Better Tomorrow News

Scientists discover new material to capture CO2 emissions more effectively from the atmosphere

Scientists discover ‘exciting’ new porous material that can capture and store significant amounts of greenhouse gases to help combat climate change.

Image by Etienne Girardet

As a part of a research project funded by the Leverhulme Trust and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK, a joint panel of scientists representing the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Imperial College London, University of Liverpool, University of Southampton, and East China University of Science and Technology has discovered a new porous material that could help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.

This material developed with strong binding molecules can store high volumes of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) which significantly impacts global warming. 

Carbon dioxide is the most common types of greenhouse gas emissions across all industries. However, sulphur hexafluoride remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years more than carbon dioxide and is much more powerful in causing global warming. In fact, between 2008 and 2018, SF6 emissions increased by 24% posing grave threats for the fight against global warming. The main sources of SF6 are switchgear applications used across almost all electrical infrastructures worldwide including high-power consuming data centers. 

While reforestation efforts worldwide contribute towards reducing the greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere through natural ways as trees capture and store carbon dioxide, technology-driven innovations such as this compound are required to level the playing field as the earth currently has more greenhouse gases than it can naturally handle. 

At the same time, even though organisations and governments worldwide are committing towards net zero emissions by 2050, innovations are required to capture the existing greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming from surpassing the critical threshold of 1.5°C by 2030. 

Thus, new scientific discoveries such as this compound are expected to fast-track climate action and help resolve one of the biggest challenges faced by humanity by capturing not just carbon dioxide, but more powerful sulphur hexafluoride as well. This compound can capture and store more greenhouse gas emissions than natural sources and do it more effectively as well.

Researchers of the project utilised artificial intelligence (AI) driven computer simulations in developing the combination of molecules that created this compound. Speaking on this, Dr Mark Little from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh said that the existing combination of compounds can further be enhanced using artificial intelligence to create new materials that can assist in solving many other existing challenges in society.