The Challenge: Curbing Global Warming

The solution: emerging technologies for the capture, adsorption and storage of carbon, by changing states of its aggregation that will enhance natural sequestration via accelerated weathering of minerals, a “magic mineral dust” that will accelerate the growing of seaweed that absorbs carbon on the ocean floor, transforming organic carbon into rock and more

Tiny particles that look like dust may be the key to humanity’s struggle against global warming. At Ben Gurion University’s lab, Dr. Avner Gross and his team are working on a development called “magic dust” – a mixture of natural particles with a dual role: to provide critical nutritional elements required for growing seaweed such as iron and phosphorous, while also acting as a “submarine” that delivers the seaweed to the ocean floor and which will, in practice, absorb carbon for thousands of years. In other words, they are engaging in developing technologies for the capture of CO2.

According to Dr. Alon Stopel, Chairman of the Innovation Authority, “an Innovation Authority technology survey report that mentions several leading technologies, points to carbon capture directly from the atmosphere as the holy grail of carbon capture because it would, in theory, promise to instantly solve the problem of global warming. In practice, application of this vision is extremely complex, especially because CO2 comprises only 0.04% of the atmosphere by volume so that, in the meantime, only very few companies are active in this field”.

“Another technology, used by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), is intended to capture carbon near the point of emission. This solution is simpler than capturing carbon from the atmosphere because the concentration of CO2 at this point is much higher. For example, the concentration reaches approximately 10% per volume in the chimneys of power stations, 20% in concrete production, and 80% in ammonia production. A further approach has been adopted by companies trying to develop a technology that will utilize CO2 as a raw material for various products. Success in this field is valuable because it can economically justify carbon capture”.

In the war against climate change, carbon capture is a vital and critical process for reducing the negative influences of increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere. “The research in the lab attempts to imitate nature, while searching for ways to accelerate different processes and adapt them to the Israeli climate”, Dr. Gross explains. The goal is ambitious: “To capture huge quantities of carbon dioxide – ten billion tons a year – in order to curb global warming”.

The studies examine several emerging and promising directions based on a central idea: utilization and acceleration of natural processes that have the potential to advance carbon capture. In other words, to extract CO2 from the atmosphere and bury it for long periods without harming the environment.

The Huge Challenge and the Evolving Solution

The urgent need: today, the world captures only 200 tons of CO2 a year, while the required level stands at ten billion tons. In other words, what is needed is a significant, safe, efficient, and quick quantum leap forward.

One of the fascinating research directions is accelerated mineral weathering – by accelerating the natural reaction of minerals with CO2. The method is known worldwide, but Dr. Gross’s lab aspires to adapt it to the Israeli climate and geography. One of the ways being considered for accelerating the process is the use of volcanic ash or desert dust for fertilizing agricultural fields. In this way, the farmer fertilizes the land with nutritious materials and minerals that preserve the organic material, while the CO2 that accumulates in the ground, is flushed to the ocean and buried for years. This solution benefits both farming and the environment, and the researchers hope that at the end of the trial, the technology will be applied on a large scale.

At the same time, the team is exploring the possibility of fertilizing seaweed in the ocean using the same small particles that originate in ash from forest fires, volcanic ash or dust from the desert. When the seaweed is larger, they take more carbon-dioxide from the air via the photosynthesis process. “The challenge here is both to cause the seaweed to grow and absorb more carbon and to find a way to submerge it deep in the ocean where the carbon will remain trapped for thousands of years. It’s like sending a miniature submarine to the depths of the ocean”, Dr. Gross conceptualizes. “The particles have to supply the seaweed with the food they need and then drag them to the ocean floor”.

A further direction focuses on transforming organic carbon into rock that remains in the ground, similar to certain plants which emit a molecule from the root into the ground and, when combined with various bacteria, turn into rock. This process occurs in nature, but only very slowly, and the researchers are now trying to find ways to significantly accelerate it, and enable the transformation of carbon taken from the atmosphere into rocks of organic mineral carbon that will remain in the ground for thousands of years, without harming the environment.

Israel as a Global Environmental Leader

Israel, with its creative minds and characteristic entrepreneurial spirit, is in an excellent position to lead this field. Dr. Gross has even established a forum for carbon capture that incorporates about 300 researchers from all the country’s research institutes, and which will also open its ranks in the future to the private, business, and public sectors. The forum constitutes an excellent example of the way in which Israel is utilizing its relative advantages – a combination of advanced academic research, technological entrepreneurship, and state support – to contend with global challenges.

The forum conducts conferences and meetings, promotes collaborations, and strengthens Israel as a central player in this sector. There is still much work to be done in this field, but the forum has successfully elevated the issue on the priorities’ list of those working on climate issues, already garnering significant interest among startups and leading companies.

The forum’s vision is clear – to foster multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration, to promote innovative research, and to support creative solutions for carbon sequestration to curb climate change and guarantee the human race’s continued prosperity on this planet.

A Look to the Future: An Economic and Environmental Opportunity

Most of the ideas in this field are in the preliminary developmental stage and will not become a practicable product in the next two years. Nevertheless, by the end of the decade, they may mature into implementable technologies. Beyond the fact that this market’s potential stands at billions of dollars in the coming decades, it is also an opportunity for Israel to lead a solution for one of humanity’s most urgent problems. Maybe it will also enable Israel to change the future of the planet and transform Israel into a world power in the field of sustainability and green technology, an opportunity that Israel simply cannot afford to miss.