Our hypothesis is that if we add more calcium hydroxide, add more water and keep the soultion mixing, then the carbon dioxide will have a higher chance of bonding with the calcuim hydroxide because it is moving around and more caluim hydroxide powder will move and most liklely collide with the carbon dixoide which will bond better.

What is carbon dioxide (CO₂)?

 Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a colorless gas essential for life on Earth. It trap heat from the sun, keeping the planet warm. Without it, Earth would be very cold, like a frozen ice ball. However, too much CO₂ in the air can causes global warming.

Which organizations in Calgary are trying to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere?

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are everywhere, and some organizations such as the University of calgary, Alberta Carbon Trunk Line Sistem, and Pathway Alliances are trying to reduce them. These organizations are doing their best to help against this concern by figuring out new ways to combat climate change reducing CO₂ emissions. 

How to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere?

You can remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air by using trees, the ocean, or special chemicals like calcium hydroxide, which reacts with CO₂ to form a solid.

There are some ways to remove CO₂ from the air, some of these are using chemicals to filter, scrub, or store it. 

1- Preparing the Air Chamber:

1. Open the lid of the air chamber and leave it open for 5 minutes to allow the air to stabilize.
2. Close the air chamber after 5 minutes.

2- Introducing Carbon Dioxide (CO₂):

3. Open the breath hole and breathe into the chamber for 2 minutes 
4. Close the breath hole after
5. Wait 2 minutes to allow the CO₂ to stabilize inside the chamber.

3- Preparation of Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) Solution:

1. Measure and add the required amount of Ca(OH)₂ (depending on the trial conditions).
2. Add the appropriate amount of water (depending on the trial conditions).
3. * Place the magnetic stirrer inside the Ca(OH)₂ and water solution and mix for 30 seconds.

*Even if the trial specifies "stirrer off," the solution is always mixed for 30 seconds at the start.

4. Experimental Run:
   1. Close the Erlenmeyer flask lid tightly and ensure that the tubes are correctly positioned.
      1. The tube coming from the air pump must end the the bottom for the flask
      2. The other tube must be out the liquid so the air returns to the chamber
   2. Start the experiment timer and countdown 25 minutes.
   3. Use the CO₂ tracker to record CO₂ levels every minute inside the air chamber.

We ran three trials of each expirament. Here is the normalized trials.

And here is the average of the three trials.

This is a line chart of the averages between all of them.

This project confirm our hypothesis, which is that if we add more calcium hydroxide, add more water and keep the soultion mixing, then the carbon dioxide will have a higher chance of bonding with the calcuim hydroxide because it is moving around and more caluim hydroxide powder will move and most liklely collide with the carbon dixoide which will bond better. The conditions that worked best were 500 ml of water, a large amount of calcium hydroxide and with the mixer turned on or trail no 5. With these conditions the absorption was faster and effective than with others.

Some organizations could use our results to help with carbon capture, and it may inspire new solutions for stopping climate change in the future.

In the future,  we could create systems for homes or outdoor spaces that could help reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Also if we may be used a different chemicals, we could capture other greenhouse gasses such a methane or carbon monoxide.

Instrumental:Our CO₂tracker may have read wrong readings and the precision measure could be incorrect.

Environmental: Some air could have escaped and the temperature might have impacted on the readings.

Human:Adding too much calcium hydroxide and/or maybe the numbers on the CO₂ tracker might of changed without us noticing.

1. Britannica Kids. (n.d.). Greenhouse effect. Retrieved from https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/greenhouse-effect/403919

2. Government of Alberta. (n.d.). Carbon capture, utilization and storage (carbon sequestration) tenure. Retrieved from https://www.alberta.ca/carbon-capture-utilization-and-storage-carbon-sequestration-tenure.

3.  University of Calgary. (n.d.). CO₂ sequestration research. Retrieved from https://ucalgary.ca/labs/geothermal-energy/research/research-areas/co2-sequestration.

4. University of Calgary. (n.d.). Carbon Capture 101: Nature-inspired technology. Retrieved from https://www.ucalgary.ca/news/carbon-capture-101-nature-inspired-technology. Also available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4oYs71J8Y0&t=197s.

5.  Pathways Alliance. (2025). Pathways Alliance: A group of oil sands companies working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Retrieved from https://pathwaysalliance.ca/

6.  Alberta Carbon Trunk Line System. (2025). Alberta Carbon Trunk Line: Capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions. Retrieved from https://www.albertacarbontrunkline.com/

7. Zhang, Y., & Xu, Y. (n.d.). Carbon dioxide capture using calcium hydroxide aqueous solution as the absorbent. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231272927_Carbon_Dioxide_Capture_Using_Calcium_Hydroxide_Aqueous_Solution_as_the_Absorbent.

8. CCUS and Alberta’s Low-carbon Future (2024). [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti47uOXl7RI.

9. Macklin, C. (2024). Carbon capture and storage: What’s the reality? [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L78gvdx-S8s

10. Teen makes a diy co₂ capture device! help solve climate change! (2024). [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QLQEsReCN0

We would like to express our gratitude to our parents, St Luke School, Mme Colette, Mme Jasmine, parents volunteers, and CYSF for the constant support (including resources and knowledge), encouragement, motivation  and guidance needed to complete this project.

Thank you for helping us to succeed!