기체 탄소가 단단한 돌로...호주 세계 첫 '탄소 정제소' 가동 / YTN

[Anchor] Technology that goes beyond simply trapping carbon dioxide—the main culprit behind global warming—and transforms it into solid resources used in daily life, such as stone or cement, has entered the commercialization stage. In Australia, the world's first "carbon refinery," which directly takes factory emissions and turns them into solid products, has begun full-scale operations. Reporter Han Sang-ok reports. [Reporter] Steam continuously billows from the chimney of a massive chemical factory. Right next to it, another state-of-the-art facility connected by dense pipelines catches the eye. This is the world's first commercial "carbon refinery," which opened in New South Wales, Australia. It sucks carbon dioxide emitted from a nearby explosives manufacturing plant directly into the pipelines and reacts it with special minerals, causing white solid lumps to pour out. The carbon dioxide, which was a gas, has transformed into solid minerals such as "magnesium carbonate" and "silicate" in just three hours. It has artificially compressed the mineral carbonation process, which takes millions of years in nature. [Mark Leyson, Chief Technology Officer, MCI Carbon: In nature, carbon dioxide dissolves in rainwater and reacts with minerals underground to be stored for a long time. We have dramatically accelerated this process to make it immediately usable in industrial settings.] The solid carbon material produced in this way undergoes a crushing process and is supplied back to industrial sites as a raw material for making concrete, cement, and architectural gypsum boards, as well as glass and paper. This represents a step beyond conventional 'Capture and Storage (CCS)' technology, which involves burying carbon deep underground, and implements a 'circular economy' that creates actual products infused with carbon. [Chris Bowen, Australian Minister for Energy and Climate Change: Simply reducing emissions is not enough to remove all the carbon from the air. Some must be captured, and this refinery is driving a significant change in our decarbonization journey.] The demonstration plant, which has just begun operations, is capable of capturing 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide annually to produce 10,000 tons of eco-friendly building materials. It is garnering expectations as a new breakthrough for companies in so-called "difficult sectors for carbon reduction," such as steel, cement, and chemicals. This is Han Sang-ok from YTN. Video Editing: Im Hyun-cheol YTN Han Sang-ok ([email protected]) ※ 'Your tip becomes news' [KakaoTalk] Search for YTN and add the channel [Phone] 02-398-8585 [Email] [email protected] ▶ Original Article: https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0104_202607... ▶ Send a Tip: https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited.