“Climate change is one of the most pressing issues, along with poverty and gender inequality” (European Commission). It is also one of the goals with less progress since the 17 Sustainable Development Goals were approved: “atmospheric concentrations of the major greenhouse gases continued to increase despite the temporary reduction in emissions in 2020 related to measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The six years from 2015 to 2020 are likely to be the warmest on record.” (United Nations)
By 2050, according to the Paris Agreement, the whole planet needs to achieve net zero C02 emissions, in order to maintain the global temperature at a maximum of 1.5 ºC above the pre-industrial levels –reaching 2ºC above pre-industrial levels would implicate catastrophic consequences like the ocean reefs disappearance–.
But to reach this finish line, it is extremely necessary that we urgently pursue measures that reduce the greenhouse gases emissions, on the one hand, and we find ways of restoring the damage already done, on the other hand.
Let’s innovate to find new technologies that make this possible and let’s support the paths that have been already set out on. At Strata we are proud of saying that we do so, by helping innovative and sustainable projects and companies to reach their path to implementation.
“Innovation will be a key driver to combat climate change“
The production and use of Green Hydrogen create promising journeys that are already on track and that we support. Today, the production of Hydrogen represents more than the 2% of the C02 emissions footprint; it’s the so-called Grey Hydrogen. However, in the near future, the production of Green Hydrogen will avoid CO2 emissions by implementing different ways of producing hydrogen in a respectful way for the planet.
At Strata we do endorse companies involved in Green Hydrogen related projects such as NANOGAP, a company which is currently collaborating in the EU-funded project Bac-To-Fuel. NANOGAP develops a revolutionary technology –based on Atomic Quantum Clusters (AQCs)– with applications in the production of hydrogen and the reduction of CO2. With such a technology, NANOGAP is a valuable collaborator of Bac-To-Fuel project which “will validate a prototype system at TRL5 which is able to transform CO2/H2 into added-value products in a sustainable and cost-effective way specifically for the European transport sector.”
This project is based on the ecologic production of hydrogen, obtained by the hydrolysis of water in the presence of sunlight. Along with C02, and through the use of a genetically modified bacteria, this H2 will be transformed into biofuels for vehicles. This novel design, still in progress, “will enable the EU to become a world leader in the competitive photo-bio production of fuel. Using this process, CO2 pollution will also be simultaneously removed from the environment.”
Another innovative company who is helping with the decarbonization of the planet is NANOGENCE. “Cement production alone accounts for as much as 7% of global CO2 emissions – three times the emissions produced by aviation.” Thus, it is of vital importance to take measures for this industry to reduce its impact on the environment. NANOGENCE develops smart catalysts that enhance cement quality. This results in a cement production with less C02 emissions than old-aged-techniques-made cements production and also contributes to lower cost products. Strata is collaborating with NANOGENCE through the EIC Accelerator ngCon project that aims to initiate a paradigm shift towards sustainable cement production through customer validations. In this project, NANOGENCE works along some of the worldwide leading cement producers.
Image by will zhang from Pixabay
