Newswise — Columbia University and Global Research Technologies (GRT) announced that they have entered into a worldwide research collaboration and cross-licensing agreement for technology that extracts and captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Today, only living plants, atmospheric chemical cycles and other natural systems can pull large volumes of CO2 out of the air. Efforts to snare manmade CO2, released primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline, from the air are not yet viable at scale but hold great promise. Policy makers and regulators have focused instead on reducing the rate of new emissions by pushing stricter mileage standards and greener building codes, providing substantial support to CO2 capture at large point-sources such as coal plants, and promoting renewable energy, including biofuels, solar and wind.
The air capture technology to be commercialized by GRT has been called a “synthetic tree” and uses proprietary resins and processes to absorb CO2 from the air, potentially at a rate a thousand times faster than natural trees. The synthetic trees, which have a predicted lifespan of 15 years, consume minimal energy during the carbon capture process and share with other carbon capture technologies similar energy requirements for sorbent regeneration.
Dr. Klaus Lackner, PhD, the Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor of Geophysics and Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, with Allen Wright, a Senior Staff Associate, also at the Earth Institute, co-founded GRT based on a shared passion for combating global climate change. GRT and Columbia are now entering into their first collaboration to advance basic research and accelerate development of air capture technologies.
“With this technology, we can enter today’s CO2 markets and build for tomorrow’s demand for climate management technologies,” says GRT CEO William Gridley. GRT sees air capture as economically competitive and complementary to other forms of carbon capture now being developed. Gridley estimates that initial units, due within two years, will be able to capture up one ton of CO2 per day at an all-in cost of less than $100 per ton of air-captured CO2. GRT plans to sell the diluted captured gas as a nutrient for greenhouses and algae farms and to eventually sell compressed gas for drink carbonation, to make dry ice and for other niche markets that today total $1-2 billion per year.
In the long run, Lackner predicts carbon regulation could transform carbon capture into a multi-billion dollar market. “By driving cost down to $50 a ton or less, carbon capture can become a cost-effective option for companies looking to meet regulations emerging in Europe, North America and elsewhere,” says Dr. Lackner. Lackner also has humanitarian goals for his technology; he hopes the trees can be manufactured in dormant auto plants, restoring lost jobs and breathing new life into local economies, for both national and global economic and environmental benefit.
“One of the unique advantages of this technology is that it makes possible the capture of CO2 from the air anywhere in the world. Unlike the few existing carbon capture approaches, it’s not necessary to co-locate these units with sources of CO2 emissions,” explains James Aloise, who manages a portfolio of intellectual property relating to green technology for Columbia Technology Ventures, the technology transfer office at Columbia University. “This inherent flexibility and mobility improves access to the technology, which has true potential to make a global impact.”
About Columbia Technology VenturesA leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia University's technology transfer office, Columbia Technology Ventures, manages Columbia’s intellectual property portfolio and serves as the university’s gateway for companies and entrepreneurs seeking novel technology solutions. Our core mission is to facilitate the transfer of inventions from academic research to outside organizations for the benefit of society on a local, national and global basis. For more information on Columbia Technology Ventures, please visit www.techventures.columbia.edu.
About Global Research Technologies Global Research Technologies, LLC (GRT) is a research and development company dedicated to demonstration and commercialization of technologies for the capture of CO2 directly from air and other dilute sources. GRT was founded in 2004 based on the vision of Klaus Lackner, Ph.D, of Columbia University and supported by the late Gary Comer and the Comer Science and Education Foundation. The company has offices in Waukesha, WI and New York, NY. For more information on GRT, please visit www.grtaircapture.com.
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