8 oz. of this powder captures as much CO2 from the air as a tree
from UC Berkeley
EcoTech Note: Most decarbonization strategies focus on CleanTech displacing DirtyTech in the sectors generating GHGs. Getting to net-zero by 2050 (and removing some of the existing CO2 in the atmosphere) will require “carbon capture” and sequestration.
The Green Premium for existing “direct air capture” efforts is unaffordably expensive at this point (over $1,000/ton). This new technology uses more efficient chemistry, so the Green Premium is probably lower, but no numbers are yet available.
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October 23, 2024
By Karen Kaplan | Los Angeles Times
A typical large tree can suck as much as 40 kilograms of carbon dioxide(link is external) out of the air over the course of a year. Now scientists at UC Berkeley say they can do the same job with less than half a pound of a fluffy yellow powder.
The powder was designed to trap the greenhouse gas in its microscopic pores, then release it when it’s ready to be squirreled away someplace where it can’t contribute to global warming. In tests, the material was still in fine form after 100 such cycles, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
“It performs beautifully,” said Omar Yaghi, reticular chemist at UC Berkeley and the study’s senior author. “Based on the stability and the behavior of the material right now, we think it will go to thousands of cycles.”
Read the complete article on the Los Angelese Times website.