A Californian company has proposed a scheme to turn waste carbon dioxide into a chemical compound that could be used in everything from drywall and fertiliser, through to yoghurt and toothpaste.

Santa Barbara-based Carbon Sciences aims to build a pilot plant in two years that will convert CO2 into precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). The material, which has a wide range of uses, can be produced using equipment of a similar size to commercial scrubbers, according to Derek McLeish, president and CEO of the company.

The process works by mixing water and carbon dioxide with rocks and minerals obtained from old mine sites, which are run through a mineral processor and combined in a convertor.