A research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta have developed a new kind of material called hyperbranched aminosilica (HAS), in which the amine is held on a solid porous silica substrate, on the tips of several branches.

An advantage of HAS is the ability to reuse it many times (tested 12 times) without losing its absorption capacity. But the best thing about this technology is the low energy input compared to the liquid amines, which must be heated at very high temperatures. The solid amines HAS have to be heated to just 110°C to release the CO₂, which means a 75% lower energy consumption than for liquid amines.

However, a remaining challenge is the need to reduce the heating effect of the amine/CO₂ reaction because HAS captures best at cool temperatures.

The research team points to the reuse of the captured CO₂ to feed biofuel stock. A biofuel producer in Louisiana precisely uses captured CO₂ to grow algae. 

For now, the reasearcher Christopher Jones is working on a pilot air capture plant in Menlo Park in California, with the aim to absorb 2 tons of CO₂ per day.

Learn more about the technology on How it works.