NASA’s Machines for Mars Make Beer Bubbly
Carbon-capture technology repurposed for breweries spreads and finds new applications The post NASA’s Machines for Mars Make Beer Bubbly appeared first on NASA Science .
In 2021, Maine Beer Company faced a carbon dioxide shortage that threatened the quality of its beer. To solve the issue, the brewery turned to a technology originally designed for NASA's efforts to create resources on Mars. NASA's plans for Martian resource harvesting, developed by Pioneer Astronautics, involved capturing carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and combining it with hydrogen to produce water and methane.
Pioneer Astronautics founder Robert Zubrin later sold these systems to Pioneer Energy, which recognized their potential in the oil and gas industry. In 2015, the Craft Brewery Recovery System was created to capture and purify carbon dioxide from the brewing process, allowing breweries to carbonate their beer. Earthly Labs, founded by Amy George in 2016, developed a smaller scale version of the system and obtained an exclusive license.
The technology has since been adopted by wineries, distilleries, energy companies, and helium producers, reducing carbon dioxide shortages and emissions.
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