The CSIRO has launched its $20 million research program, CarbonLock, to develop new ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere and permanently lock it away.
CarbonLock is one of a variety of programs in CSIRO called Future Science Platforms (FSPs) focused on uncovering future breakthroughs in new and emerging areas of science.
It will focus on how Australia can establish negative emissions technologies (NETs) to capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide. They are a crucial component of the toolkit for combating climate change and lowering greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.
CSIRO’s CarbonLock program Director Dr Andrew Lenton stated that NETs would be crucial in assisting Australia’s transition to net zero, along with a concerted effort to reduce emissions.
“NETs are critical to Australia’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions because they offer a promising pathway to limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels,” Dr Lenton said.
CarbonLock is focused on establishing the next generation of permanent carbon storage to complement existing research in nature-based carbon storage technologies and geological carbon capture and storage (CCS).
CarbonLock is also investigating Direct Air Capture (DAC), an early-stage enabler technology that gathers carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it for eventual use or disposal.
“Our research will investigate new materials that can speed up and scale up DAC, including training artificial intelligence to develop novel composite materials,” Dr Lenton said.
Dr Lenton stated they are also analysing the potential of in-situ mineral carbonation, which involves converting carbon dioxide into stone by reacting atmospheric carbon with rock to form new rock – an area where Australia has a significant advantage.
According to CSIRO Chief Scientist Professor Bronwyn Fox, CarbonLock unifies all science on next-generation permanent carbon locking, encompassing carbon CCS and integrating these systems and will complement other CSIRO projects such as the Toward Net Zero Mission.
“CarbonLock is an excellent example of CSIRO driving scientific breakthroughs and collaborating with partners to create innovative solutions that face into the threat of climate change, bringing the best of our science to bare to transform industries, boost the economy, and ultimately improve the quality of life for all Australians,” Professor Fox added.
