Cracking the CO2 Problem: Researchers look to make carbon dioxide beneficial

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Suppose you could convert some of the carbon dioxide into something useful, if not beneficial. That's the aim of the international Carbon XPRIZE competition. CGTN's Hendrik Sybrandy reports from the US state of Wyoming.

Last week, under this tent, the Wyoming Integrated Test Center formally opened for business.

MATT MEAD WYOMING GOVERNOR "It is the largest facility of its kind in North America, and as you can see behind me, this is not a lab."

The ITC is a place where researchers will study the capture, sequestration and management of carbon emissions from this coal-fired power plant right next door. The goal is to apply next generation technology to a problem that's vexed scientists for years.

WAYNE SONG C4X FOUNDER "CO2 is not a burden. It's a treasure, it's an asset."

Wayne Song is one of the ITC's first tenants. He's the founder of Suzhou, China-based C4X, one of 10 finalists in the Carbon XPRIZE, a competition sponsored by two energy companies that challenges teams to convert carbon dioxide into valuable products.

MARCIUS EXTAVOUR DIRECTOR, CARBON XPRIZE "There's too much of it in our atmosphere, in our environment. We've got to find a way to reduce that and one way to do that is to actually recycle it into useful stuff."

Marcius Extavour heads up the competition. Half the participating teams will set up shop here.

RAY DESTEFANO MANAGER, INTEGRATED TEST CENTER OPERATIONS "So this is one of the five test bays that will provide flue gas, electricity and processed water to the teams."

MARCIUS EXTAVOUR DIRECTOR, CARBON XPRIZE "And that's a safe spot where each team has basically got a pipe they can come up to, plug in, take some of that carbon dioxide coming off the plant and they've got to come up with a technology or process or something to transform that carbon into another useful material."

HENDRIK SYBRANDY GILLETTE, WYOMING "In fact, Song's team has already made two carbon-based products at its pilot plant. One is packaging for environmentally-friendly coffee cups and interior parts of cars. The other- WAYNE SONG C4X FOUNDER 'We will convert the CO2 into ethylene glycol, which is the best material for polyester.'"

Teams in the final round must up their scale, converting two metric tons of CO2 a day. They'll be judged on the engineering and marketability of their products and their ability to cut emissions. 15 million dollars in prize money is at stake but Song says it's about more than cash.

XPRIZE video, Wayne Song "50 years later, if we don't solve this issue, I can imagine people really cannot breathe, cannot lead a normal life."

MARCIUS EXTAVOUR DIRECTOR, CARBON XPRIZE "The problem and the challenge is urgent and pressing."

Extavour says no single solution will crack the CO2 problem.

MARCIUS EXTAVOUR DIRECTOR, CARBON XPRIZE "The goal here and the real prize is to stimulate new market activity and new innovation."

New ways of converting carbon that could be deployed at power plants and other industrial sites in the future. Hendrik Sybrandy, CGTN, Gillette, Wyoming.