CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When it comes to big industry, there's big interest in the Coastal Bend and as it turns out, that also makes us an ideal spot for carbon capturing.
It's a process Executive Director of the Center of Carbon Management and Energy at the University of Houston Charles McConnell said is linked to our booming industry.
"Several years ago, the Gulf Coast was identified in a nationwide study as a prime region for carbon capture utilization and emissions and storage," McConnell said.
He said in its simplest terms carbon capturing can be described as, "capturing carbon dioxide as an emission that goes through the atmosphere."
Due to the Coastal Bend's growing business partners, McConnell said that there is no surprise why South Texas is becoming a popular area for the field to grow.
"Abundance of petrochemical industries, oil and gas, the power generation that we have in our region," he said.
Texas A&M University-Kingsville Environmental Engineering Professor David Ramirez said carbon capture will also boost the local economy.
"It will create a significant amount of jobs, especially because it will create a hub that will be able to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere," Ramirez said.
He said that carbon capturing is a process that requires water, but is unsure exactly how much will be needed.
"The energy and resources, including water, that is needed to remove the amounts of CO2 will be beneficial," he said.
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