Here at 1PointFive, a large part of our mission to help the world achieve net-zero emissions centers around removing CO₂, often colloquially called “carbon,” from the atmosphere. Since reducing CO₂ emissions and its presence in the atmosphere is critical to addressing climate change, it is reasonable to view CO₂ as a waste.

The Value of Carbon Dioxide

However, CO₂ can bring value. Industries worldwide use 230 million tonnes of CO₂ every year. Given the positive role CO₂ plays in natural processes, the potential positive impact it can have for man-made processes, as well as the less-than-desirable impact CO₂ emissions have on climate change, there is massive value in being able to capture CO₂ and use it as a “feedstock,” or raw material, in the manufacturing and production of important products like:

• Building materials (concrete, metal fabrication)
• Bio-ethylene
• Food and beverages
• Dry ice
• Fuels

The fact that CO₂ can have an “afterlife” in valuable products is foundational to our work at 1PointFive as we find solutions to help combat climate change. We are developing new technologies to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and, as we do so, we have multiple options for what we can do with it. Sequestration, or the durable storage of CO₂ in geological formations deep underground, has been done safely and successfully for a long time, and we are actively developing CO₂ sequestration hubs to store CO₂ from our DAC facilities and industrial emitters. Beyond storing it, converting CO₂ into a feedstock for new products is a compelling alternative – one that contributes to the economy and sustainability objectives.

The conversion of CO₂ into other products offers several significant benefits. First and foremost, by capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere and using it as a feedstock, it reduces the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Second, using CO₂ in this way helps diversify feedstock sources for a range of useful and valuable products. Third, utilizing CO₂ creates the potential for notable economic gains that tend to accompany new technologies. And, finally, using CO₂ as a feedstock provides the ability to create lower-carbon products.

Building a More Effective Future

Many companies are already using CO₂ feedstock to create products. Air Company uses captured CO₂ to make sustainable vodka, perfumes, and hand sanitizer. Aether, a luxury jewelry company, is using captured CO₂ to create lab-grown diamonds for their products.

1PointFive is investing in several companies utilizing CO₂. Cemvita and LanzaTech are turning emissions into fuels and chemicals to help improve everyday life. Carbon Upcycling aims to improve concrete performance through sequestering CO₂ in concrete. Newlight is incorporating CO₂ into compostable foodware products. Carbon Engineering, now a 1PointFive subsidiary, is working toward deployment of AIR TO FUELS™, a process by which we can use CO₂ pulled from the atmosphere to produce jet and diesel fuel.

This is all very exciting, but any new technology comes with challenges. We must accelerate the scale of CO₂ utilization technology development; many processes require hydrogen, which will need to scale cost-effectively, and we’ll need markets and demand for low-carbon products to continue to develop. However, we believe that as these technologies mature and processes become more efficient, the economic barriers to entry will become less imposing, and converting CO₂ into useful products will become more appealing. We may see governments provide more financial incentives for this type of technology through legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, and the public can experience firsthand how CO₂ can be converted into new materials that will benefit their lives.