The problem with capturing carbon from a power plant is that the CCS system is itself huge, expensive, consumes a lot of energy, and only works on exhaust streams with high concentrations of CO2. Importantly, because it is as efficient at low CO2 concentrations of 0. The researchers plan to develop a pilot-scale plant within a few years. An essential component of any climate change mitigation plan is cutting carbon dioxide CO 2 emissions from human activities. Some power plants now have CO 2 capture equipment that grabs CO 2 out of their exhaust. But those systems are each the size of a chemical plant, cost hundreds of millions of dollars, require a lot of energy to run, and work only on exhaust streams that contain high concentrations of CO 2.

The satellite was sent up in July to help pinpoint the key locations on the Earth's surface where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed. This should help scientists better understand how human activities are influencing the climate. The new maps contain only a few weeks of data in October and November, but demonstrate the promise of the mission. Clearly evident within the charts is the banding effect that describes how emitted gases are mixed by winds along latitudes rather than across them.

We use cookies to collect information about how you use data. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible. You can change your cookie settings at any time.