CO2

the greenhouse gas that warms the planet faster than CO₂

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In November 1776, while traveling on horseback between Italy and Switzerland, Carlo Giuseppe Campi saw bubbles in the marshes surrounding Lake Maggiore. He approached them and decided to investigate them. Almost by accident he discovered that they were flammable and He told it to his friend Alessandro Volta. Years later, Volta discovered that this gas was methane. Since then we have not stopped having problems with him. Colorless, odorless and highly flammable, methane (CH₄) It is a gas composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. It is the simplest hydrocarbon and, in fact, is the fundamental component of natural gas (and therefore a key fuel for boilers, power plants and part of industry). In addition to the energy context, methane also appears in biological and geological processes: it is a chemical compound that arises, naturally, in the processes of anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. That is, in wetlands, in landfills, in the digestive system of ruminants or in large bags under the ground. Otherwise, methane is used for many other things. Not in vain, it is a raw material for the chemical industry and is an essential part of the production of hydrogen, ammonia or methanol. But the global conversation is not has been talking about methane for decades for none of that. Because, curiously, the big problem with methane is that it is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. After all, from what we know, its molecules capture between about 82 times hotter than CO2 (taking a period of 20 years as a reference). If we broaden the focus and use the 100-year term, its global warming potential is 29.88 times greater than that of CO₂. The only good thing, so as not to paint a picture that is too gloomy or malicious, is that it has an atmospheric half-life (11.8 years on average) compared to a much longer average. This explains why, despite collecting much more heat than the other, the long-term impact of methane is not so great. So? Well, it is an “accelerator” of short-term warming and, in that sense, it is a first-order problem for us. Not only because we are not moving forward; but because if we manage to reduce it, it can provide relatively rapid climate benefits. The problem is that it is not an easy thing to solve. On a planetary scale, annual methane emissions are around hundreds of millions of tons and 40% of them are due to natural sources that we cannot directly control. The other 60% is due, generally speaking, to human sources. According to the Global Methane Budget, there are three main causes: agriculture and rice, fossil fuels and waste. Agrolivestock Monika Kubala For years, experts have discussed the impact of livestock farming (especially ruminants such as cows and sheep). The calculation, in any case, is complex: not only is it difficult to estimate methane production from enteric fermentation (due to digestion), but things as ‘simple’ as manure management suffered from an “information blackout” that makes them very difficult to evaluate. In addition to this (and it is important), you must add the rice. Every year they consume more than 500 million metric tons of rice. That’s a lot of rice (it’s the main source of calories for 3 billion people), but it’s also a lot of methane: because, favored by floods that leave wide plains without oxygen, our gas rises to the surface. Fossil fuels Methane leaking throughout the oil, gas and coal chain is also difficult to measure, but less so. After all, leaks in wells and equipment, ventsinefficient flaring, outdated compressors, plumbing or storage are money wasted. And if we know how to measure something, it is money. The International Energy Agency esteem that the production and use of fossil fuels generated about 120 million tons of methane emissions in 2023. Waste, landfills and wastewater This case is the simplest and the one that most clearly shows that the methane problem really does not matter much to us: landfills, wastewater and other types of waste accumulation areas are areas especially conducive to the generation of methane (due to pure anaerobic activity) and since we do not capture it, it is released into the atmosphere. Thus, the atmospheric concentration of methane remains high and increasing. To give an example, NOAA estimated which, between 2023 and 2024, went from 1915.73 ppb to 1921.79 ppb on average. And, as I say, it is a shame because methane is surely one of the fastest routes: according to UNEP/CCAC, a strong reduction in human emissions (up to 45% this decade, with available measures) “could avoid almost 0.3 ºC of warming by 2045.” Biomethane (also called “renewable natural gas“) is the term that we have coined to refer to a methane of biological origin that is obtained, above all, by improving biogas: the CO₂ and other contaminants in it are eliminated until a gas rich in CH₄ is ​​achieved and comparable, in almost all aspects, to natural gas. As a result of this process, a fuel is obtained that can be injected into the gas network. That is, it is an efficient way to take advantage of (and make the capture and processing economically interesting) a whole series of waste: from manure and sewage sludge to municipal waste or agro-industrial remains. Obviously, “green methane” does not automatically mean that it has “zero environmental impact.” Only that it has a biological origin and can be used like natural gas. For its environmental impact to be low, other things are required such as control of leaks, the origin of the waste or its impact on the network as a whole. Image | Katie Rodriguez In Xataka | The importance of the colors of hydrogen and what it means if it is green, brown, blue or turquoise

