Carbon sponge could improve CCS (Comment added)
19 Feb 2013
Researchers have developed a novel material that adsorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide
Emissions from coal power stations could be drastically reduced by a new, energy-efficient material that adsorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide and then releases it when exposed to sunlight.
The work has been carried out by Monash University who, for the first time, have discovered a photosensitive metal organic framework (MOF).
MOFs are clusters of metal atoms connected by organic molecules. Due to their extremely high internal surface area - that could cover an entire football field in a single gram - they can store large volumes of gas.
This is a step-change in carbon capture technologies
This has created a cost-effective new tool to capture and store, or potentially recycle, carbon dioxide.
By utilising sunlight to release the stored carbon, the new material overcomes the problems of expense and inefficiency associated with current, energy-intensive methods of carbon capture.
Current technologies use liquid capture materials that are then heated in a prolonged process to release the carbon dioxide for storage.
Associate Professor Bradley Ladewig of the Monash Department of Chemical Engineering said the MOF was an exciting development in emissions reduction technology.
“For the first time, this has opened up the opportunity to design carbon capture systems that use sunlight to trigger the release of carbon dioxide,” he said. “This is a step-change in carbon capture technologies.”
The researchers will now optimise the material to increase the efficiency of carbon dioxide to levels suitable for an industrial environment.
