Cal-Berkeley scientists have designed a powder, COF-999, a half pound of which can take as much carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere as one large tree, a magic powder to combat global warming.
-...the powder could be deployed in the kinds of large-scale direct air-capture plants that are starting to come online to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.
-The structures [of the powder] are held together by some of the strongest chemical bonds in nature, including the ones that turn carbon atoms into diamonds. ...
-To test the carbon-clearing capabilities of COF-999, the researchers packed the powder into a stainless steel tube about the size of a straw and exposed it to outdoor Berkeley air for 20 days straight.
As it entered the tube, the Berkeley air contained CO2 in concentrations ranging from 410 ppm to 517 ppm. When it came out the other side, the scientists could not detect any carbon dioxide at all...
-it captures carbon dioxide at a rate that is “at least 10 times faster” than other materials used for direct air capture...
-COF-999 will loosen its hold on the CO2 when it’s heated to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Comparable materials must be heated to 250 degrees F to extract carbon...
-The powder is more durable as well.
-...aversion of COF-999 could be ready for direct air capture plants within two years. ...it doesn’t require any expensive or exotic materials.
-“They are opening a door into a new family of approaches.": Klaus Lackner, Arizona State University
The study was published in Nature.
