Company Uses Solar Energy, Water And Captured CO2 To Make Vodka From Thin Air

Air Co.- a startup from Brooklyn claims that it has created the first-ever “carbon negative vodka” in the world by using solar energy to turn captured carbon dioxide into ethanol.

According to Gregory Constantine, the co-founder of Air Co., each bottle of this special vodka contains one pound of CO2, which is equivalent to eight full-grown trees. While traditional vodka is made using fermenting starch-rich grains such as potatoes or wheat in a process that generates a great amount of greenhouse gases, the vodka from Air Co.s is made using carbon dioxide and water in a process that actually removes CO2 from the air.

Stafford Sheehan, Air Co.’s other co-founder, said that the company got the inspiration for this vodka-making process from photosynthesis, where plants suck in CO2. Plants soak in water and use sunlight to make things such as sugars and other hydrocarbons which are higher in value with the only by-product is oxygen. This vodka-making process is the same with oxygen as the sole by-product.

Reportedly, a small machine that runs on solar energy is used to suck in carbon dioxide and be split into oxygen and carbon. Then, in order to form pure ethanol, water, and the separated molecules are mixed together, using a mental-based catalyst.

After that, water is removed from the process via distilling. And the only substance left behind is the alcohol. He said:

The vodka carbon from Air Co. is not only negative but theoretically, it is also purer compared to traditional spirits. This is because it doesn’t contain any impurity from the fermented grains.

This innovative product from Air Co. can only be found at a few select restaurants and bars in New York City. One bottle costs $65. The company has planned on expanding its distributing network in 2020. In its goal of becoming a business focusing on lifestyle, making carbon-negative vodka is only the first step. The company’s co-founders also want to make home cleaning supplies as well as fragrances using made-from-CO2 pure ethanol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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