An Israeli startup has joined the fight against global warming by seeking inspiration in the upper atmosphere, where it hopes to send fleets of balloons that will trap carbon dioxide for recycling.

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Carbon dioxide emissions, from the burning of fossil fuels and from industrial agriculture, are the main cause of climate change. But removing CO2 from the atmosphere at standard temperatures requires too much energy for governments and companies to consider it cost-effective.

High Hopes Labs developed a system that captures the carbon where it has almost solidified, far above the Earth.

"The beautiful thing is that capturing gas is very easy when it's close to freezing...," CEO Nadav Mansdorf told Reuters.

"Carbon is freezing in minus 80 degrees (Celsius) and the only place that we can find carbon in a temperature close to that, is 15 kilometers (nine miles) above our heads."

The company has tested its system on a small scale, Mansdorf says, releasing gas-filled balloons with a box that serves as a carbon-capture device attached underneath.

The frozen carbon is then separated from the air to be brought back to earth and can be recycled.

The company aims to build larger balloons within two years that could each be deployed to remove a ton of carbon a day at a cost below $100, much less than comparable on-ground facilities currently in use, Mansdorf said.

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Lag B'Omer bonfires cost the Israeli economy 43 million shekels ($13.2 million) per year, and the smoke from them is equivalent to the emissions from 70,000 cars over the course of an entire years, according to a new report prepared by Chen Herzog, partner and chief economist at the accounting firm BDO Consulting in cooperation with BDO economist Yael Armon.

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The BDO analysis used data from Lag B'Omer in 2018, which was the last year in which bonfires were allowed without restrictions. In 2019, due to severe hot weather, many local municipalities banned bonfires, and in 2020, bonfires and gatherings were subject to COVID regulations about public gatherings.

Research form the Environmental Protection Ministry indicates that while the bonfires are lighted, the rate of air pollution increases by four to 10 times in comparison to regular levels. The main damage comes in the form of particulate matter released while the bonfire fuel is burned and which create a health hazard. These particles range in size from 2.5 to 10 micrometers, approximately the thickness of a strand of human hair, and can penetrate the nose's defenses and collect in the lungs. Population sectors at risk include asthma sufferers, who are particularly vulnerable.

The fires also release various gases, including carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The damage increases even more when bonfires include not only wood, but materials such as plastic, which release various types of dioxins into the air that are poisonous, and in some cases carcinogenic.

According to Herzog, regulatory agencies in Israel are focused on the possible damage to property that Lag B'Omer fires can cause, but ignore the health and environmental problems they create.

"The Fire and Rescue Services issued a directive this year limited bonfires to dedicated areas only. This directive is designed to limit the dangers of the fires and resulting damage to property but not the environmental damage," Herzog said.

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As part of its vision to reduce plastics, McDonald's largest independent franchise has announced that it will be replacing its standard plastic food trays with a more sustainable, recycled plastic produced by Israeli cleantech startup UBQ Materials.

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Since launching its plastics reduction program in 2018, Arcos Dorados, which operates McDonald's restaurants in Latin America and the Caribbean, has removed over 1,300 tons of single-use plastic from its outlets.

UBQ Materials converts household waste into a climate-positive, biobased, thermoplastic. In contrast to standard recycling procedures, UBQ's technology takes all types of landfill- waste – food leftovers, paper, cardboard, and mixed plastics – and converts it all into a single composite thermoplastic material compatible with industry machinery and manufacturing standards.

In the first phase of the partnership, 30 restaurants operated by McDonald's Brazil replaced 7,200 serving trays with new ones from UBQ. The plan is to extend the model to all McDonald's outlets in Brazil. Another 11,000 trays are already in production, and the new trays will keep over 1,200 kg of waste out of landfills.

According to UBQ, every ton of its bio-based thermoplastic keeps nearly 12 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent prevents nearly 12 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent out of the environment. According to Quantis, a firm that assesses environmental impact, this metric makes UBQ the most climate-positive thermoplastic on the market.

The new trays are produced by the Brazilian company Semaza, whose plant is in Santana de Parnaíba, in the Greater São Paulo region. The introduction of trays made with UBQ will be gradually extended to the other units in the chain, while old tray models withdrawn from the restaurants will be used in the circular economy projects promoted by Arcos Dorados.

"We as a company are fully committed to the environment and are doing everything possible to reduce the impact of our operation by means of our Recipe for the Future platform. The partnership with UBQ is yet another step towards introducing more and more innovative solutions to improve the world around us, and we are proud to take this first step, supporting a technology that will transform the way society recycles its organic waste," said Gabriel Serber, director of sustainable development and social impact at Arcos Dorados.

Executive chairman of UBQ Materials Albert Douer said that "UBQ has the potential to revolutionize the way we view waste. The market at large is demanding sustainable solutions and the fast-food industry is no exception. UBQ enables manufacturers to create products that positively impact our world, without compromising on profitability – the solution is as simple as implementation."

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