Tips for carbon dioxide recovery and utilization

With carbon taxes on the rise, more stringent regulations enacted all of the time and the planet warming, many companies face two important questions. Does it make sense to recover the CO2 we produce? If yes, how can I do that? The answer to these questions is carbon dioxide recovery and utilization. But what does that mean? Let’s look. 

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a biproduct of many industrial processes. It is also a gas that is responsible for climate change. In the past, it was just blasted into the air. Now, however, there are technologies available that allow us to “capture” CO2 and to liquify (and reuse) it or “sequester” it (usually underground) so that it cannot escape into the air.

The first question of whether it makes sense to take advantage of these technologies can be answered with a resounding “Yes!” There are financial and moral incentives to use carbon capturing. 

On the one hand, it’s the right thing to do. Allowing the carbon dioxide you produce to simply vanish only makes the challenge of addressing climate change more daunting. However, it’s also good for business. 

In the EU, the carbon tax is €90 per ton while it costs much less than that to capture the CO2.