Science - USA (2021-10-29)

remove the big things, like dust, using a physical filter,î

says Stefano Sanvito, professor of condensed matter

theory at Trinity College Dublin, who has worked with

Qatar on energy-related projects for the past 10 years.

But youíre still left with a mixture of gases. ìMy

particular goal is to develop the material that sequesters

the CO 2 ,î he says. ìThis is tricky, because the molecules

are an order of magnitude smaller than a dust particle,

so we have to design a new compound.î He and his team

are investigating a class of materials called metal organic

frameworks, which include a transition metal ion and

can be assembled like a Lego to make a highly porous

material ìwhich looks and acts like a microscopic sponge.î

They are building on a database of about 40,000 known

metal organic structures, none of which are completely

suitable for one reason or another. ìThe idea is to use this

vast dataset to design a new or modified metal organic

framework that has larger uptake and is more selective for

CO 2 ,î Stefano explains.

ìYou have to be very careful, in the sense that this air is

ultimately going to go to the lungs. So the material youíre

choosing for this purification has to be environmentally

friendly, nontoxic, and stable,î points out Nassar.

Integration with existing technology

If the amount of CO 2 is appreciable, then it can be

recovered as pure CO 2 after regenerating the filter (which

can be done by heating) and stored in a specialized

receptacle called an ISO (International Organization for

Standardization) tank. ìItís a well-known technology,î

says Nassar, one of the principal investigators in the

cluster. ìThis can be taken for a process where we can

convert CO 2 into a value-added product. And again, the

conversion of CO 2 to value-added product is now an off-

Sponsored by

The scale of the climate-

change challenge is vast,

and this work is a potential

game changer to make

carbon capture more

scalable and economically

viable.

”

–Marc Vermeersch

the-shelf technology. Itís not a new thingóthe integration

of the processes is the new thing.î

In terms of CO 2 capture and recovery, Qatar benefits

from both its small size and the concentration of most

of its populace into compounds, ìmeaning that they are

centralized and that we can have quick access for this CO 2

to be transported to the transformation unit,î Bermudez

points out. ìYou donít have to have a pipeline,î adds

Nassar. Large buildings, malls, and universities with their

own air intake can easily have an ISO integrated into their

HVAC systems to temporarily capture and store CO 2.

The idea is to take advantage of existing infrastructure.

Otherwise, itís really difficult to get something adopted,

says Bermudez. ìSo we are developing new materials

that aim to be cheaper and highly efficient, which will be

integrated within the AC splitters and HVACs.î

ìThe scale of the climate-change challenge is vast, and

this work is a potential game changer to make carbon

capture more scalable and economically viable,î says

Marc Vermeersch, QEERIís executive director. ìQatar

has the potential to be a leader in carbon capture

technologies embedded in air-conditioning systems,

which is another reason this project is so important for

QEERI.î

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