New Breakthrough in Carbon Capture Technology

Climate change will be, without a doubt, the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. It will test our ability to adapt and react to rapidly changing circumstances like never before. That is why scientific breakthroughs can bring a glimmer of hope to what seems to be a grim situation. Recently, students at the University of California Berkeley unveiled a yellowish powder that can pull carbon dioxide out of the air and trap it for future disposal. 

The powder-like substance is known as COF-999 — the COF in its name stands for the chemistry that enables its carbon trapping abilities: Covalent Organic Frameworks. The key to its success, according to the leading author behind the study, Omar Yaghi, is its crystalline structure. This structure allows the material to act as a sponge for a number of desired materials — in this case, carbon dioxide. The material’s structure, a complex network of covalently bonded molecules, is uniquely capable of capturing and holding carbon dioxide even at the relatively low concentrations found in the Earth’s atmosphere. Its structure acts as a fine filter, trapping carbon dioxide molecules while allowing other gases, like nitrogen and oxygen, to pass through unimpeded. By trapping carbon dioxide molecules within itself, the material may pave the way for large-scale carbon sink projects that could help reverse the trend of rising global temperatures. Notably, the material is also resilient and does not degrade easily, which means it could potentially be used repeatedly without significant loss or need for constant replacement. Additionally, the material is not limited to just carbon capture; Yaghi notes that the team has also explored the possibility of using COF-999 to capture moisture out of the air in environments with an extreme lack of water.

The team at Berkeley is still in the early phases of development, but Yaghi hopes that COF-999 can be mass-produced within two years. If this timeline is maintained, we could begin to see large-scale uses of COF-999 within carbon capture projects by the end of the decade or sooner. Once these come online in sufficient numbers, we could begin to catch up with our global emissions and slow the rate of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.

There we have it then, the solution to the climate catastrophe! While at first this may seem to be a golden goose, it is important to note some of its drawbacks. First of all, this material will only mitigate the effects of climate change. This may allow for corporations or states to then excuse their continued environmental exploitation with the notion that they’re allegedly extracting enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to offset their actions. While this reasoning may be enough for some, it is important to remember that climate change is only one part of the unfolding ecological damage. The loss of the environment to pollution, overuse, or any number of reasons due to human activity is also critical. This powder then may serve as a simple band-aid to the systemic issues faced by the planet at the hands of its supposedly wisest scions. 

While that may have come across as somewhat negative, I should clarify that I do believe that COF-999 will benefit mankind. Though that benefit should not be used as an excuse for further exploitation of our already fragile ecosystems. Instead, COF-999 and other substances should be used as last-ditch mitigation strategies, or, in the far future, the final step in reversing our damage to Earth’s climate system.

Image by Wikipedia Commons