A unique plant has been put into operation in the UK. It removes CO2 from the atmosphere and turns it into environmentally friendly aviation fuel (SAF), writes Sky News.
The project was implemented by Mission Zero Technologies in partnership with the University of Sheffield. Their development is powered by solar energy and is capable of absorbing 50 tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year.
Such technologies cause a lot of excitement. However, it is believed that this is not a very effective way to remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.
For example, Dr. Steve Smith, executive director of Oxford Net Zero, considers such projects to be small and expensive. According to him, there are better alternatives, including the transition to renewable energy sources. But he also adds that scaling up different technologies can help in getting closer to climate goals.
Meanwhile, experts have questions not only about the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere, but also about the fact that the British plant will convert it into SAF.
The Possible organization, which is concerned with the climate crisis, points out that these alternative fuels have a negligible impact. At the same time, SAF, which is made from carbon and hydrogen, requires a huge amount of energy.
Recently, the United States opened a company that aims to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.