Helsinki chemists unveil a superbase compound that captures CO2 from air and releases it at just 158 °F.
Pulling carbon dioxide straight from thin air usually comes with a heavy energy price. A new compound developed in Finland could change that equation.Researchers at the University of Helsinki’s chemistry department have created a novel material that captures carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, without reacting with other atmospheric gases and without extreme heat.
The method, developed by Postdoctoral Researcher Zahra Eshaghi Gorji, relies on a compound made from a superbase and an alcohol.In laboratory tests conducted in Professor Timo Repo’s research group, the compound demonstrated an unusually high carbon-capture capacity.Just one gram of the material absorbed 156 milligrams of CO₂ from untreated air, a figure that clearly surpasses the performance of many existing direct air capture approaches.Crucially, the compound does not bind with nitrogen, oxygen, or other gases found in the atmosphere.Low heat, high efficiencyOne of the most striking advantages of the new compound is how easily it releases the captured carbon dioxide.Heating the material to 70 °C for 30 minutes is enough to recover clean CO₂, which can then be reused.That low-temperature release marks a dramatic improvement over conventional carbon capture materials, many of which require extreme heat to regenerate.“The ease of releasing CO2 is the key advantage of the new compound,” said Eshaghi Gorji.In contrast, she noted that “in current compounds, releasing CO2 typically requires heat above 900 degrees Celsius.”The compound also proved durable. After repeated use, it retained much of its original performance, holding 75% of its capacity after 50 cycles and 50% after 100 cycles.That reusability could significantly lower operational costs if the method is scaled up.Built for real-world useBeyond performance, the researchers emphasize that the compound is both safe and economical. According to Eshaghi Gorji, the discovery emerged from more than a year of testing different base compounds.“The new compound was discovered by experimenting with a number of bases in different compounds,” she said.The most effective base turned out to be 1,5,7-triazabicyclo non-6-ene , originally developed in Professor Ilkka Kilpeläinen’s group. When combined with benzyl alcohol, it formed the final carbon-capturing fluid.“None of the components is expensive to produce,” Eshaghi Gorji points out. “In addition, the fluid is non-toxic.”The next phase of research will focus on scaling the technology beyond laboratory quantities. To make that possible, the liquid compound will need to be converted into a solid form suitable for industrial systems.“The idea is to bind the compound to compounds such as silica and graphene oxide, which promotes the interaction with carbon dioxide.”If successful, the approach could strengthen the foundations of direct air capture by offering a low-energy, reusable, and selective way to remove carbon dioxide, an increasingly urgent challenge as emissions continue to rise.
Climate Technology CO2 Capture Compound Direct Air Capture Low-Temperature CO2 Release Reusable Carbon Sorbent Superbase Chemistry University Of Helsinki
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