New Material Revolutionizes Carbon Capture Technology: 200 Grams of It Can Absorb as Much Carbon Dioxide as a Tree

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new material that can absorb as much carbon dioxide as a tree removes from the atmosphere in one year. According to their findings, published in Nature, just 200 grams of this material can do the job.

Context. To combat global warming caused by greenhouse gases and meet the United Nations’ climate goals, society needs to make progress on two key areas. First, we have to reduce carbon emissions by electrifying all sectors and developing new clean and renewable energy sources. We also have to eliminate the existing carbon dioxide already present in the atmosphere.

A new technology for carbon capture. Researchers have created an innovative material known as COF-999 that’s particularly effective in capturing carbon dioxide. It can do this even at low concentrations found in ambient air, unlike other technologies that are more effective only at high concentrations of carbon dioxide.

How it works. COF-999 has a porous crystalline structure with regular pores that increase its surface area for carbon dioxide capture. These pores are coated with amine groups, which chemically bind to carbon dioxide as it passes through the material.

The new material can be reused by heating it to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It then releases the captured carbon dioxide. Later on, this gas can be stored underground or repurposed for producing synthetic fuels, carbonated beverages, and hardened cement. Notably, the material can withstand up to 100 capture cycles.

Tested under real-world conditions. Researchers tested the material by passing outdoor air from Berkeley through it. They found that it effectively removed all carbon dioxide from the environment while maintaining chemical stability after several cycles of use.

According to the study, just 200 grams of COF-999 can absorb 44 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year, which is equivalent to the amount that an average tree captures.

“Nothing like it.” Chemist and paper author Omar Yaghi said in a statement, “There’s nothing like it out there in terms of performance. It breaks new ground in our efforts to address the climate problem.”

Author Zihui Zhou added, “If we want to decrease the concentration and go back to maybe 400 or 300 ppm, we have to use direct air capture.”

The current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 420 ppm, but it’s projected to rise to 500-550 ppm before effective carbon capture technologies are adopted on a large scale.

Image | Mathieu Prévot/UC Berkeley | Simon Wilkes

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