The Radisson Blu Mall of America in Minneapolis has installed a carbon-capture technology unit, CarbinX, developed by CleanO2. The Radisson Blu is the first hotel to use the CarbinX system, which captures greenhouse gas emissions from heating equipment. The installation is part of a program by CenterPoint Energy, Minnesota’s largest natural gas utility, to explore the potential of new, cleaner energy technologies.
The CarbinX device, which is approximately the size of two home refrigerators, is connected directly to the flue of the hotel’s natural gas water heating equipment, where it captures carbon dioxide and converts it to a nontoxic carbonate powder known as pearl ash. CleanO2, the manufacturer of CarbinX, collects the pearl ash and recycles it as a key ingredient in commercial products such as soaps and detergents. The products are sold online to customers in the U.S. and Canada. They are also sold through several retail chains and boutiques in Canada.
Radisson Blu MOA also expects to reduce its energy bill because the CarbinX unit recycles heat, increasing efficiency in the water heating system to achieve both energy and cost savings.
CenterPoint Energy is deploying the CarbinX technology in a pilot program with 10 of its commercial customers in Minnesota. Additional CarbinX installations are also being considered for inclusion in the utility’s first five-year innovation plan under the Natural Gas Innovation Act, a new Minnesota energy law.
“We are thrilled to be leading the way to the future of hospitality stewardship,” GM Alberto Abreu said in a statement. “We at Radisson Blu Mall of America and Choice Hotels International are committed to being part of the climate change solution, and we are proud to be a leader in the industry as the first hotel in the world to install a CarbinX unit. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with CenterPoint Energy and CleanO2 to demonstrate the success of CarbinX in this setting, and we’re extremely optimistic about the impact this technology can make.”