Carbon Upcycling Technologies
Carbon Upcycling Technologies
WORDS BY DANIELE PIERONI
PROFILE
Have you ever wondered what the benefits of collecting waste are? The question may seem odd. Waste consists of what doesn’t benefit us directly or what doesn’t serve a distinct purpose in society. We fail to utilize it and take it for granted; a mere outcome to our ways. Emissions from energy expenditure are an example of our society’s wastes. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a seemingly inescapable polluting byproduct generated from our energy, transportation and commercial sectors. Our own commodifications and economic structure generate pollution. While the awareness of this fact has become widespread, solutions haven’t. Emissions are to be expected. But what if we could be more efficient with what gets pumped out into the world?
Imagine taking a walk, you pass your usual spot in an attempt to decompress and come across a sign that reads “This sidewalk is CO2 free”. This thought experiment highlights how upcycled material can serve society. Construction, which can be associated with polluting agents, could be erected with no further emissions. Responsible for this sign would be the people at Carbon Upcycling Technologies (CUT), who seek to create value out of unsolved questions of pollution and efficiency. CUT aims to widen the dialogue to practices that haven’t been industrially normalized; practices that can bring about lasting environmental change. We were lucky to speak with a representative of the team at CUT about her role and the company’s functions, gaining insight into what it's like to be part of the carbon utilization industry. For people working at CUT, CO2 pollution isn’t an unchallenged reality, but is converted into an asset.
Carbon Upcycling Technologies’ mission can be gleaned from its name. While recycling is the process of repurposing waste, upcycling transforms CO2 into a product of higher value. Self described as agnostic to CO2 emission sources, CUT seeks to improve our interactions with carbon waste from every angle. Founded by CEO Apoorv Sinha, the company was conceived by a challenge: what could be done with CO2 emissions? Apoorv applied his chemical and mechanical engineering experience to address this issue. We saw the final product in person.
CUT captures emissions and repurposes them into valuable materials. CO2 is a bountiful resource in this regard, as they are able to address the industrial sector; one of the largest contributors to these emissions. But construction and industrialization isn’t their only goal: a circular carbon economy is. A system that allows for all CO2 to be repurposed, infinitely. Through upcycling, CUT wants to lessen our impact on the environment.
We met Natalie, CUT’s Operations and Development Associate, on site at the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre. This location welcomes a host of different companies involved in researching carbon capture. CUT landed here after years of vetting and application reviews during their participation in 2015's NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition, a contest that sought out to address just how to capture carbon. During the competition the company was allowed to work at this facility to continue their research and pilot development.
Natalie welcomed us and gave us a tour of the facility, including the bays directly involved with the upcycling. There we saw their carbon utilization unit: an imposing large piece of machinery that is meant to refine the waste input into finalized upcycled material. We must admit, the environment didn’t fit what a stereotypically “green” workplace would look like. Before we could even process its distinct ambiance, we were grounded by ensuring we followed the centre’s safety precautions. Natalie’s experience shined through, as it was clear she’d dawned the PPE many times. We were met with a safety vest, hard hat and glasses; all of which are routine on a regular day’s work.
Natalie has witnessed the company’s growth, being there as the first pilot of the company’s largest unit which produces 20 tonnes of CO2-enhanced material per batchwas developed. Growing with the company, she describes how others were assigned many different tasks, often switching from role to role, wearing multiple hats if necessary. She’s helped to create commercial pathways with clients in the past, selling clients on the value proposition of the technology while working towards expanding its scope and application. At the moment she’s primarily involved in facilitating discussions of policy and collaboration with the actors at play, getting everyone on the same page; Upcycling polluting material.
The company’s passion was palpable. Not only was the timeline of their innovative technology impressive, the potential of their technology’s implementation was inspiring. The concept is simple: if excessive CO2 is detrimental to the environment, why not capture and repurpose it? One of CUTS’ largest units can process 20 tons of waste in a single day, so the growth of this application could scale modularly, and the yields could be substantial. If the technologies are implemented with construction companies, for example, carbon emissions could get upcycled directly on site.
As we left the site, even with our limited understanding of industrialized settings, a lesson was impressed upon us -that the possibilities for this technology are endless. With the realization of a circular carbon economy, carbon wouldn’t ever have to re enter the atmosphere and could be continuously repurposed. While applications of their technology are limited for the time being, the company has a line of products made out of captured CO2. One of Natalie’s rings was made out of the captured carbon. They already have the ability to convert CO2 into building materials and eventually, integration may lead to this technology being upheld in a city’s infrastructure. Not only would city blocks have“carbon free” signs, potentially the erection of upycled simu-cement, could lead to public and private buildings decorated by this title.
It’s easy to feel like waste is an abstract we work towards separating from our way of living. We benefit from tools that require an expenditure that we don't often see firsthand. When conceptualizing a greener future, emissions may be done away with from our everyday lives, but that isn’t realistic. For many of us, waste is strictly associated with how we manage our choices on a daily basis. We shut the lights off, let the water run for less time and recycle in the hopes of being more efficient with our energy and resources; but that could be considered small in comparison to the large polluters emitting CO2 into the atmosphere. There are polluters at play whose improvement could change the world; Carbon Upcycling Technologies has their eyes set on these players. Our visit exposed us to a dialogue that’s important for the future of a sustainable society. Upcycling carbon isn’t the only solution to the threats we collectively face, but the people behind CUT are to be championed for helping reframe how we view CO2 waste and what to do with it.
For more on Carbon Upcycling Technologies visit their website at https://carbonupcycling.com/
