MIT carbon capture works at atmospheric concentrations

Most methods of removing carbon dioxide from a stream of gas require higher concentrations, such as those found in the flue emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants. Some systems can work with the low concentrations found in air, but the new method is claimed to be significantly less energy-intensive and expensive.

The technique, based on passing air through a stack of charged electrochemical plates, is described in Energy and Environmental Science, by MIT postdoc Sahag Voskian, who developed the work during his PhD, and T. Alan Hatton, the Ralph Landau Professor of Chemical Engineering.

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According to MIT, the device is essentially a large, specialised battery that absorbs carbon dioxide from the air (or other gas streams) passing over its electrodes as it is being charged, and then releases the gas as it is being discharged. In operation, the device alternates between charging and discharging, with fresh air or feed gas being blown through the system during the charging cycle, and then the pure, concentrated carbon dioxide being blown out during the discharging.