Fighting climate change means tackling carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, one of the main drivers of global warming.
Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a new biochar material that could make CO₂ capture more efficient and affordable.
Their findings, published in Frontiers in Energy, offer a promising step forward in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Industries like power plants and factories release large amounts of CO₂ into the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuels.
While there are existing methods to capture CO₂, like amine scrubbing, these approaches are often expensive and inefficient.
That’s why scientists are searching for better materials to trap CO₂ with less environmental impact.
The Shanghai research team created a unique biochar material using plant-based biomass. They started by turning biomass into a mesoporous biochar (a type of porous carbon) through a process involving salts like zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) and potassium chloride (KCl).
To make the material even better at capturing CO₂, they added a compound called polyethyleneimine (PEI), which boosts the material’s ability to absorb CO₂.
The result was a core-membrane microstructured biochar that is not only highly effective but also sustainable and low-cost. The best version of this material, called PEI-600@MC, captured 3.35 millimoles of CO₂ per gram at 70°C and 0.1 MPa—far better than unmodified biochar and many other materials used for the same purpose.
One of the key discoveries in the study was that the performance of the biochar depends on the molecular weight of the PEI used. By experimenting with different types of PEI, the researchers found an optimal combination that maximized both CO₂ capture and thermal stability, meaning the material can work well at high temperatures.
This breakthrough shows that biomass-derived materials like mesoporous biochar could be game-changers for carbon capture technology.
The dual-salt templating method and innovative design of the material make it efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective. It also opens up new possibilities for designing materials that could be widely used to capture CO₂ from industrial emissions.
By improving how we capture CO₂, materials like this biochar can play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gases and slowing down climate change. This is just the beginning, as researchers continue to explore new ways to turn waste and natural materials into powerful tools for protecting our planet.
Source: KSR.
