Six commercially viable ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and/or reduce CO2 emissions

Abstract

Background The burning of fossil fuels is the main cause of rising CO2 levels of the atmosphere. This will probably result in climate change. Another consequence is ocean acidification. Although these consequences are not yet proven beyond doubt, the risk of doing nothing is too large. The simplest response is the removal and sustainable storage of CO2. By reaction with basic minerals, nature has sequestered almost all of the CO2 that has ever been released by the planet. This weathering continues to play a role but nature cannot cope with the ongoing much (30 to 60 times) higher rates of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Results In this paper six approaches are described which take advantage of the natural process of weathering and solve other problems as well, thereby making them cost-effective. All six make the maximum use of natural conditions (climate, tides, currents), natural materials (olivine, serpentine), and organisms (diatoms, hyperaccumulator plants). Conclusions Impacts on the environment are minimized or even turned into benefits.