Battery-like device sucks carbon dioxide out of thin air
Using electricity and seawater chemistry would be more economical and efficient than today’s direct air capture technologies
A battery-like device has been developed to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Toyota Research Institute of North America. The technology, based on electricity and saltwater chemistry, promises to be more straightforward, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly compared to existing direct air capture (DAC) methods.
Despite the growth of alternative energy sources, carbon emissions from fossil fuels continue unabated, making atmospheric carbon dioxide removal essential for achieving climate goals. Traditional DAC systems utilize large fans to blow air over pricey materials that absorb CO2, which then need to be heated to release the gas for storage or conversion into useful products.
The new system eschews heat and sorbent materials, instead employing a battery-like electrochemical cell. The device is constructed by combining potassium-stabilized manganese dioxide electrodes in a saltwater solution. Carbon dioxide capture and release occur through a two-step reversible cycle. In the first step, the device alters the solution's pH to make it alkaline, enabling it to absorb carbon dioxide.
When the electrical current is reversed, the alkalinity decreases, releasing the greenhouse gas for storage. Early laboratory results indicate the technology's potential, but researchers face challenges in preventing the mixing of its two liquid streams, which would lower energy consumption and boost capture efficiency.
Written by urgent.news from Anthropocene Magazine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
