A remarkable new development was recently described in the journal Nature. US researchers have developed a material that can be used to removeCO2 from the atmosphere very effectively. 200 grams of the yellow powder remove as muchCO2 per year as a tree - i.e. around 20 kilograms.
Until now,CO2 has beenremoved either by planting trees, by splitting it off during its formation or by "sucking"CO2 out of the air. The new material has been given the name COF-999 by its developers at the University of California in Berkeley. The porous material is not degraded by water or other impurities, they said. The research team led by chemistry professor Omar M. Yaghi tested the new material by sprinkling 100 milligrams of it into a tube and passing outside air through it. The powder completely purified the air ofCO2, an unprecedented achievement, as Yaghi emphasized.
The powder can both absorb and later captureCO2 and is then ready to be used again. This reusability should be possible for 100 such cycles without any loss of capacity. With the help of AI, the researchers want to develop an even more robust material that will further accelerateCO2 removal in the future.
