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
In a new interview published yesterday in Inverse, Klaus Lackner, a pioneer in direct air capture and carbon storage, explained his mechanical trees and the future of capturing CO2 directly from the air to stave off climate change.
Lackner told Inverse that the discs are five feet in diameter and two inches apart. The discs absorb CO2 when the air blows through. The discs sink into a barrel after 20 minutes. We use water and steam to release CO2 into a closed environment.
The Department of Energy gave Lackner $2.5 million to work on his CO2 capture devices. Lackner was planning three farms that would be able to absorb 1,000 tons of CO2 per day. The first of these farms will open in April.
Suck it up.
Lackner talks about how imperfect every global warming mitigation technique is. He explained how his trees would use less energy, but he also warned that if we don't improve carbon storage, our children will be fighting carbon when it escapes.
Lacker told the site that the DOE made it sound like the technology was already ready. We have to push it along after neglecting the technology for 30 years. Climeworks sells CO2 for between $500 and $1,000 per ton. That is too expensive.
Nothing is perfect. We have to do something. It seems like most eco-friendly efforts have pros and cons, and at least for now, we can move ahead while still developing even better tech to save our Earth.
The "Doomsday Glacier" is Irreversibly Melting, researchers say.
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