Microcapsule technology could yield advance in carbon capture

Led by the University of Pittsburgh and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) the advance hopes to mitigate the USA’s CO2 output from coal and natural gas, which amounted to 1,713 million metric tons of CO₂, or 98 per cent of all CO₂ emissions from the electric power sector in 2017.

"Our approach is very different than the traditional method of capturing carbon dioxide at a power plant," said Katherine Hornbostel, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering. "Instead of flowing a chemical solvent down a tower, we are putting the solvent into tiny microcapsules."

Hornbostel added that in the proposed carbon capture reactor design, microcapsules would be packed into a container and power plant exhaust gas would be flown through them.

"The heat required for conventional reactors is high, which translates to higher plant operating costs,” said Hornbostel. “Our design will be a smaller structure and require less electricity to operate, thereby lowering costs."