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GE may soon be able to permanently sequester carbon dioxide or use the gas to create sustainable aircraft fuel, according to E&E News’ CLIMATEWIRE (subscription).

What’s going on: Earlier this week, the 130-year-old manufacturer successfully lab-tested its first direct air capture prototype unit for carbon dioxide removal.

• “We want to be able to create decarbonization pathways so that it’s not just renewables and nuclear that have a limited carbon footprint, but also the gas turbines that we have, as well,” GE Research Carbon Capture Technology Leader David Moore told the publication.
• The successful demonstration comes less than three years after the launch of the company’s carbon capture team.

Why it’s important: GE, which has deep expertise “moving air, developing molecules and managing heat,” is well-poised to become a leader in direct air capture, paving the way for decarbonization on a larger scale.

What’s next: GE plans to build a pilot facility capable of permanent carbon dioxide sequestration or enabling the use of the compound in sustainable aviation fuel.

• In the works for 2024 is a rebranding of the company’s power division—including its carbon-management work—as a new company, GE Vernova.