Pulling carbon out of the air

Imagine a technology that could not only help us slow carbon emissions, but actually reverse them. That is the goal behind MechanicalTrees, developed by scientists at ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions (CNCE) and commercialized by Carbon Collect. Each MechanicalTree does the work of 1,000 living trees in removing carbon dioxide from the air. The first MechanicalTree is on track to be unveiled at ASU’s Tempe campus in early 2022.

Each MechanicalTree contains 150 disks stacked in a column that stands around 30 feet high. As wind passes through the open column, the disks bind CO 2 to their surfaces, just like leaves on a tree. After about an hour, the column collapses into its base. Once sealed inside the base, the collected CO 2 is converted into purified, compacted carbon that can be sequestered in the ground or commercialized for use in industries like agriculture.

Klaus Lackner, director of the CNCE, was named one of America’s Greatest Disruptors by Newsweek magazine in December 2021.