Charged Adsorbents for Capture of Carbon Dioxide Directly from Air
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
We face a global climate change crisis. A wide range of greenhouse gas mitigation technologies must be deployed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius at the end of the century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has further emphasised the need for negative emissions technologies, which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A promising approach for carbon dioxide removal is direct air capture. In this approach carbon dioxide is absorbed directly from the air using a sponge-like material. The carbon dioxide is then collected and stored in the ground, or used as a chemical building block. Despite the promise of this approach, the associated cost of carbon removal remains very high and improved materials are needed that can lower the cost of this process.
In this project we will develop an entirely new class of sponge-like materials with excellent performance for the capture of carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. We will develop a new approach to make these materials that uses electric charging to tailor the material composition and add reactive chemical groups. We predict that our new materials will be able to bind large quantities of carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Excitingly, our new strategy for preparing functional sponge-like materials will eventually lead to an entirely new family of materials with applications in a range of energy efficient chemical processes.
In this project we will develop an entirely new class of sponge-like materials with excellent performance for the capture of carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. We will develop a new approach to make these materials that uses electric charging to tailor the material composition and add reactive chemical groups. We predict that our new materials will be able to bind large quantities of carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Excitingly, our new strategy for preparing functional sponge-like materials will eventually lead to an entirely new family of materials with applications in a range of energy efficient chemical processes.
Publications
Hartley N
(2023)
Quinone-functionalised carbons as new materials for electrochemical carbon dioxide capture
in Journal of Materials Chemistry A
Description | This work has discovered a new method for making materials that can capture carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, a process known as direct air capture - thereby achieving the central and first objective of this project. The method involves taking low-cost activated carbon materials, and functionalising them with hydroxide groups via an electrochemical process. Our work showed that our new hydroxide-functionalised carbons can capture carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, whereas the as-purchased carbon materials cannot do this. Mechanistic studies gave insight into the chemical structure of our new materials, and proved that they capture carbon dioxide by chemically bonding it at the hydroxide sites (thereby further achieving the second and third objectives of the project). We additionally demonstrated that the materials can reversibly capture and release carbon dioxide over hundred of cycles, thereby largely acheiving the final objective of the project. |
Exploitation Route | In academia, we have pioneered a new class of materials that will be further explored by a range of research groups. The tuneable nature of the materials means they could be explored for a wide range of application areas, beyond carbon dioxide capture. In industry, the materials will be explored for commercial carbon dioxide separations. |
Sectors | Chemicals,Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
Description | We are working on the commercialisation of our new class of materials. More details will be disclosed later. |
First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
Impact Types | Economic |
Title | New method for preparing adsorbent materials |
Description | ongoing, information to be updated later |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | ongoing, information to be updated later |
Description | Collaboration on CO2 breakthrough measurements with Cornell University |
Organisation | Cornell University |
Department | Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are synthesising new materials for CO2 capture applications. We are providing materials for Prof. Phillip Milner's Group at Cornell University. |
Collaborator Contribution | Prof. Phillip Milner's Group at Cornell University is measuring CO2 breakthrough in our new materials, to test their practical applicability. |
Impact | ongoing |
Start Year | 2021 |