Coca Cola will be using carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere in their fizzy mineral water.
Carbon capture has been a quite hot topic in the last couple of years. Numerous companies have been trying to make use of the unwanted atmospheric gas in various industries. Products range from mattresses, to jewelry, and even carbon fibers.
However, by far the best place, where we can put that extra CO2, is the fizzy drinks that people consume on regular basis. This is especially the case since apparently, the industry is running out out CO2 sources (I was quite surprised to find out). It turns out, most fizzy drinks makers use CO2, which is generated as a byproduct of other industries. However, with the new regulations, and continuous efforts, it seems the industries have found alternative greener methods.
Coca Cola, seems to be having it all figured out. They announced a deal with the Swiss startup Climeworks. We told you about this guys a couple of months ago- you can find the article here. This small energy company captures the CO2 from the atmosphere using the proven technology- Direct Air Capture.
Climeworks places huge fans and a filter system at industrial facilities. The filter system has selective abilities to only catch the CO2. The gas is then sold to different industries for purposes ranging from fuels, agricultural products, and now it seems fizzy drinks.
It is quite a pricey endeavor, I must admit. Capturing just one ton of CO2 in this way, comes at a price of US$600. The guys at Climeworks, however, believe that they can bring the cost down as soon as they open more plants.
It is perhaps worth mentioning that when it comes to fizzy drinks, the CO2 from the bottles goes back to the atmosphere. It is partly released as soon as we open the lid, and the rest is released after consumption (I guess).
However, it is a nice starting point for Coca Cola. If it can be recycled, why not? It is much better to reuse what is there than to generate new.
Image (c) Climeworks
