Achieving NetZero with Carbon Captura : A Disruptive Approach
In the European Union (EU), transport is responsible for around 25% of emissions from CO₂, thus being one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a global scale.
The implementation of a Decarbonization Roadmap in a Transport and Logistics company, for example, requires relevant investments, particularly in the electrification of the fleet, such as replacing combustion vehicles with electric vehicles. This requires significant investments in charging infrastructure, batteries and electric vehicle technologies.
Decarbonization refers to technologies that eliminate carbon from production processes. This carbon can be present in two main forms:
- As a source of energy: Carbon from fossil fuels (coal/coke, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc.) generates the energy necessary to move people, goods and carry out processes.
- As a reducing agent in chemical reactions: The production of metals such as steel uses carbon to remove oxygen from the metal ore. In the case of iron, for example, the ore (Fe₂O₃) is heated in blast furnaces with coke, releasing the iron while the carbon combines with oxygen to form CO₂.
In steel production, they are generated from 2.5 to 4 tons of CO₂ per ton of steel, depending on the process. With more than 1.8 billion tons of steel produced annually, the environmental impact is enormous. Aluminum, for example, is even more carbon intensive, producing 19.2 tons of CO₂e per ton of metal.
A decarbonization consists of replacing carbon as an energy source and as a reducing agent in production processes. In the steel sector, this approach is known as Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA), or “Avoid Direct Carbon”. Despite the potential, the technological, economic and social challenges are significant.
NetZero, on the other hand, refers to the ability to permanently capture all CO₂ generated during the process. For example, a steel plant that produces 1 million tons of steel per year, generating 4 million tons of CO₂, can achieve Net Zero status if it fully captures and sequesters these emissions before they reach the atmosphere. The adoption of NetZero solutions could be the key to reducing the impacts of global warming and building a more sustainable future.
Both strategies aim to prevent the worsening of global warming. However, due to the delay in implementing solutions, time has become a critical resource. Decarbonization, although promising, can be more time-consuming and complex with significant technological, economic and social challenges. Solutions NetZero, have lower costs and shorter execution times, thus gaining relevance.
Carbon sequestration: A Disruptive Approach
Carbon Captura, a startup with cutting-edge solutions that can accelerate the reduction of CO₂ emissions, has developed an innovative NetZero solution based on a process called carbonation, which uses a solution saturated in CO₂ in the presence of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) ions. This reaction forms stable calcium and magnesium carbonates, non-toxic materials found naturally in many soils and minerals. These carbonates are considered a definitive and safe way of sequestering CO₂ and have multiple applications, such as correcting soil acidity, providing nutrients for plants or even adjusting the pH of water, making it more suitable for human consumption or for use in industrial processes.
Adopting Net Zero solutions could be the key to reducing the impacts of global warming and building a more sustainable future. However, the decisions we make today will determine the fate of humanity on our planet.
Carbon Captura believes that, with innovation and collaboration, it is possible to face this challenge and ensure a more livable world for future generations.
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✔ Fleet, eventually identifying different types of vehicles
✔ Type of Fuel used
✔ Average fuel consumption (liters per 100 km)
✔ Average daily mileage traveled by vehicle.