Alternative Carbon Sources as A Solution to Climate Change
By: Aidatu Rosyida
Tags: Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Global Warming, Carbon Emissions

Photo by Petra Wendeler on Flickr

Each of you surely ever heard about climate change and global warming. Both are connected. Global warming means increasing the earth’s average temperature caused by an increased amount of the energy (heat) striking the earth from the sun trapped in the atmosphere and not radiated out into space. This phenomenon is called the greenhouse effect. Naturally, the greenhouse effect is needed to keep the earth temperatures that permitted the emergence of life forms as we know. But what happens to global warming is the thickening of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causing more heat to be trapped on the earth so that the average temperature on earth increases. That excess heat is what triggers climate change on earth.

Data issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says the critical greenhouse gasses emitted by human activities are Carbon Dioxide generated from fossil fuel and industrial processes, which is 65%, and the other gasses with a smaller percentage.

The matter is, how to reduce the emission of CO2 gasses that mostly came from industrial processes? On the other hand, we can’t reduce the industry because of the rising human chemical products’ needs. We need to remember that almost all our household chemical products are composed of Carbon.

To answer this problem, currently, renewable carbon sources are being researched and developed to replace fossil fuel, which is still the primary carbon source. Here I will describe some of the alternative carbon sources that I got from The Clean Future Program by Unilever.

Alternative number one is Carbon Capture and Utilisation. The concept of the CCU, as it’s named, is the carbon source obtained by capturing CO2 gas emissions in the air. This technology can be done by capturing CO2 in the air directly or capturing it at the point source. But, capturing CO2 at a concentrated source of high CO2 stream, such as the exhaust of a fossil fuel power plant, making CO2 easier to capture and therefore cheaper to use. The first company that applied this technology on a commercial scale is Carbon Clean Solution in Southern India. That company captures 60000 tons of CO2 annually from its coal-fired boiler and converts it into soda ash. Though carbon capture is excellent in theory, it hasn’t gained wide commercial use because it’s expensive to finance.

The second alternative is green Carbon in the form of a surfactant sourced from terrestrial biomass. Biosurfactants are biodegradable, making them an attractive alternative to chemically synthesized surfactants, typically petroleum-based and environmentally hazardous. One of the biosurfactant alternatives to replaced petroleum-based surfactants is Rhamnolipid. Rhamnolipids are a class of biosurfactants with effective surface-active properties that can be applied in the cosmetic, detergent, and cleaner industries, agriculture, and so on. Rhamnolipids can be produced using sugar as carbon sources by bacteria. Reducing production costs derived from carbon sources, sugar-containing waste, or waste that can be converted into sugar, are good candidates as carbon sources for Rhamnolipids production.

The third alternative is surfactant from plastic waste. As we already know, plastic waste has become another problem. Apart from its combustion results, which also contributes to greenhouse gases, plastic waste also disturbs the soil and marine ecosystem, which will be a very long discussion if we continue here. But do you know that plastic waste can be an alternative carbon source for surfactant synthesis? Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is a kind of plastic commonly used in high-strength fiber, photographic film, and soft drink bottle industries. Recycled PET can be modified to produce non-ionic surfactant. PET waste is converted into a glycolized product via glycolysis reaction using different ratios of Diethanol-Amide (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA). The glycolyzed product is used to synthesis the surfactant.

As we discussed in the previous paragraph, the problem of plastic waste is increasingly worrying. However, we cannot eliminate plastics, but we can replace plastic building blocks that are more environmentally friendly. So, this is the fourth carbon alternative, biodegradable polymers. Biodegradable polymers are manufactured from carbon-rich bio-based precursors such as agricultural wastes. Agricultural waste is a primary source of starting materials used in the production of bio-based plastics, plasticizers, and antioxidant additives. Vegetable-based agricultural wastes are a vital source of polysaccharides, which are essential precursors in developing natural plasticizers. Then, agricultural wastes such as mango kernel extracts, green tea extracts, grapefruit seed extracts, etcetera are used to formulate antioxidant additives that can inhibit the UV-based photodegradation of the plastics following exposure to sunlight. But there were two inherent challenges associates with the production of bio-based polymers. Firstly, the production capacity is low, and it cannot match the output of non-renewable plastics. Secondly, current technologies are limited and inadequate; there are no 100% biodegradable bio-based polymers with optimal mechanical properties.

Of the several alternative carbon sources that can replace fossil-based Carbon above, each of them still has weaknesses related to its products’ cost and effectiveness. However, it is not impossible that with the development of technology and regulations related to the environment, making a carbon transition will be achieved. That way, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced to slow down climate change. While scientists and industry work together in developing technology, what we can do from now on is to be wiser in consuming various carbon-based household products. Such as reducing the use of single-use plastic bags, making a habit of carrying refillable water bottles, and not overusing soap and detergents. Of course, these small steps can also slow down climate change if we do it together.

References:

Atta, Ayman M., et al. 2006. Surfactant from Recycled Poly (ethylene terephthalate) Waste as Water Based Oil Spill Dispersants. Journal of Polymer Research. 13: 39–52

Maraveas Chrysanthos. 2020. Production of Sustainable and Biodegradable Polymers from Agricultural Waste. Polymers. 12: 1–22

Sustainable Energy for All. 2017. Turning CO2 Into Soda Ash. https://www.seforall.org/news/turning-co2-into-soda-ash

Tan, Yun Nian and Li, Qingxin. 2018. Microbial Production of Rhamnolipid Using Sugar as Carbon Sources. Microb Cell Fact. 17: 89

Unilever. 2020. Unilever to Eliminate Fossil Fuels in Cleaning Products by 2030. https://www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2020/unilever-to-invest-1-billion-to-eliminate-fossil-fuels-in-cleaning-products-by-2030.html

US Environmental Protection Agency. Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Data. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data