In Finland, a new method to capture carbon dioxide from the air has been developed at the University of Helsinki’s chemistry department. The method is based on a compound of superbase and alcohol. Tests show that the compound appears promising: one gram of the compound can absorb 156 milligrams of carbon dioxide directly from untreated ambient air. However, the compound does not react with nitrogen, oxygen or other atmospheric gases. Capasity clearly outperforms the CO2 capture methods currently in use.
The CO2 captured by the compound can be released by heating the compound at 70 °C in 30 minutes. Clean CO2 is recovered and can be recycled. The ease of releasing CO2 is the key advantage of the new compound. In current compounds, releasing CO2 typically requires heat above 900 degrees Celsius.
