新奇事件簿 变废为宝 节省能源（在线收听）

Scientists at the Canadian company Carbon Engineering have said they are close to making carbon capture work. Carbon capture is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from places like power plants and then storing it so it does not harm the environment. Carbon Engineering says its scientists are close to capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and turning it into carbon-neutral fuel. This could be a big step forward in the fight against global warming. The scientists also said they have greatly reduced the cost of carbon capture, to as low as $94 per ton of CO2 captured. Many scientists believed carbon capture would cost about $1,000 per ton captured.

加拿大公司Carbon Engineering的科学家表示他们很快就能将碳捕获物尽其用。碳捕获是从发电厂之类的地方捕获废弃二氧化碳，然后再将它们储存起来的过程，这样就不会危害环境。Carbon Engineering表示公司科学家很快就能从大气捕获二氧化碳并将其转化为碳平衡燃料。这是对抗全球变暖的重大迈进。科学家们还表示他们极大减少了碳捕获的成本，将成本降至每吨捕获二氧化碳仅94美元。很多科学家认为碳捕获的成本每吨将近1000美元。

The technology works by sucking air into special industrial towers. The CO2 is mixed with an alkaline liquid and frozen. It is then heated and combined with hydrogen. This produces liquid fuels like gasoline and jet fuel. The founder of Carbon Engineering, Professor David Keith, was optimistic about the future of this process. He believes his company could help to combat climate change. He said: "After 100 years of practical engineering and cost analysis, we can confidently say that while air capture is not some magical cheap solution, it is a viable and buildable technology for producing carbon-neutral fuels in the immediate future, and for removing carbon in the long run."

该技术是通过将空气吸入一个特殊的工业塔中。二氧化碳和碱性液体相混合并进行冷冻。然后再进行加热并和氢气相结合。这样可以产生液态燃料，比如汽油和喷气燃料。Carbon Engineering创始人， 大卫·基恩教授对这个方法的未来表示乐观。他认为他的公司能够帮助对抗气候变化。他说：“进行实用工程学和成本分析百年后，我们可以自信地说虽然空气捕获并不是某种神奇的节省方法，但是在不久的将来，它将成为制造碳平衡燃料的一种可行且可信赖的技术，从长远看来，这种技术也能消除二氧化碳。”