It has recently been published that researchers at Rice University (Houston, USA) have developed a new technology to capture carbon dioxide, and have published their discovery in the journal Nature.
The advantage of this new technology is that it can capture carbon dioxide at a much lower cost than other processes known to date. And that makes it very interesting for the industry, since it could be applied in industrial processes such as power plants, and others that generate high levels of CO2.
This new technology uses a combination of electrical and chemical processes to attract and trap carbon dioxide molecules. The system has a porous material that is coated with a layer of metal oxide. When an electric current is applied, the metal oxide layer creates an electric field that attracts carbon dioxide molecules. The carbon dioxide molecules are then trapped in the porous material through chemical bonds.
According to the researchers, the system is capable of capturing carbon dioxide at greater than 90% efficiency, and can do so at a cost of less than $20 per ton of CO2 captured. This is significantly lower than the cost of traditional carbon capture technologies, which can cost up to $100 per ton of CO2 captured. Hence its great interest.
Another piece of information provided by the researchers is that with the energy needed to illuminate a 50w bulb for one hour, between 10 and 25 liters of high purity carbon dioxide could be achieved.
The system is still in the early stages of development, but the Rice University engineers who developed it believe it has the potential to revolutionize the way carbon dioxide is captured and stored. If it can be successfully scaled up, it could play an important role in helping to mitigate climate change.
The porous material of the system is made up of a material called metal-organic framework (MOF). MOFs are a type of material that has a very high surface area, which means they can trap a lot of carbon dioxide molecules. The metal oxide layer on the surface of the MOF is what creates the electric field that attracts the carbon dioxide molecules.
Chemical bonds that trap carbon dioxide molecules are formed between carbon dioxide molecules and metal oxide molecules. These bonds are strong enough to keep carbon dioxide molecules in place, even when the system heats up.
According to the researchers, this has a number of advantages over traditional carbon capture technologies. First, it is capable of capturing carbon dioxide at a much lower cost. Second, it's more efficient, meaning it can capture more carbon dioxide from a given volume of air. Third, it's more durable, which means it can withstand the harsh conditions found in industrial settings.
If what they post holds true, this system could have the potential to revolutionize the way carbon dioxide is captured and stored. And if it can be scaled up successfully, it could be used to capture carbon dioxide from power plants, industrial facilities, and even vehicles. This would help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere and help mitigate climate change.
The Rice University engineers who developed it are currently working to scale up the technology and make it more affordable. And they believe their system has the potential to be a major player in the coming times to improve our planet's atmosphere.
Well, if these forecasts are met, a great step forward could be taken both to reduce the emissions that we generate in current industrial processes, and also to eliminate part of the CO2 that we already have in the atmosphere.
With the huge problem of climate change that we have upon us, there are many researchers looking for solutions to eliminate CO2, and it will be very positive if they find ways to do it, but we must not forget that the easiest, simplest and cheapest way is not to send CO2 to the atmosphere.
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