A research team from the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has developed a powerful new material that can pull carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the air and recover it with high purity.
This new solid adsorbent, called SMKIER-1, can capture CO₂ even at high temperatures, solving a major problem with existing technologies.
The amount of CO₂ in the air in Korea has been rising for years, surpassing 400 parts per million (PPM) in 2013 and reaching 427 PPM in 2023.
During this time, the country’s temperature has also increased, showing how serious climate change has become.
While factories and power plants use carbon capture technology to reduce emissions, removing CO₂ from the air itself is much more difficult.
That’s where Direct Air Capture (DAC) comes in—this technology pulls CO₂ straight from the atmosphere, helping to fight global warming.
Overcoming a major problem
Most DAC technologies use amine-based solid adsorbents, which can capture CO₂ and release it when heated above 100°C.
However, traditional amine adsorbents lose their effectiveness over time because they break down in high temperatures. Scientists have tried other methods, such as vacuum-based systems, but they are not yet practical for large-scale use.
To fix this problem, the KIER research team designed SMKIER-1, an advanced adsorbent with a special additive that protects it from heat damage. This new material:
✅ Reduces the energy needed to capture and release CO₂
✅ Stays stable even in high temperatures
✅ Recovers CO₂ with 96.5% purity
Big success in testing
The researchers tested SMKIER-1 in a continuous operation for over 350 hours, successfully capturing 1 kilogram of CO₂ per day. This is the first time such a result has been achieved in Korea.
But the team isn’t stopping there. In 2024, they plan to test a system that can capture 10 kilograms of CO₂ per day.
By 2030, they aim to scale it up to 200 kilograms per day, and by 2035, they hope to capture over 1,000 tons of CO₂ per year.
A step toward carbon neutrality
Dr. Young Cheol Park, who led the project, said this breakthrough is an important step toward reducing millions of tons of CO₂ in Korea. “This achievement will make a significant contribution to the global effort to fight climate change and achieve carbon neutrality,” he said.
If successful, this technology could play a major role in reducing CO₂ levels worldwide, making the air cleaner and helping slow down global warming.