The European Union will impose a new CO2 tax in 2027. And that means one thing: more expensive gasoline

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The European Union has a new tax to punish fuel consumption. And that implies, without any doubt, a increase in the price of gasoline and diesel that we use in our day to day. But also in which carriers need to work. And that has consequences. EMISSION RIGHTS. It is not really new, because it is part of a package of measures whose reform It was already approved in 2018. We talk about EU trade emission rights trade regimealso known as the ETS2 that will change in 2027 to impose a new tax on the consumption of fuels emitted CO2. This new tax applies to the fuel consumed in homes and, of course, to transport (both particular and merchandise) that until now had been left out. And that has a clear result: the price of gasoline will rise. How does it work? With the change that will arrive in 2027, it will be the fuel suppliers that have to buy emission rights for carbon dioxide of the products they sell. For each ton of CO2 generated by that fuel, a price will be paid to the European Union. The main problem is that we do not know what increase we face. EMISSION RIGHTS They will be bought by auction So the price fluctuates. At the moment, the most optimistic estimates indicate a price of about 48 euros per ton of CO2, according to The Energy Newspaperbut Bloomberg Nef Bet on a substantial increase in the coming years and aim at 122 euros per ton of CO2 in 2030. These increases can reach an increase in demand but also by speculation with their price, with companies buying emission rights to have them reserve when considering that they will be more expensive in the future. What can we expect? When we go to the gas station, a rise in the fuel price, of course. How much? That is the big doubt. Obviously, this new cost for the supplier should fall in cascade to the final consumer. The doubt is whether something of it will be absorbed along the way or, on the contrary, it will affect completely. According to the European Commission, the expected increase with those 48 euros/ton of CO2 is 0.11 euros/liter of gasoline and 0.13 euros/liter of diesel. That is, in a 50 -liter deposit we talk about an increase between five and six euros. Other sources point to a larger cost. As we have seen, everything will depend on how much the supplier costs the right of issuance and how much the client can affect without the competition. Distributor companies point to ABC that the price will be between 0.15 and 0.25 euros/liter. The hidden climb. But beyond the cost for The driver who fills his carthe new tax points to another problem: a general increase in the cost of life. In that same article of ABC, Transport associations point to wait for an increase of up to 45 cents/liter of CO2. It would be necessary to see if the increase reaches these levels but what is certain is that the cost of fuel It has a direct impact on inflation. Because if moving the product is a greater expense, the ultimate seller has to raise the price to continue maintaining the profits … In greater or lesser average depending on the product, what is certain is that both increases usually go hand in hand. Keep in mind that ETS2 also affects the price of gas, so it is an extra cost than adding to the equation. Worry. As is logical, the first accounts have already begun to look for solutions. From the Bank of Spain they point out that inflation can rebound in 2027 to 2.5% after a year 2026 more restrained. In Belgium they calculate That an average home will pay between 250 and 400 euros more a year. At the moment, the system will have a market stability reserve. The idea is that if the price shoots, the European Union can release emission bonds to control the price and cushion the increase. In addition, it has been designed has designed the Social Fund for Climate (SCF), a fund of at least 86.7 billion euros between 2026 and 2032 to surrender to the most vulnerable families and small businesses. Photo | Xataka In Xataka | Yes, the EU knows what our car consumes and the speed at which it circulates. And none of that has to do with an alleged espionage

