Artificial Trees To Absorb Carbon Dioxide

 

Could artificial trees play a role in decreasing greenhouse gases in the air in the future? Scientists at the Global Research Technologies, LLC believe it is in our future. The company is working on artificial trees which absorb carbon dioxide from the air. These artificial trees, which look nothing like a tree but are actually towers, are built of resin. The resin is based on the resin developed by Klaus Lackner of Columbia Univeristy, which is environmentally friendly. The resin actually reacts with carbon dioxide in the air and causes the absorption. It is said that within only an hour of exposure to air, the resin is saturated with carbon dioxide.
The resin releases the carbon dioxide when it becomes wet and absorbs carbon dioxide when dry. Therefore, the resin can be used repeatedly. Water can be added to the resin in order to then capture and store the carbon dioxide absorbed.  It is expected that carbon sequestration would be the fate of the carbon dioxide, where the carbon is placed in caverns that were once filled with oil.
The scientists estimate that within a day, these artificial trees could absorb one ton of carbon dioxide. These statistics are based on artificial trees which contain 32,800 feet of resin. These towers are expected to be on the market within two to three years. The company estimates it will cost approximately $150 per ton absorbed initially but will hopefully decline to around $20 a ton when the technology has matured.
The Global Research Technologies company plans to sell these towers to a variety of companies. It is expected that oil and natural gas companies will be the most common buyer, as they use carbon dioxide to force oil to the surface. Soda companies, auto part makers and greenhouses would be other potential clients. The company also has hopes of participating in cap-and-trade carbon credit systems.