A Germany-based cement manufacturer is tackling what is perhaps the industry’s biggest problem: the production of heat trapping air pollution, explained here by MIT News — with an ambitious plan reported by the New York Times.

Heidelberg Materials The Norwegian plant will capture the carbon dioxide responsible for global warming using a filtration system including specialized chemicals. The pollution will be cooled until it turns into liquid and shipped miles from the coast. Then it will be pumped into rocks more than a mile beneath the North Sea and stored safely indefinitely, all by the Times.

It is an ambitious plan intended to reduce emissions from the sector, widely seen as generating 8% of global CO2.

As Nature notes, more than 33 billion tonnes of cement are made each year and concrete producers are under pressure from government regulators to clean up their operations. That’s why Heidelberg and others are working on cost-effective ways to solve the problem, according to the Times.

“It all has to make business sense. Otherwise, your investors are up for the trees.” Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Heidelberg saidaccording to the Times.

The company is now on a mission to prove that both interests – profit and planet-friendly operations – can be met, according to the newspaper.

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Other industries are undergoing similar transformations. A South African Nestle The factory uses a system built with smart chemistry and artificial intelligence to extract air pollution from its smokestacks, rendering it harmless. reusable baking soda. Purdue experts are development liquid filters to also capture CO2 from flues.

The Norwegian government is providing up to 85 percent of the funding needed for the Heidelberg project — “the first effort of its kind on a large commercial scale,” according to the Times. The operation could double the cost of cement. But Heidelberg is counting on its customers being willing to pay extra for cleaner concrete.

This is part of how we can use our purchasing power as consumers, to support businesses that have the best interests of our world in mind. Staying informed about companies that tout impressive environmental goals is an important way to know if they are. fulfilling their promises.

Carbon capture technology is also a process that is drawing criticism from some environmental watchdogs. Critics call it a crutch for continued use of fossil fuels, as a Greenpeace official noted in the Times. report.

For its part, Heidelberg seems sincere in its efforts.

“We want to be the first in the sector to show that this industry can be completely decarbonized,” says von Achten. said the Times.

Officials from Norway, Britain and other neighboring countries are reportedly on board. Governments are working together on a massive regional CO2 capture and storage effort. The project, which benefits from billions of dollars in public funding and backing from fossil giant Shell, among other companies, is called Northern Lights. It provides the infrastructure needed to safely pump pollution beneath the ocean floor for storage.

The times reports that the Norwegian factory in Heidelberg will “probably” be the first industrial site to remedy air pollution thanks to this program.

The capture operation at the cement plant is expected to eliminate more than 440,000 tonnes of air pollution per year. For reference, the company’s cement operations generate tens of millions of tons of harmful gases each year. by the Times.

This is a number that will likely continue to grow with demand.

“It’s literally a building block of society,” says Sara Budinis of the International Energy Agency. said the Times about cement. “The demand for cement is therefore not expected to decrease over time.”

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