The Energy Department followed up its pledge today to invest $122 million in converting sunlight into fuels with another announcement: $106 million in new stimulus funding for six projects working to convert carbon dioxide emissions into plastics, fuel, cement, fertilizer and other products. The idea is not only to eliminate harmful emissions from the atmosphere, but also to put them to good use.
Carbon sequestration is still a huge question mark. While efforts are currently being made to bury emissions from power plants and factories indefinitely, it’s a solution that can’t work everywhere, and may not last as is. Trapping carbon emissions in the form of usable products may increasingly supplement other carbon capture methods.
The recipients of the stimulus money were chosen in October 2009, as part of a $1.4 billion initiative to productively re-purpose the carbon emissions released by the growing number of fossil fuel power plants equipped with capturing technology.
Here’s a look at the six projects that were selected and what they are working on:
Alcoa ($12 million) -- Working to convert carbon dioxide contained in flue gas into a soluble bicarbonate and carbonate that can then be turned into construction fill material, non-toxic fertilizer and soil treatments.
Novomer ($18.4 million) -- Developing a process that converts waste CO2 into a diversity of plastic products that can be used in the packaging business, like bottles, films, laminates, coatings, cans, and more.
Touchstone Research Laboratory ($6.2 million) -- Pilot-testing an algae-based process that absorbs 60 percent of the carbon dioxide in flue gas released from a coal-fired power plant and then turns it into biofuel and other high-value chemicals.
Phycal ($24.2 million) -- Developing a conversion system to turn captured carbon dioxide into liquid biocrude fuel that can then be processed into gasoline additives, biodiesel and jet fuel.
Skyonic Corporation ($25 million) -- Developing an alternative to scrubbing technology that turns carbon dioxide into carbonate or bicarbonate solids while also eliminating sulfur oxides, nitrogen dioxide, mercury and other toxic chemicals from plant emissions.
Calera Corporation ($19.9 million) -- Based in Los Gatos, Calif., this company is transforming carbon dioxide into carbonates that can be recycled as construction materials, like cement.
You can find more information on each of these projects here.