By Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23
Environmental Editor
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.
Plastic is often considered environmentalists’ number-one enemy because it necessitates large quantities of fossil fuels in its production and its reputation for polluting the Earth’s natural resources. However, technological developments in recent years have created a possibility for plastic to act as a force against the onset of climate change. Scientists have found that CO2 emissions captured from the atmosphere can be used as a base material for plastics and other goods.
Carbon capture and storage is far from a new concept in the environmental field, and many scientists consider it an important tool to slow climate change. Carbon capture is made possible through the installation of filters in factory smokestacks which capture pollution before it escapes into the atmosphere. CO2 can also be removed directly from the atmosphere using specialized technology. Once captured, carbon dioxide can be permanently stored or utilized. Despite the proven efficacy of carbon capture technology, there are only around 20 large-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage projects operating globally.
One of captured carbon’s uses is in the manufacturing of plastics. Plastic is typically made using crude oil or natural gas as the “feedstock,” or base material. The feedstock is subjected to a number of chemical reactions driven by catalyst materials which convert it into plastic pellets to be melted and molded into various shapes. Plastics made from natural gas or oil are called synthetic plastics, but another type of plastic, called bioplastic, can be made from a number of natural materials such as vegetable oil or bacteria. Scientists have created special catalysts to convert carbon dioxide into a material suitable for use as a feedstock for plastic production. This process has the dual environmental benefit of removing CO2 from the atmosphere and preventing the use of harmful fossil fuels in the first place.
Captured carbon dioxide can be recycled into much more than plastic. Concrete manufacturer CarbonCure has permanently stored 90,000 tons of the gas by injecting it into concrete. Additionally, captured CO2 can put the “fizz” into soda and sparkling water. In 2019, a Coca-Cola subsidiary in Switzerland partnered with carbon capture company Climeworks to use CO2 removed from the atmosphere in its drinks. One of the benefits of using captured carbon dioxide to manufacture such widely-used goods is it creates an economic incentive to remove carbon dioxide from the air or to capture it from industrial emissions.
One of the drawbacks of recycling CO2 into consumer goods is the public’s potential hesitancy to use these goods due to safety concerns, as consumer safety-awareness increases and environmentalists promote the image of carbon dioxide as a harm to human health. A survey published by The Conversation found that of over 2,000 respondents, 31 percent were hesitant or firmly against using products made from recycled CO2, and nearly half of respondents said they would not consume carbonated drinks made from captured carbon dioxide. The number of participants willing to use products made using captured CO2 increased after respondents were given more information about the manufacturing process, which includes filtering out harmful pollutants from captured emissions.
The survey results suggest that to reduce hesitation from consumers, knowledge gaps about recycling CO2 need to be filled through education efforts, and companies will need to maintain a high level of transparency in their manufacturing process. Consumer attitudes towards incorporating recycled CO2 into daily life will determine if the technology sees enough success to help slow climate change.