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Saudi Arabia to freeze carbon for repairing the environment scorched by global warming
5 Jul, 2021 / 03:34 AM / OMNES Media LLC

Source: http://me.mashable.com

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The damage caused by pollution and global warming has pushed countries as well as corporations across the world into action, prompting them to set targets for emission cuts. From electric mobility to the development of renewable energy sources, even authorities in the gulf's oil rich countries are constantly enhancing strategies to go green and tackle climate change.

Saudi Arabia, alongside its neighbour UAE, has initiated projects to create clean fuel like green hydrogen from water, and blue ammonia from emissions left behind by existing fossil fuels. Since capturing carbon dioxide can be a painstaking process, that still leaves room for environmental impact, researchers in the kingdom have come up with a way to freeze the gas, so that it can't escape.

Local Saudi talent at the King Abdullah University, is testing cryogenic technology developed by a US-based firm, for repairing the environment which faces the heat from global warming. Cryogenics is the science of producing materials or changing properties of existing substances by subjecting them to ultra-low temperatures, and can also be used to facilitate research.

In case of the kingdom, the technology follows other methods to catch hold of carbon emissions, which are stored for industrial use later, or to be supplied as fuel. The current trials are being conducted to pave the way for deployment of the tech at a power plant near the upcoming smart city NEOM.

By consuming just 10% of the energy which that facility will generate, cryogenics will be able to freeze 25 tonnes of emissions every year. This can be an affordable procedure as well, since it costs only half of what is being spent on carbon capturing measures which have currently been deployed.

Use of extreme temperatures is gaining popularity across sectors from pollution control to healthcare, as innovators have even come up with methods to freeze cancer cells for destroying tumours.

Saudi Arabia on its part has also been working on techniques to capture heat from solar power generation, for desalination of water.