Getty Images, Carbozyme

Green Design

Scrubbing Bubbles

Low-Energy Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration—or the removal of harmful carbon emissions—is becoming a major front in sustainable industry. Whereas humans view CO2 as a major poison, plants and animals see it as a fundamental building block, processing it for energy or using it to construct shells, for example. With this in mind, Monmouth Junction (N.J.)-based Carbozyme developed an industrial flue scrubber that mimics the enzymes of mollusks to sequester CO2 from waste gases, converting it to nontoxic limestone powder. Unlike other gas separation methods, it operates at a moderate temperature and pressure.