CO2- The Solution

My name is Mara Santos, I'm a portuguese chemical researcher with experience in scientific research, science and technology management, science tutoring and entrepreneurship. I'm now working on an independent scientific project to mitigate CO2, capturing and transforming it into valuable carbon derivatives.

1. I'm committed to solve CO2 atmospheric excess.

2. I'm proposing a way to capture CO2 and transform it in valuable products.

3. Humanity can solve one of the biggest problems while developing new technologies to easy actual industries. 

CO2 is still a global problem even with this 2020 world lockdown. Studies shows that the implementation of all of the governments goals, will not prevent an excess of atmospheric CO2 by 2050 and there's an urgent need of direct air capture technology development. This project offers a way to transform a problem in a solution to many other problems, using the CO2 excess to enhance a new Carbon economy with different valuable products.

CO2 Capture by thermoacoustic refrigeration using air as working fluid;

Carbon separation in reaction with Magnesium;

Carbon transformation in:

- Nanodiamonds (medical aplications),

- Diamonds (jewerly and electronic applications),

- Carbon fiber (construction, transports, space and other applications, applying 3D print tecnhology),

- Other carbon derivatives (energy applications)

I'm trying to impact globally, reducing CO2 excess to prevent Climate Change issues. I'm trying to start where I am and to show this solution to promote its scaling around because it must be done globally to have a measurable impact.

In an advance mode, this project can promote a way to take CO2 from atmosphere, and create a car or a house using 3D printing. This can be a new business model with environmental advantages and in the future it can impact lives and the planet in a positive way.

Like I mentioned before, this is a global issue, if I just do it alone it will have only a little impact. I think it is well-aligned to the Elevate Prize because with this kind of projection it can become an example to be implemented all around and have a truly impact as needed.

I already was concerned about Climate Change issues. I travelled to New York in 2018 and my hotel was near Diamond District. I passed through there during a week and everytime I passed in the street, someone in the entry of the diamond shops asked me if I sell diamonds. I thought it was an incredible question but it was so repeated that I decided to use my Chemistry background and try to develop a new method to make synthetic diamonds. I immediately thought about CO2, because CO2 has Carbon and I started to research a way to capture it and separate carbon. All ways I found were not easy to reproduce, so I decided to try it with state of matter change and I researched a technology to solidify CO2 in a green way and then I thought about plants and how they interact with CO2, magnesium is in chlorophylle molecule and it has an easy interaction with CO2. Then, I though I can improve this not only to Syntethic Diamonds production but also to Carbon fiber that has much more applications. I presented my project in a national research event in Lisbon, in February.

Before Covid-19 this was our worst problem with a global negative impact and I wanted to give my scientific contribution to help to solve it. Right now this is not the only problem but it is yet a problem, so my motivation is still the same.

I'm a chemical researcher, I passed this two years studying this issue and I'm ready to take it to action. I worked in a government institution managing projects in international cooperation for 3 years so I have a manager background too and I've been working in a global scale in last years, in tutoting field. I think I know how to deal with a global scientific exposure and I wish I can find the right partners to move it forward right here.

I already try to find a partner in Womens for Climate Lisboa 2020, I passed the first phase of the challenge and I presented my project to a jury. They told me this is a controversial project because we must adopt new energy kind of technologies and with this easy way to take back CO2 we won't develop them but I think they are wrong, we must work together in all ways to revert climate change and here I am, trying again!

In that government organization that I worked I was part of a 3 persons team in the begining, I became the only responsible for that work during my job after the first year. It was determined to have a three years duration and I was promoted two times.

After that I dedicate to a own business in tutoring field. In last years I decided to work online to all over the world and this has been my financial mode, I only had a job in 4 years of my 18 years experience in scientific field.

Thermoacoustic refrigeration is an innovative way to get low temperatures, even cryogenic if needed. In the market there are already some options of this tecnhology but none of them are used to solidify CO2 and they were not design with this purpose even this happen as a side effect, so they have some disadvantages in the performance and they are no cheap.In final of the last year this article was published:

https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S2010132519500081. In this study, researchers just wanted to improve
the working fluid. Usually they use Helio but here they use Air and get
even better results. I want to design a specific equipment with this knowledge to the specific CO2 mitigation goal.

And usually researchers try difficult ways to separate CO2 after capture, but the reaction of CO2 with Magnesium is enough to separate Carbon and release Oxygen in the form of MgO, a non toxic product and this can turn it a renewable source of Mg:
https://novaresearch.unl.pt/en/publications/a-path-to-renewable-mg-reduction-from-mgo-by-a-continuous-wave-cr?fbclid=IwAR1CqPHcL-B7GBGw6vcrBT9nbc3gvMtdnETzS3gHY51xEeDm_wp6FZwJS_8, so this could be 100% sustainable project.

Nowadays we produce a lot of CO2 and it is has a negative impact in a global scale. With this project I want to change the way we look at CO2. We should reduce the production but even the CO2 already produced can be seen as valuable products and not as a big problem with no solution and promoting life extinction in the planet.

As we do this, we can change economy. Now it's all about petroleum, but it can be all about Carbon. Carbon is one of the most powerful elements and we can promote it's bigger utilization right now in many industries with lots of advantages.

Rigth now it serves my scientific curiosity and efforts to help the world.

In one or five years it can serve people all over the world, it depends on how much help do I have to implement it.

In one year I want to come back to New York and sell the requested diamonds in the Diamond District.

In five years I would like to have a printable car and house model with CO2.

I need financial help to get the machines to diamond production.
And the right partnerships to move forward in all aspects of the project.

I've been financing me till now, I think I'll continue even if it is not a fast development but If you can help me, I appreciate.

None, right now.

I want to provide a Carbon Capture technology that can be sold to other ones interested.

I want to transform Carbon in Diamonds and sell them.

I want to improve a way to produce Carbon derivatives and easy the use of Carbon fiber via 3D printing technology in the future of different industries.

Until now I invested my time and my own money, I'm trying to get sustained in any way that I'm finding right now. A prize will be a financial help and visibility to find another doors. WHen I sell my first products I think I can become self sustained again but in diamond production machinery, I would need some funding right now.

I'll go with the flow. For now this is the only place I'm trying to get any kind of financial or exposure help.

The essential expense to continue right now is the HTHP diamond production machine. The value of this prize would be a good help.

Financial help to buy the machinery that I need to produce diamonds and with them provide future growths.

Exposure to get a global impact as an example to follow.

Funding and exposure I already explained.

Talent recruting is important because I have this idea bigger than me, alone is not easy to do it all. I'm not an expert in 3D printing but in the future I would like to get involved with someone that can partner in this part of the project.

MIT in scientific research, would be a pleasure.