purifies it and sells it as CO2 to make soft drinks

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In Garray, a town of Soria, the smoke of a biomass plant is no longer lost in the air. There they have mounted a plant capable of catching the CO₂, clean it and sell it as if it were any other industrial product. The result is called “Co₂ Green” and today travels to refreshment factories, greenhouses or chemical companies. What was previously a residue is now a raw material. Short. The Life Co₂-Intbio project He has joined The Garray Biomass plant, underway since 2013, with a system to capture, clean and liquefied CO₂. It was developed for four years With a budget of 8.9 million eurosof which the EU contributed 1.9 million. The consortium is leaded by the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León, together with Metal Carbides, Garray Bioelectric and Enso Operations & Maintenance. According to project documentationthe objective is to demonstrate the technical and economic viability and create new value chains for a “green” commercial co₂. More in depth. The key is in the connection between the biomass central and the capture plant. Biomass provides biogenic combustion gases and energy/steam; The new plant, Designed by metal carbidessubject them to a process of chemical absorption with amines, followed by filtering, cooled and distillation. The result is liquefied and purified to food quality, Certificate under the FSSC 22000 standard. The complex has the capacity to produce up to 33,000 tons per year of “CO₂ Green”, which is distributed to beverage, greenhouses and chemistry companies in the area. In addition, proximity avoids long -distance transport: the project monitoring tool estimates a saving of about 295 tons of CO₂ per year only in logistics. And the plan includes a potential stop of up to 50,000 t/year if production is extended, According to the project itself. The first of its kind? Here it should clarify. This type of installation applies to a very concrete niche within carbon capture, since these are biogenic emissions, from biomass. In other words, it is not about the centrals that are dedicated To capture and store (CCS) nor of Direct air capture (DAC)but they transform it into a commercial product. Some media They mention it as the first European installation in operation dedicated to capture and value biogenic CO2 with food use at an industrial scale. However, other countries begin to explore this road: in Denmark, the Kassø project of European Energy This year began to produce e-methanol Using Co₂ captured a biogas plant, and the Tønder Biogas plant announced the first biogenic supply for that chain, According to information published by the company. The difference of Soria is that it already operates at an industrial scale and its CO₂ is not buried, but is used in the local economy. Another type of capture. Europe does not start from zero. In Norway, the Northern Lights consortium (Equinor, Shell, Totalenergies) injected the first tons of CO₂ into the Aurora submarine reservoir, 2,600 meters under the seabed. In parallel, the Heidelberg Materials cement inaugurated the Brevik CCS plant, the first large -scale industrial capture in the cement sector. There the co₂ of the furnaces is captured, liquefied and sent by boat to Northern Lights for storage. In other words, Brevik captures and dawns storage, Two pieces of the same CCS chain. New advances. Garray demonstrates that capturing biogenic and using it is technically and commercially viable in Europe. While Norway opens the way to large -scale geological storage, Castilla y León shows that the use of CO₂ can activate local economy and cut emissions tangible. The difficult – and decisive – will be climbing without self -enhanced: apply this tool where it provides value, replicate it in other parts of Europe and, above all, accompany it of what remains the most urgent task: emit less greenhouse gases. Image | Freepik Xataka | The plan to clean the air capturing as a blow of reality has just received: the earth does not have as much space as we believed

I have measured the CO2 of my office for weeks. And now religiously vento every hour and a half

