MIT researchers have identified a carbon capture process that uses an energy-efficient electrochemical system in order to convert carbon emissions from hard-to-abate industries.
The new concept uses an electrochemical system in which an electrode is used to attract carbon dioxide. While the technology does not yet have the capacity to completely remove carbon from the air, it instead may convert carbon from industrial streams into useful chemicals and fuels.
While some carbon capture technologies are already in use, they implement expensive, large installations that require large amounts of energy to run. Most of these technologies are also limited to installation atop smokestacks of power plants and industrial facilities. With this project, the MIT team has worked to find a widely adaptable solution that can capture carbon from wide-ranging sources. Further, the new development has the potential to run on renewable energy, thus avoiding emissions from its operations.
“This is not a removal technology, and it’s important to state that,” said Betar Gallant, study author and professor at MIT. “The value that it does bring is that it allows us to recycle carbon dioxide some number of times while sustaining existing industrial processes, for fewer associated emissions. Ultimately, my dream is that electrochemical systems can be used to facilitate mineralization and permanent storage of CO2 — a true removal technology. That’s a longer-term vision. And a lot of the science we’re starting to understand is a first step toward designing those processes.”
Since the technology, at present, works better in more dilute carbon environments, it is not as effective in capturing carbon directly from the air. However, in the industrial processes used in hard-to-abate sectors such as cement and steel, the technology may thrive off of high concentrations of emitted carbon.
Carbon capture has been identified as a necessary player in achieving climate change mitigation goals. However, many carbon capture solutions require long-term storage of carbon deep in the earth, which comes with reliability and environmental concerns.
Along with the present discovery, MIT has been exploring additional ways to convert carbon to be reused rather than capturing it just to be stored. A few years ago, another research project at the university investigated development of a battery that could convert carbon emissions into usable fuels or chemicals. MIT also claims that carbon utilization, which considers carbon for its value rather than just a waste product, can be applied to enhanced oil recovery, creating materials like cement, or for growing algae or bacteria used in biofuels and fertilizers.
A number of alternatives to storing carbon underground have been presented by other research organizations. Some nature-based solutions are being developed, such as carbon sequestration in soils.
“Even if we get rid of all our power plants, we need some solutions to deal with the emissions from other industries in the shorter term, before we can fully decarbonize them,” said Gallant. “That’s where we see a sweet spot, where something like this system could fit.”
