Was This Project a Success?

An evaluation of its worth

This project has been in the works for over 2 years, and it has started slowing down. Would I call it a success? Yes. Yes, in the sense that I learned lots about chemistry and doing projects. No, otherwise. Let me explain.

Pertaining to the numbers, my project wasn't a success. I blame the lack of proper lab, primarily.

A valuable lesson that I learned is that it's hard to replicate the work of famous scientists (with massive laboratories and massive budgets) in your bedroom. I'm not saying it's not possible; my carbon capture machine worked, just not at a level that could make any change. And I did the math, too. I found out that even with the most efficient machine possible, you would need a gargantuan number of machines to make an impact. Again, I'm not saying that carbon capture is not possible and is not needed (it is), but it made me think. It made me think that carbon capture is not something that comes swooping in, saving us from climate apocalypse. It isn't a crutch; it's the finale in our carbon emission reductions. We can't rely too heavily on it, and we cannot act like it is our crutch.

Is this project worth it for you? It depends on the person, but this is more of a learning journey than anything else. Are you looking to learn more about chemistry, physics, and the viability of carbon capture? Then go ahead, this is for you. Are you a genius who wouldn't learn anything while doing this? Then maybe this isn't for you. I'm 100% not shooting down your dreams. If you're serious about this, I beg you to get access to a real lab and become a researcher. Develop the machines of the future!

Because of what I've just said, I've decided to move on to more tangible research that can tackle our world's plastic problem and lower our CO2 emissions at the same time, bioplastic. This isn't the end of carbon capture for me. I hope to someday continue this in college or as an internship. Furthermore, all my projects in the future will have a part, whether large or small, about CO2 reduction because I've learned just how important it is.

Best of luck to you.