Researchers develop low-cost materials for direct air capture of CO2

Researchers at Monash University have developed a group of low-cost solid materials that show great promise for use in systems to capture excess carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the atmosphere.

Known as “meso-macroporous melamine formaldehyde (MF)”, the new materials can be made relatively easily from the common and low-cost chemicals melamine and formaldehyde and have extra-large pores to facilitate direct air capture (DAC) of CO₂.

Until now, large-scale deployment of DAC as a negative carbon emission technology has been slow due to the low performance and high cost of solid materials capable of capturing significant amounts of CO₂ at low levels present in ambient air and at normal temperatures.

“We believe these MF materials represent a significant advance towards commercialisation of DAC processes,” said co-lead researcher Professor Paul Webley.

“The ultrahigh pore volume and the meso-macroporous structure makes MF a superior base for making DAC adsorbent materials.”

MF can be formed into droplets, pellets and coatings and can be easily impregnated with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA), a proven adsorbent for carbon dioxide CO₂ removal.

Molecular groups known as amines, which contain nitrogen atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms, have a strong ability to form chemical bonds with CO₂ and capture it from gas mixtures, even at low concentrations.

(Note: Although CO₂ levels have risen rapidly since the onset of the industrial revolution, from around 280 to 415ppm, CO₂ accounts for a very low proportion of the earth’s atmosphere)

“Our results demonstrate the great potential of amine-impregnated MF adsorbents for carbon capture, paving the way for the development of advanced DAC systems,” Professor Webley said.

The study, entitled Amine-functionalized meso-macroporous polymers for efficient CO₂ capture from ambient air, was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c17126 

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