one of the hardest stones to mine out of
the earth is a diamond
but what if we can just make it out of
thin air literally
a uk company named sky diamond hopes to
revolutionize the traditional diamond
mining industry
by using carbon capture technology the
company calls it a zero impact diamond
because the process pulls carbon dioxide
right out of the air although a diamond
traps only a modest amount of carbon
one carrot contains just 200 milligrams
pure carbon can take many forms
it really all depends on how the atoms
are arranged graphite is arranged into
multiple layers
graphene in a single layer and if it's
rolled up it forms carbon nanotubes
but when each carbon forms four strong
bonds in a tetrahedral structure
it becomes a diamond most natural
diamonds were formed over a billion
years ago
more than 120 kilometers beneath the
earth's surface
this is where intense temperature and
pressure cause carbon atoms to strongly
bond together
and arrange into crystal structures
volcanic eruptions
bring these crystals embedded in magma
to the surface
when the magma cools it hardens in long
vertical shafts
called kimberlite pipes and these pipes
are what's not after in the mining
industry
they're found in countries like russia
botswana canada
and the democratic republic of the congo
when a source of diamonds is found
there are three common ways their mind
open pit
marine and alluvial which is the mining
of stream bed deposits
and all three can have quite dramatic
environmental consequences
not to mention it also takes a huge toll
on the people in these mining
communities
the term conflict diamond was first
coined in reference to a series of wars
that broke out in diamond rich countries
in western and central africa during the
90s
the illicit trade in diamonds has funded
wars and human rights abuses for decades
and conflict diamonds continue to leak
out to this day now synthetic diamonds
offer an alternative to traditional
mining practices
they are chemically identical to their
earth mind counterparts but
instead of forming over the course of
billions of years labs can create them
in just a few days
one of the common ways synthetic
diamonds are made is through a process
called chemical vapor deposition
also known as cvd a thin layer is cut
from a starter diamond to form what's
called a seed
the seed is then polished to an exact
thickness and placed inside a reactor
with a carbon containing gas
microwaves generate intense heat in the
reactor forming an electrically charged
plasma
carbon atoms break away from the plasma
then deposit on the diamond seed
causing them to form a bigger crystal
conditions have to be just right
or you'll end up with very expensive
pencil lead instead of a sparkly diamond
unfortunately this process has some
pretty intensive energy needs
it's even been argued that lab diamonds
can produce three times as much
greenhouse gas
as mining naturally occurring diamonds
but some synthetic gem labs like sky
diamond
think they have a better approach they
use the same cbd process but with a
hundred percent renewable energy
made from wind and solar sky diamond is
taking the process
one step further by using little more
than air and rain water to make diamonds
their facility extracts carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere then liquefies and
purifies it
through electrolysis rainwater is split
into hydrogen and oxygen the hydrogen
from the water and the carbon from the
co2
make methane this methane becomes plasma
in the reactor
and ultimately provides the carbon atoms
that stick to the seed
transforming it to a beautiful stone
this has been a year's long journey and
the company is finally planning to start
production in 2021
while sky diamond is focused on jewelry
diamonds with ethical and environmental
profiles
may one day help clean up another place
diamonds are used
in industry diamonds are used in
computer chip production
construction and machinery manufacturing
synthetics are especially popular
because they're easy to produce
can be quality controlled and be custom
made for specific applications
in the u.s 99 of industrial grade
diamonds are synthetic
but most are made with brown energy from
fossil fuels but with companies like sky
diamond putting the focus on renewable
energy and carbon capture
perhaps this 21st century bling is a
tiny step towards a brighter future
before we work with the environment
instead of against it if you like this
flashy episode on diamonds
check out how diamond animal cells are
helping us figure out what's inside
earth's core
if you have a science topic you want us
to cover let us know down in the
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