Midday Science Cafe - Curbing Climate Change through Carbon Removal
Stringent climate change targets, including lowering the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, will require both a decline in global emissions of CO2 and an increase in CO2 removal. CO2 removal describes an array of natural and technological strategies that capture and remove CO2 from the air and store it semi-permanently in some form. At this month’s Midday Science Cafe, we’ll hear from researchers who study just a few CO2 removal strategies under consideration. First Matthew Dods, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Berkeley, will describe research related to highly adsorbent, porous materials—called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)—that pull CO2 directly from the atmosphere. Then we will hear from Dr. Hanna Breunig, a Research Scientist in the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division at Berkeley Lab, who studies “enhanced weathering”, a process that speeds up the cycle of breaking down rocks that aid in Earth’s natural CO2 removal. Join us to learn more about CO2 removal technologies critical for lowering atmospheric CO2 to sustainable levels in this century!
Featuring:
Dr. Hanna Breunig
Research Scientist
Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division
Berkeley Lab
Matthew Dods
Ph.D. Student
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
UC Berkeley
Thursday, April 20, 2023 | 12 PM
Brought to you by UC Berkeley’s Science at Cal and Berkeley Lab’s Government & Community Relations Office, “Midday Science Cafe” is a virtual series that highlights compelling and complementary scientific research from both institutions.