Further information
Professor Klaus Lackner, Ewing-Worzel Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University presents this public lecture hosted by the Grantham Institute for Climate Change.
In the Chair: Professor Maggie Dallman, Principal of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
Vote of Thanks: Sir Brian Hoskins, Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change.
A drinks reception will follow the lecture.
Attendance at this lecture is free with registration in advance: l.brown@imperial.ac.uk.
Abstract: Air capture will most likely become the CO2 capture of last resort. It can compensate for all those emissions that otherwise would accumulate in the atmosphere. At large scale, air capture could reduce the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere much faster than natural processes. Ultimately air capture could be deployed to hold the CO2 content of the atmosphere at its desired level. Professor Lackner will describe his new technology for capturing CO2 directly from ambient air, by “artificial trees”, constructions that mimic the function of natural trees whereby leaves pull CO2 out of the air. The “artificial trees” also collect CO2 through their “leaves” and convert it to a form that can easily be collected and stored. These devices are considerably more effective at removing carbon from the atmosphere than real trees. This talk will also describe the technology and likely impact in more detail, and its potential special place in carbon management.
Biography: Professor Lackner is the Ewing-Worzel Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering and a member of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He is the Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy and the Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Professor Lackner received his Ph.D. in 1978 in theoretical physics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany and held postdoctoral positions at the California Institute of Technology and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center before joining Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1983. Currently he is developing innovative approaches to energy issues of the future. He has been instrumental in forming the Zero Emission Coal Alliance, an industry led group that defined the zero emission concept. His recent work is on environmentally acceptable technologies for the use of fossil fuels. His interest in self-replicating machine systems has been recognized by Discover magazine as one of seven ideas that could change the world.