Who could have imagined Vodka could be made out of thin air?
The Air Company did, and hence the world’s first carbon dioxide-based Vodka was created.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is one of the most hazardous greenhouse gases and a major contributor to climate change; however, this startup has discovered a way to utilise the surplus CO2 in the air by employing carbon conversion technology to create sustainable products in a variety of sectors.
A new age of beverages
Started in 2017, by Gregory Constantine (CEO) and Stafford Sheehan (CTO), the Air Company is an American Engineering start-up, beverage maker and developer of Ethanol products. Its headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York.
This environmentally friendly startup develops unique technologies with the purpose of helping the environment by converting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into tangible products.
Although the company now has a significant market across the United States, Sheehan’s invention began as a harmless jest in 2017, when he was a chemist researching on artificial photosynthesis. He built an electrolyser there, and one of the fuels he produced was ethanol, which he would later use to make beverages.
The company’s primary product is Air Vodka which made its debut in November 2019 just before the pandemic hit. It is the world’s first alcoholic beverage made from carbon dioxide as opposed to traditional vodka that is manufactured from grains and yeast.
How this innovative Vodka is made
Air Vodka is made of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) extracted from the air, utilises water for hydrogen production, and employs solar energy for power generation. Because the majority of the work is done by air, water, and solar energy, this vodka can be considered a byproduct of nature itself. All of these processes are based on the same principles as photosynthesis, but with the exception that it is artificial.
The company devised a method that electrolyses water, separating it into hydrogen and oxygen by using solar power energy.
CO2 is then gathered from the air (the Air Company has partnered with nearby factories to collect CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere), liquefied at a Niagara Falls hydroelectric facility, and delivered to the company’s own distillery in Brooklyn. After that, the split hydrogen is mixed with CO2.
These components are then combined to produce ethanol, (the substance that is responsible for making people drunk) which is then combined with water and distilled in massive tanks to remove any impurities, leaving only alcohol as a result.
What’s more to them
Air Vodka is not only composed of carbon dioxide, but it is also carbon negative. When a regular bottle of Vodka is created it emits upto 13 pounds of greenhouse gases, but each bottle made by Air Company’s can remove one pound of CO2 from the air.
Furthermore, each of their bottles can absorb as much CO2 in a day as eight fully grown trees. Not only that, their labels are also 100 per cent biodegradable, created with vegetable ink on printers that use recycled water and run on renewable energy.
Furthermore, their seal is also completely biodegradable and their packaging is composed of recycled cardboard.
A more sustainable future
The Air Company intends to use CO2 to create more environmentally friendly items such as fragrances and cleaning supplies.
The company has also teamed up with NASA to work on a project to make glucose from ethanol obtained from CO2, which might be utilised for meals sent to space.
During the pandemic, they also produced hand sanitisers.
Read More: Policy changes needed to support avocado production in India
