Ambient air harvester

The Ambient CO₂ Harvester

[Music plays and the CSIRO logo and text appears: The Ambient CO₂ Harvester]

[Image changes to show Dr Ali Kiani talking to the camera and then the image changes to show a city with chimneys pumping smoke into the air and text appears: Dr Ali Kiani, Research Scientist]

Dr Ali Kiani: To battle climate change many countries including Australia have committed to reach a net zero emission of greenhouse gases by year 2050 but with the amount of CO₂ already in the atmosphere this is not possible unless we remove CO₂ from air.

[Image changes to show Ali talking to the camera again]

For doing that we need innovative technology.

[Music plays and the image changes to show a view of the CSIRO Energy Centre]

[Images move through of Ali and a colleague looking at the Ambient CO₂ Harvester and the camera pans down the equipment from the top to the bottom]

Here at CSIRO we have developed a liquid based system to capture CO₂ directly from air in a very cost-effective way.

[Image shows the camera pans down the equipment again while Ali and a colleague watch]

This system is called the Ambient CO₂ Harvester.

[Music plays and the images move through to show Ali talking to the camera, Ali working on a computer, Ali turning a knob on the machine, and then close views of the machine]

It’s based on the standard process principle and concepts in which CO₂ is absorbed in an absorber at the ambient temperature and boiled off in a desorber.

[Images move through of the computer screen, and then a view looking up at the top of the equipment]

The captured CO₂ can be used or stored permanently.

[Music plays and the camera pans down to show Ali and a colleague looking up at the machine and then the image changes to show Ali and the colleague climbing up stairs to the top of the machine]

[Images move through of Ali and a colleague looking at display screens at the top of the machine and then the image changes to show a graph on the computer screen]

We have found that the cost of capturing CO₂ using this technology can be significantly reduced by some process innovation.

[Image changes to show Ali talking to the camera and then the image changes to show an aerial view looking down on the Newcastle site showing banks of solar panels]

Also this technology can be easily powered or integrated to renewable energy like what we have here at Newcastle site.

[Camera pans over the site and then the images move through to show Ali and a colleague looking at the equipment, a close view of the equipment and then Ali talking to the camera again]

In order to convince the potential clients about the feasibility of this system, we need to demonstrate that the Ambient CO₂ harvester can capture and produce CO₂ efficiently and continuous.

[Music plays and the image changes to show Ali and a colleague climbing stairs to the top of the machine again]

[Images move through of a close view of Ali and the colleague looking at a control panel on the machine and the camera zooms in on the control panel and then on Ali and his colleague]

There is a huge potential for the New South Wales and Australian manufacturing industries to use and produce this system.

[Images move through to show Ali and his colleague talking and looking at the machine, a graph on the computer screen, Ali and his colleague looking up, and the camera panning down the machine]

Also, this technology has clear environmental and social benefits reducing the emissions and creating potentially a lot of jobs in regional Australia and New South Wales.

[Image changes to show Ali talking to the camera again]

We are truly excited to develop this groundbreaking technology further here at CSIRO.

[Music plays and text appears: Australia’s National Science Agency]