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I’ve spent a few weeks trying The Netatmo Meteorological Station In my office, a ten -square -meter cubicle where the workday passed. August in Valencia is brutal: 35 degrees and 75% moisture at noon are normal values. But what I really wanted to verify was not the temperature or moisture. It was the CO2 concentration. The first Monday I started curious. At 8:05 a.m., with an open window and door since Friday, the sensor marked 438 ppm, atmospheric level. I started working. At 9:30 a.m., 455 ppm, minimum increase. Then I closed door and window to simulate winter conditions. Effects of CO2 concentration on the environment. Image: Vobu. At thirty minutes: 802 ppm. An hour later: almost 1,400 ppm. A little later: more than 1,600 ppm. Had already begun to notice That characteristic mental fatigue, that heaviness That a few days blame for fatigue. That inability to do well what you usually do well, mixed with apathy. It is not placebo, there are plenty of studies that support it. As Este de Harvard and Syracuse of 2015: The levels between 1,000 and 2,500 ppm – manner in offices – reduce up to 15% the yield in complex cognitive tasks. In decision -making, Hasdta 23%. I opened the window but not the door. The CO2 dropped from 1,600 to 800 ppm in 25 minutes. The next day, with cross current: same descent in 12 minutes. Half. A difference that did not expect so marked. In a short time, the level returned to 450 ppm. Graph of the Netatmo application during one of the tests: all night with the empty office, beginning of the morning working with everything open. I closed door and window. And when I reached the peak of almost 1,600 ppm, I opened back and window. And the fall was even faster than the climb. Image: Xataka. This shows the Netatmo app interface the CO2 concentration, visually indicating its condition, along with other values. Image: Xataka. Another test. Only opening door or window, the fall is slower than if we open both to create a current. Something we know always, but now we can quantify and assume with greater awareness. Image: Xataka. Netatmo has an error margin of ± 100 ppm up to 1,000 ppm, ± 10% above. It is not laboratory precision, but to understand your home it serves. The important thing is not the exact number but the evolution and its correlation with how you feel. With the passing of the days, varying openings and closures, I began to detect patterns. Ventilating more frequently than usual, sporadic apathy and mental mist. They are directly correlated with air renewal. Which takes me to the next point: The air conditioning. I sensed that I would not improve the concentration of CO2. Indeed: the air moves and cools, but does not renew it. Purifiers would not help except that they have outdoor entrance. They filter particles, do not eliminate gases such as carbon dioxide. When looking at the graph in more detail it is easy to see that by a lot of ventilation and current that there is, a human breathing inevitably increases the concentration of CO2 in the stay, and in a cumulative way. Although within the appropriate values. Around 6:00 h entered a few minutes (climb), I left shortly (low) and then returned to spend the whole morning (go up) until I went to eat (low). As if he had a presence detector. Image: Xataka. Image: Xataka. I brought the netatm to bedroom. Two people sleeping with a closed window and open door: CO2 rose from 450 to 1,100 ppm. Heavy awakening, feeling of not having rested. Next night with open window: maximum 640 ppm. I woke up remarkably clearer. He has convinced me to sleep with open window even in winter. The station measures more: interior/exterior temperature (with the separate module), humidity, barometric pressure, noise. It is expandable with pluviometer and anemometer. Elegant app, indefinite historical, integration Homekit flawless. But living vertically and without garden, for me the real value is in CO2. On the integration with homekit: when CO2 went from 1,100 ppm, this notification reached me in Mac (image) and iPhone. Image: Xataka. And notification on the iPhone. Image: Xataka. I have learned that working with more than 1,000 ppm is to function at 70% cognitive. The problem: do not notice immediately. Like that second cup that you think harmless until you try to add the head account. Now a lot more. Permanently open windows or, when time prevents it, more frequent openings than before. Do you justify 110 euros This learning? If you work in closed spaces, yes. Not for the apparatus, but for the consciousness it generates. He used to ventilate when “noticed the loaded atmosphere.” Now I know that when I notice, I’ve been working badly for an hour. It is the difference between driving with velocimeter or eye. The paradoxical thing is that after three weeks, Netatmo has taught me not to need it. My body has internalized the times and signs. I recognize that very slight ocular heaviness, that subtle friction in words flow. But Without the sensor’s objective data, I would never have developed this sensitivity. It’s like learning to refine an instrument: you first need the fingerboard, then your ear learn to recognize dissonance on its own. Netatmo Wifi Interior Wireless Meteorological Station, with wall, thermometer, hygrometer, soundometer, air quality, compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple and Google, NWS-AMZ Outstanding image | Xataka In Xataka Science | Can you run out of oxygen if you get into a small room with many people? This device has been assigned to test by Netatmo. You can consult How do we do the reviews in Xataka and Our business relations policy.

