CORVALLIS, Ore. – New research from Oregon State University has demonstrated a potential inexpensive means of capturing carbon dioxide from industrial emissions, according to college officials.
OSU officials said carbon dioxide, which results from burning fossil fuels, is a primary driver of climate change. One technology developed to mitigate carbon dioxide as flue gases make their way through smokestacks is known as metal organic frameworks (MOFs), OSU said. The college said MOFs are porous materials featuring positively-charged metal ions surrounded by organic molecules known as ligands that form a cage-like structure with pores that hold gases in a sponge-like fashion through a chemical process known as adsorption.
Previous shortcomings of MOFs include ineffectiveness in humid conditions, such as the water portion of an industrial smokestack, and also high economic costs associated with drying gases for capturing carbon dioxide, OSU said. But OSU researchers have developed an MOF that works well in damp conditions and is cost effective with the capability to be reused at least three times, the college said.
“In this study we introduce a MOF composed of aluminum and a readily available ligand, benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid,” Kyriakos Stylianou said. “The synthesis of the MOF happens in water and only takes a couple of hours. And the MOF has pores with a size comparable to that of CO2 molecules, meaning there’s a confined space for incarcerating the carbon dioxide.”
Stylianou said capturing carbon dioxide is a crucial component in trying to meet net-zero emission targets in combating climate change.