Mechanical trees capture CO2 passively

Researchers at Arizona State University have developed ‘mechanical trees’ that capture CO2 passively and sequester it for industrial and agricultural use.

The technology involves discs of sorbent stacked in columns. When a column is fully extended, the discs are exposed to air and capture atmospheric CO2. Once full, the discs are them lowered back into the column where the CO2 is extracted and either sequestered or sold for commercial use.

A cluster of 12 trees will be capable of removing one metric ton of CO2 per day, at a cost of less than $100 per ton. According to the researchers, this will be the lowest cost across the carbon removal industry, making it a viable solution to mitigate climate change at scale.   

“The situation has gotten to the point where we need to stop talking about it and start doing something about it,” said engineering Professor Klaus Lackner, director of Arizona State University’s Centre for Negative Carbon Emissions (CNCE), and developer of the technology.