Storing CO2 is now a business and the first submarine reservoir is in Europe

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Europe already has its first large underwater warehouse of carbon dioxide. The Northern Lights projectdriven by equinor, Shell and totalenergies, just Inject the first tons of CO2 in a reservoir located 2,600 meters under the seabed on the western coast of Norway. Why is it important. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is emerging as one of the few ways to reduce emissions in difficult sectors of decarbonizesuch as cement production, steel or energy from waste. Until now, these technologies looked as experimental or too expensive. With this project, Europe thus opens a commercial system for CO2 transport and storage. As assured Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor, “This demonstrates the viability of carbon storage as a scalable industry.” In detail. The stored CO2 comes from the cement of Heidelberg Materials in Brevik, south of Norway. After being liquefied and transported by boat until Øgarden, it was pumped by a 100 -kilometer pipeline to the submarine reservoir known as Aurora. The first phase of the project will inject 1.5 million tons per year of CO2, although this same year Northern Lights gave green light to an expansion of the project thanks to a commercial agreement with Stockholm Exergi. A larger bet. The investment of 7.5 billion Norwegian crowns (about 740 million euros) will be the trigger for that expansion with a second phase that The capacity will increase More than 5 million tons per year from 2028. In addition to Stockholm Exergi, among the first clients is also the Danish Ørsted, the Dutch Yara and the Heidelberg Materials itself. “With the beginning of Northern Lights operations, we enter a new phase for the carbon storage industry in Europe,” affirmed Arnaud Le Foll, Vice President of Carbon Neutrality Business in Totalenergies. And now what. Although it is of course a true turning point, the doubt remains in the air about whether the model will scaling enough to contribute in a real way to the climatic objectives that are proposed by Europe. Norway opens the way, but the key will be especially in how much business, and how much reduction of emissions, these reservoirs can generate in the coming years. Cover image | Equinor In Xataka | The Era of Petroestados is ending: China is the first “electrostate” of the world and not because of its climatic moral

You already know how to turn CO2 into electricity and batteries

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The new space race will not end until someone mount a self -sufficient colony on Mars, provided A company of such caliber Be available to our hand. For now, the Chinese Academy has been investigating how to generate and store energy without more raw material than the one that offers In situ The red planet. Convert the Martian atmosphere into electricity. The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has designed A pioneering system to feed the future human bases of Mars with energy from its own atmosphere. According to the study published in Science BulletinChinese thermal and energy engineers started from the Brayton cycle, on which the land gas turbines are based, but replacing noble gases such as xenon with the gases of the Martian atmosphere, dominated in 95% by carbon dioxide. When using a available fluid In situthe circuit can be filled after any leak and avoids the logistics nightmare of having to send tons of gas packaged from the earth. But the most surprising thing is that it would achieve a conversion efficiency of up to 22%. Take advantage of the atmosphere to store it. In addition to the Brayton generator that breathes CO2, another team from the same university He designed a battery of lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-Co2) that uses the CO2 of the atmosphere of Mars as an active discharge agent. It is nothing more than a proof of concept, but in laboratory conditions at 0 ºC, the cells of this battery reached an energy density of 373 Wh Kg⁻¹ and a durability of 1,375 hours, the equivalent of two marian months. It could be combined with solar panels, burning CO2 at night or during dust storms, as a solution the intermission of solar energy. Technology is similar to Lithium-Aire batteries, only instead of air, absorb the CO2 of the atmosphere and release energy to feed rovers and helicopters. It would be necessary to try it under variable pressure, radiation and fine dust that sneaks into all Martian mechanisms to approve. China hopes to make history on Mars with Tianwen-3. China’s space program goes at a vertigo speed and these theoretical concepts could be tested on Mars in robotic missions before what we expect. The Tianwen-3 probe of the CNSA Space Agency will mark the next landing of the Asian country on Mars. With a launch planned for 2028, it is the mission that expects to bring to the earth the First Martian soil samples after the cancellation of Mars Sample Return of the NASA. Whether in this or any next robotic mission, seeing a closed, compact and filling generator running on Mars next to a CO2 -based storage system would be a giant jump towards that hypothetical future in which the human being will be a multiphenetary species. Image | POT In Xataka | No one has advanced NASA in the exploration of other planets from the USSR. China plans to do it even in Neptune

