What Are the Best Strategies for Dealing With Industrial Carbon Emissions?

Carbon emissions are thought to be responsible for a host of climate issues, but most carbon emissions are a direct result of processes that are functionally necessary for modern civilization. 

Thankfully, we now have access to many different strategies for reducing and mitigating the effects of carbon emissions – so which ones are the most effective?

Energy Efficiency Strategies

One of the most straightforward strategies for dealing with industrial carbon emissions is to prevent or reduce emissions from the outset.

For example, take these energy efficiency strategies:

·       Waste management. Businesses can hypothetically reduce carbon emissions simply by reducing waste. If you design your plants and your processes to be as efficient as possible, only using energy when necessary, you’ll use less total energy – and will thereby reduce your carbon emissions.

·       Efficient buildings and appliances. It’s also important to invest in efficient buildings, plants, and appliances. Modern, energy efficient appliances use energy much more effectively than their older counterparts, allowing you to achieve the same level of productivity for far less energy input.

·       Renewable energy. Another strategy for directly reducing carbon emissions is utilizing renewable energy technology. Solar panels, windmills, and other forms of renewable energy generation produce few, if any carbon emissions; they’re far more efficient than traditional, mainstream methods of power generation. Given that renewable energy keeps getting cheaper, there’s no reason for any industrial plant not to pursue at least partial reliance on renewable energy sources.

Carbon Capture/Carbon Sequestration

Carbon capture (or carbon sequestration) methods attempt to isolate carbon dioxide in various ways, so it doesn’t enter and/or stay in the atmosphere.

·       Biological carbon sequestration. Most people know that trees and other plants naturally absorb carbon dioxide, producing oxygen as waste, in a reversal of our own respiration process. This is one of several ways that industrial leaders can use biological materials to absorb and store carbon. Integrating trees into surrounding agricultural areas, treating soil so it’s better capable of storing carbon, and cover cropping are all strategies that can help here.

·       Geological carbon sequestration. There’s also a method known as geological carbon sequestration, which attempts to store carbon in underground rock formations. Carbon dioxide can be practically injected into porous rocks, like limestone or sandstone, and can store large volumes of carbon. However, it’s both maintenance intensive and somewhat risky, as leaks readily occur.

·       Technological carbon sequestration. New technologies are able to sequester carbon in novel ways. Certain engineered molecules, for example, can seek out carbon dioxide in the air and effectively trap it, so it can be used for industrial processes like the production of graphene.

·       Industrial carbon sequestration. It’s also possible, though uncommon, to use industrial carbon sequestration. These processes attempt to capture carbon before or after fuel combustion, separating the carbon dioxide so it can be effectively stored.

Carbon Removal/Carbon Offsetting

You may have also heard of carbon offsetting, which is a type of carbon removal. This is very similar to biological carbon sequestration, and is usually done to negate carbon emissions produced by a specific process. For example, your airline might commit to planting a certain number of trees for each passenger ticket purchased in an attempt to offset the carbon emissions associated with that activity.

Direct Air Capture

Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies are relatively new, utilizing technology to remove carbon directly from the atmosphere. This can hypothetically be done anywhere, totally separate from any industrial processes. That makes this method extremely versatile and promising for mitigating the risk of climate change. However, this method is still relatively new and somewhat expensive, meaning it’s not ideal for all circumstances.

Which Methods Are Most Effective?

So which of these methods are most effective?

As you can see, all of these strategies for dealing with industrial carbon emissions have some strengths and some weaknesses. Some of them are quite powerful and versatile, but expensive. Some of them are simple and easy to implement, but they only account for a fraction of potential carbon emissions. Ideally, an organization will use a mix of different carbon management strategies to reduce, capture, reuse, and ultimately offset carbon emissions.