ETH Zurich reearchers use dairy and tofu waste to trap CO2 from the air
In Switzerland, dairy and tofu production generate large quantities of protein-containing solutions, only a small part of which is reprocessed in food production – the remainder goes to waste. From this waste, ETH Zurich researchers isolate proteins that they use to form long, threadlike chains known as amyloid fibrils. They then load these fibrils with potassium hydroxide and process them into beads with a diameter of between half and one centimeter.
When the porous beads are exposed to ambient air, the potassium hydroxide reacts with CO2 to form hydrogen carbonate, a salt of carbonic acid. This process removes the CO2 from the air.
Category: Research
