On a recent visit to the Energy Institute offices at 61 New Cavendish Street in London, Albert ‘Bertie’ Read reflects on the prize-winning project and his future plans.

‘I care a lot about the planet and I care about humans. And the way for humans and the planet to coexist is to make sure what we’re doing has as little impact as possible,’ he says.

With that philosophy in mind, Read built a bicycle accessory from upcycled household items that removes CO₂ from the air.

The device uses an old fish tank air pump to bubble air through limewater. The CO₂ reacts with the calcium hydroxide in the limewater to form calcium carbonate, which gardeners can use as a liming material.

Powered by a dynamo and solar panels, the proof-of-concept worked; having extracted and weighed the calcium carbonate, he estimated the device sequestered 6 grammes of CO₂. Further envisioned improvements include a miniaturised version, and another with bottle screw attachment with air bubbler attached so the reservoir can be topped up.

Although the innovative Wallington County Grammar School, Sutton, London, student had seen the chemical reaction in his GCSE chemistry course, it was only when researching environmental projects for the Big Bang competition that he realised its potential use in carbon capture.

Read admits that he originally entered the competition with an eye towards boosting his university applications, to study chemical engineering.

Explaining his choice of course of study, he says: ‘I’m hoping to work on things to do with environment, energy or carbon capture, or even simple processes, thinking about efficiency and saving energy. Chemical engineering has a big part to play in sustainability.’

Growing up, Read often tinkered and made things in his spare time – he recalls trying out various cardboard wing cutouts to a high-street drone toy, for example – but had to give it up when the pressures of school increased. ‘To be an engineer you have to have a good academic record, so I had to knuckle down. But doing this project got me back to that.’

The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author only and are not necessarily given or endorsed by or on behalf of the Energy Institute.

*The Energy Institute Climate Change Special Award recognises projects developed by young people aged 11–18 that aim to bring about a lasting reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the UK’s goal of net zero by 2050.

For more information about the Big Bang Competition, click here. The deadline for entries for the 2025 competition is 26 March.

• Further reading: ‘Making hydrogen fuel from scrap metal’. Winners of the 2023 Energy Institute Climate Change Award, Kayra Hutchison, Anabelle Cox and Isabelle Assor from Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School, describe their innovative concept that produces hydrogen gas through the reaction of liquid gallium, scraps of waste aluminium foil and water using the Grotthuss Mechanism.
• ‘Empowering the public’s energy autonomy: environmental and cost benefits’. Winners of the 2022 Energy Institute Climate Change Special Award, Sasha Polakov and Josephine Hibou from St Paul’s Girls’ School, explain the benefits of their innovative and novel solar blinds concept, SolUp.