🚨Georgia Tech researchers have developed a low-cost method to pull CO₂ from the air (#DAC) using cold temperatures and common materials, potentially slashing capture costs to ~$70 per ton and expanding where Direct Air Capture can work. #CDR
DETAILS🧵1/9
DETAILS🧵1/9
2/ DAC is a critical tool for fighting climate change, but it’s been too expensive to scale.
Current systems often exceed $200 per ton of CO₂ captured, partly due to the high energy needed to run them.
Current systems often exceed $200 per ton of CO₂ captured, partly due to the high energy needed to run them.
3/ The Georgia Tech team found a smart way to tap into existing industrial cold from liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.
When LNG is regasified for use, huge amounts of cold energy are wasted (energy that can chill air for better CO₂ capture).
When LNG is regasified for use, huge amounts of cold energy are wasted (energy that can chill air for better CO₂ capture).
4/ Most DAC systems use chemical sorbents (like amines) that need heat and degrade over time.
By chilling air near cryogenic temps (~–78°C), researchers can switch to physisorbents (porous solids that soak up CO₂ fast and last longer) .
By chilling air near cryogenic temps (~–78°C), researchers can switch to physisorbents (porous solids that soak up CO₂ fast and last longer) .
5/ Cooling air this much causes water vapor to condense out, solving a big problem for physisorbents: water fouling.
Dry, cold air makes these materials way more efficient without expensive water-removal steps.
Dry, cold air makes these materials way more efficient without expensive water-removal steps.
6/ The team tested materials like Zeolite 13X (common in water treatment) and CALF-20 (a durable metal-organic framework).
Both showed up to 3× higher CO₂ capture capacity than amine systems at room temp and they need less energy to release the CO₂ later.
Both showed up to 3× higher CO₂ capture capacity than amine systems at room temp and they need less energy to release the CO₂ later.
7/ By integrating this “cold DAC” with LNG terminals - many of which already exist near coastal cities, this method could be deployed far more widely, even in humid climates where current DAC struggles.
8/ Economic modeling suggests costs could drop to ~$70 per ton, opening the door for capturing over 100 million tons of CO₂ per year by 2050, just by tapping a fraction of global LNG regasification energy.
For more details, read the study published in Energy & Environmental Science by Georgia Tech, Oak Ridge National Lab, and partners in South Korea:
#DAC #DirectAirCapture 🧵9/9pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art…
#DAC #DirectAirCapture 🧵9/9pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art…
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