Twitter headlines« Kia Motors Introduces its Version of LPI Hybrid | Main | DOE Takes Another Step Toward $2.4B FutureGen Project »
New Molecule Could Lead to New CO2 Capture Methods
15 July 2009
| An unusual bowl-shaped molecule that pulls carbon dioxide out of the air may provide new possibilities for dealing with global warming. The CO3-2 group is shown in the center. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge. |
The accidental discovery of a bowl-shaped molecule that pulls carbon dioxide out of the air suggests new possibilities for dealing with global warming, including genetically engineering microbes to manufacture those CO2 “catchers,” according to a report scheduled for the 3 August issue of the ACS journal Inorganic Chemistry.
J. A. Tossell of the University of Maryland notes in the new study that other researchers (Brooks 2006) discovered the molecule—a macrocyclic amidourea—while doing work unrelated to global climate change.
Recently, slow evaporation from a DMSO solution containing tetrabutyl ammonium fluoride and a complex macrocycle formed from ureas and pyridines yielded a complex with a CO3 group trapped in the middle of a bowl shaped cavity. The source of the CO3 group was apparently CO2 from the atmosphere of the laboratory. The ready formation of this compound suggests a high stability. Thus, it may be a candidate as a receptor or absorber for atmospheric CO2.
—Tossell (2009)
Tossell’s new computer modeling studies found that the molecule might be well-suited for removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, in addition to its previously described potential use as an absorbent for CO2 from electric power plant and other smokestacks.
Tossell suggests that the simplest approach to using the new molecule to capture CO2 would be to dissolve the atmospheric CO2 in a solution of the molecule and a tetraalkyl ammonium fluoride in a solvent of low dielectric constant and to then recover the CO2 from the CO3 complex by changing to a more polar solvent and/or by heating the complex.
It is also conceivable that living organisms may be developed which are capable of emplacing structurally ion receptors within their cell membranes.
—Tossell (2009)
Resources
J. A. Tossell (2009) Catching CO2 in a Bowl. Inorg. Chem., Article ASAP doi: 10.1021/ic802454w
Simon J. Brooks, Philip A. Gale and Mark E. Light (2006) Anion-binding modes in a macrocyclic amidourea. Chem. Commun., 2006, 4344 - 4346, doi: 10.1039/b610938a
July 15, 2009 in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Climate Change | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: Henry Gibson | July 15, 2009 at 07:52 AM
There was an article on the Science channel about some people that have developed a tower that captures CO2 at low cost.
We could put this on wind turbine tower poles that go 300 feet into the sky and not only generate electricity, but clean the air of CO2 every minute of the day.
Posted by: SJC | July 15, 2009 at 08:44 AM
Gentlemen, watch the target.
We have several ways to capture CO2. The question is what to do once we have it.
But advances in chemistry are welcome. This one may find uses.
There is nasty stuff such as fluorine in that molecule and the process seems to require energy inputs.
OTOH they think the molecule is very stable, a definite plus.
Posted by: Ken | July 15, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Great! CO2 can be combined with H2O in a Solid Oxide Electrolyzer to produce Methane. Or combined with H2 via Sabatier reaction to produce Methane that is easier to transport and to store than H2. This the start of hydrocarbon fuel synthesis using solar and wind electricity. The other alternative is H2 from wind and solar energy that many people are opposed to, but a cleaner alternative than hydrocarbon, though more difficult to handle.
Posted by: Roger Pham | July 15, 2009 at 04:11 PM
The main points to consider are;
1. What resources are required and how much is available for use?
2. How much energy input is required to power the chemical processes necessary to produce the required chemicals?
Posted by: Will S | July 15, 2009 at 06:42 PM
There was a company on here that was considering a CO2 pipeline. They use vast amounts of it to get more oil out of the ground.
Posted by: SJC | July 15, 2009 at 08:34 PM
I would say that it has to be profitable to capture CO2 in a capitalist society to get it to happen. Or you could mandate it and distort the economy so badly, you would wish that you had not done the mandate.
Posted by: SJC | July 29, 2009 at 10:26 AM
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c4fbe53ef01157114362a970c
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference New Molecule Could Lead to New CO2 Capture Methods:
Calcium oxide takes CO2 out of the air so does magnesium oxide and a bunch of other oxides including water. ..HG..