Salt water, CO2 and electricity are the new recipe to create more sustainable cement and concrete

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Cement is one of the most used artificial materials on the planet, but has two problems. The first, environmentalsince its production emits a remarkable amount of greenhouse gases. The second, the shortage of raw materials such as sand, whose mined also has an environmental impact. A new material. A team of researchers from the Northwestern University and the company ️Cemex Innovation Holding has developed A new construction material through a process that combines marine water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and electricity. This new material can be used in the production of cement and concrete and, according to its developers, in its production more CO2 than it emits. That is why the new material has the ability to make the most sustainable cement and concrete production. Salt water, CO2 and current. The method to create the new material begins by introducing electrodes in the salt water to circulate an electric current that separates water molecules into hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions. As explained by the development responsibleWhile the current circulates, CO2 bubbles are added to the water in order to change the chemical composition of the water by increasing the concentration of bicarbonate ions. The ions of these two compounds (hydroxide and bicarbonate) react with other ions that can be dissolved in marine water, such as calcium and magnesium. From these chemical reactions both calcium carbonate (CACO3) and magnesium hydroxide arise. The first compound, Continue explaining the teamit is in itself a carbon sink; The second, on the other hand, is able to capture additional carbon interacting with CO2 molecules. Copying nature. According to its developers, the process is similar to that used by corals and mollusks to build their structures and shells. The key difference is that these animals use their own metabolism instead of electrical energy to detonate the chemical process. Different uses. The resulting material, a Mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxidecan be used as a substitute for the sand or gravel used in concrete manufacturing, but can also be used to produce cement, plaster and even paint. More control. The resulting material has an important advantage and that its properties can be altered by introducing small changes in the elaboration process such as the current and its voltage, or the duration of the injection of CO2, among others. Thus it is possible to achieve a more porous or more dense and hard substance. The details of the process and its results were published In an article In the magazine Advanced Sustainable Systems. Optimizing the capture of CO2. Another important factor is the calcium carbonate ratio and magnesium hydroxide obtained in the resulting material. This ratio depends, for example, the captured amount of carbon dioxide. According to The developers explaina 50/50 mixture of the compounds can allow to capture a ton of CO2 for every two tons of material. A more harmless waste. The process, as we indicated at the beginning, begins with the separation of water molecules. This generates, in addition to the ions used to unleash the subsequent chemical, hydrogen reactions. This gas is not only harmless but can also be used as an energy reserve. Of course, because electricity is part of the manufacturing process of this material, it must be taken into account that the net emissions of its production will depend on the mix energetic. That is, if the energy used in the process emits CO2 that is not captured, part of the capture would be lost. Another detail to keep in mind is that a good part of CO2 emissions associated with cement production They are generated at a different stage of its manufacture, when the sand is crushed with the limestone and heated at high temperatures capable of decomposing calcium carbonate. This problem occurs if the material is used in the creation of the cement and not when it is mixed later with it in the production of concrete. In Xataka | Construction has a gigantic environmental problem. Its solution: Solar cement plants Image | Northwestern University

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