Technologies that capture, reuse, or lock away carbon dioxide have long seemed more like science fiction than viable ventures: Buildings that trap waste gases in their concrete bricks. Meatless burgers and fruits and vegetables enriched with captured carbon. But as more pilot tests begin, and amid growing urgency to take action on climate change, investors are increasingly placing their bets on so-called “carbontech.” “A couple of years ago, the state of the conversation was, is the technology real, or is it just magic?” said Marcius Extavour, who runs the Carbon XPrize , a global competition to develop breakthrough technologies for converting CO2 emissions into products. “That question is fading, because there are more tangible examples.” Carbontech initiatives are still years or decades away from achieving commercial success, if they can succeed at all. The companies working to develop these technologies have typically relied on public research funding and grants. Now private investors are pouring money into startups and moonshot projects — in the hope of making money while also helping to curb rising global temperatures. Initiatives that transform carbon into marketable materials like cement or synthetic fuels are particularly appealing, given their potential to turn a profit. XPrize recently […]
Latest Articles
Cabbage-Growing Experiment Shows Human Waste Can be Good to Use as Fertiliser
Takeaways: New research has shown that using fertilizers from human waste can be as productive as conventional organic ones.
Scientists studied a crop of...
Mercedes-Benz Becomes First Stadium in the World to Earn Platinum Certification for Zero Waste
Takeaways: The Mercedes-Benz Stadium has become the first professional sports stadium in the world to be awarded the Total Resource Use and Efficiency Platinum...
Float Anywhere; this Solar-Powered Houseboat is the Future of Tiny Living.
Float Anywhere; this Solar-Powered Houseboat is the Future of Tiny Living. Float Anywhere; this Solar-Powered Houseboat is...
Biodiversity: Fungi are ‘Underloved and Understudied’
Takeaways: The vast majority of fungi in the world are harmless to humans and animals and are often beneficial.
The Saprophytic fungi, for example,...
The Top 5 Happy Eco News Stories for February 6, 2023
The Top 5 Happy Eco News Stories for February 6, 2023 Thanks for reading the Top 5 Happy Eco News! This week, we have two guest...
Baby Seals Spotted in Record Numbers on Norfolk Coast
Takeaways: A record number of baby seals have been spotted on a five-mile stretch off the coast in Norfolk.
3796 seal pups have been...