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Unconventional Approaches to Carbon Removal: Brands Look to Wastewater and Paper Mills

In a novel initiative to mitigate their carbon output, major brands like Google, Salesforce, and H&M are investing in unexpected allies: sewage treatment plants and paper mills. These companies have committed to an $80 million project aimed at extracting CO2 from the atmosphere, though the effectiveness of these methods in addressing climate change remains uncertain.

Part of this funding, approximately $32.1 million, has been allocated to a startup named CREW, which specializes in capturing carbon emissions generated at wastewater treatment facilities. The remaining $48 million will be invested in CO280, another startup focused on outfitting pulp and paper mills with advanced carbon capture technologies. These agreements were orchestrated through Frontier, a carbon removal initiative spearheaded by companies such as Stripe, Google, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability, aiming to support businesses striving to meet their sustainability targets.

Innovative Solutions to Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The trend of companies exploring diverse methods to counterbalance their greenhouse gas emissions is on the rise. Many businesses are channeling significant resources into emerging technologies designed to filter CO2 from both air and seawater. The recent partnerships facilitated by Frontier highlight a willingness to experiment with even more unconventional strategies in carbon reduction.

“It’s essential that we consider a variety of approaches,” says Wil Burns, co-director of the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University, who also contributes to an assessment committee for Frontier. “Some existing methods, particularly direct air capture, are exceedingly costly, prompting us to explore alternatives that might be less expensive.”

The Cost Factor in Carbon Capture Technologies

The first generation of industrial-scale direct air capture facilities has demonstrated substantial costs, with companies like Microsoft spending over $600 per ton of captured carbon. In contrast, the new agreements facilitated by Frontier equate to approximately $447 per ton for services provided by CREW (totaling about 71,878 tons) and $214 per ton for CO280’s offerings (covering a total of 224,500 tons). Despite this reduction, costs remain significantly above the $100 per ton target commonly cited by industry leaders. For instance, Google, which generated 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions last year, faces prohibitive expenses for scaling these technologies.

The Role of Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) comprises a range of techniques aimed at extracting CO2 from the atmosphere, with the potential to decelerate climate change by eliminating some of the accumulated emissions from fossil fuels. However, questions linger regarding the associated costs, safety, and the risk that relying on CDR could forestall the necessary transition away from fossil fuels. Experts emphasize that CDR should not replace initiatives aimed at preventing greenhouse gas emissions altogether.

While CREW’s approach may be costly, Burns expresses optimism about its innovation. The methodology involves capturing CO2 that would typically be released by microbial activity in wastewater treatment. CREW introduces alkaline minerals to the treatment tanks, which react with CO2 produced by the microbes, converting it to bicarbonate that ultimately moves to the oceans—natural repositories that help sequester CO2 from the atmosphere.

Conversely, CO280 leverages technologies initially designed for the fossil fuel sector to capture CO2 emissions right from industrial smokestacks. Historically, such systems have been integrated into industrial and power generation facilities to prevent CO2 from escaping into the atmosphere, enabling companies to either store it underground or repurpose it for enhanced oil recovery.

CO280 also innovatively targets CO2 emissions produced during the combustion of “black liquor,” a by-product from pulp production utilized for generating heat and electricity. By installing carbon capture devices at these facilities, CO280 aims to permanently sequester CO2 from the atmosphere, leveraging the natural carbon absorption performed by trees during their lifecycle.

Challenges and Concerns in Carbon Capture

Despite the promising aspects of carbon capture technologies, significant apprehensions still exist regarding their efficacy as a climate change mitigation strategy. These systems typically consume considerable energy, which may inadvertently generate additional greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, environmental concerns arise regarding tree harvesting and the sustainability of wood supply chains in relation to paper mills.

Environmentalist critiques often question whether corporations opting for carbon removal services are inadvertently shifting focus away from more pressing needs—namely, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Ultimately, to effectively combat climate change, experts agree that prioritizing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at their source is paramount.

Source
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