Recently, MIT chemical engineers reported having developed a material that reacts with carbon dioxide to grow. It can transform carbon dioxide in the air into a solid, stable material using only sunlight. The material is self-repairing and The exact applications for mass production of this product is unclear and unready; however, I do wonder about the social and environmental implications of this technology.
This technology (and any technology to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere) makes me think of Elon Musk. We have become so dependent on technology to save us from our own problems. However, a much easier solution would be to reduce carbon emissions. Professor Michael Strano comments that their work shows “carbon dioxide need not be purely a burden.” I am intrigued at how this technology will play out and how it could help decrease the carbon in the atmosphere. Yet I am skeptical that scientific advancements like these will reduce the efforts to slow our exploitative behavior. I wonder if Wendell Berry would approve of this technology. Would he wear a shirt made of this material or use a phone that used this material in its phone screen? This technology essentially passes all his nine standards for technological innovation (especially #6 and #7 that the technology should be easily repairable). However, this technology also serves as a type of bandage to our deeper ecological and technological problems. Would Berry support technology that allows us to keep exploiting the environment even if it did pass all his standards for technological innovation?
The technology draws its inspiration and design from chloroplasts in plants, which absorb carbon dioxide from the air to transform it into glucose. I, personally, am always amazed at how we can replicate and mimic organic systems in our own technology. Previous attempts at human created regeneration often require external input (UV light, heating, or a chemical treatment), but this material is lower maintenance and has a readily-available energy source. Steven Johnson would love this particular carbon-fixing material because the researchers found their answers in a topic they were already familiar with. Additionally, the researchers are using what is already abundant – sunlight and carbon dioxide – to create a self-repairing material. Funnily enough, many environmentalists are inspired by the beauty of nature to help save the Earth. In this case, scientists are inspired by nature to replicate it.
Final comments: I wonder if this material is recyclable or compostable. It would likely be a more environmentally friendly alternative to many of the materials we use today. That would be the perfect technology – it actively reduces the amount of carbon in the air and reduces emissions by replacing a carbon-emitting material. Nevertheless, such a technology would not change our society’s exploitative view of the environment.
Ashlyn Chapman
Additional article: https://www.inverse.com/article/49866-scientists-design-self-healing-material