[L’industrie c’est fou] In Japan, vending machines capture carbon from the air

2023-05-16 05:30:00

Carbon capture projects are multiplying all over the world, including in Japan where the Asahi brewer is going to store CO2 in a totally improbable way… By mobilizing its vending machines! These vending machines are ubiquitous in the country and sell beverages as well as prepared meals, cigarettes and even SIM cards. Thirty of those belonging to the group’s subsidiary dedicated to non-alcoholic drinks absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in June. This carbon dioxide will then be used by the industry sector, which will use it as a raw material to manufacture fertilizers or even concrete.

“Conventional vending machines draw in ambient air and transform it into cold or warm air via an air conditioning system in order to cool or heat the products stored there. These new vending machines are equipped with a special material that allows them to filter and absorb atmospheric CO2,” Asahi said in a statement, without giving further details. Each automaton should offset up to 20% of the CO2 emissions generated by the production of the electricity used to operate it. The company estimates this will be equivalent to the annual intake volume of approximately 20 Japanese cedars.

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An energy-intensive solution

For the time being, this initiative is only an experiment, but the agrifood giant hopes to perpetuate it and extend it to all of its machines from 2024. Its patents are in the process of being filed for the design of the distributors carbon sensors and for CO2 recycling. Ultimately, Asahi wishes to develop carbon-neutral distributors.

More fashionable than ever, the direct capture of CO2 in the air is perceived as an effective means of combating global warming by some – several billionaires from the world of American tech (Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, etc.) , betting that this market will explode, are investing massively in capture technologies – and like greenwashing by others. Indeed, they are expensive, energy-intensive and could divert attention from the fact that, above all, we must reduce our CO2 emissions.