KAIST "Removing Carbon Dioxide from Air with Electricity Supply Only"

Domestic researchers have developed a technology that can remove carbon dioxide from the air using only electricity (capturing with a purity of over 95%).

The increase in carbon dioxide concentration raises the Earth's average temperature. It is identified as the main culprit causing serious environmental problems such as extreme weather events, sea level rise, and ecosystem destruction. If the technology developed by the research team is applied to the production of carbon dioxide-based fuels and chemical products, it is expected to contribute to partially resolving these issues.

KAIST announced on the 29th that Professor Ko Dong-yeon’s research team from the Department of Bio and Chemical Engineering has succeeded in developing and commercializing a carbon capture device that operates purely on electricity to remove carbon dioxide from the air.

Professor Ko Dong-yeon (left) and PhD candidate Kim Nam-gyu (right) from the Department of Bio and Chemical Engineering at KAIST. Provided by KAIST

The research team independently developed a technology that allows the electric heating source and carbon dioxide adsorbent to be produced simultaneously in large quantities, enabling the implementation of a bench-scale direct air capture system.

The most notable feature of this technology is that it can operate solely on electricity without the supply of external thermal energy. Above all, the research team expects that the very small volume of the developed air capture system will overcome the limitations of the areas where existing carbon capture devices can be applied.

Scaling up the technology to capture trace amounts (0.04%) of carbon dioxide in the air from the lower to upper levels of technological readiness (from laboratory stage) to commercial scale has long been considered very challenging.

To effectively capture low concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a highly efficient adsorbent is required, and a system that economically and efficiently separates the captured carbon dioxide must be established. To implement all processes on a large scale, a stable and consistent process must be guaranteed.

The research team maximized the performance of the carbon capture device by developing an adsorbent and system integrated with an electric heating source to meet these conditions.

The adsorbent is capable of mass production and provides a large specific surface area to adsorb carbon dioxide more efficiently. It also secures structural stability with fast adsorption and desorption speeds and minimal deformation even after repeated use.

The carbon capture device developed by the research team has high energy efficiency and precise temperature control by adsorbing carbon dioxide onto a high-performance adsorbent and then extracting the carbon dioxide using heat generated by an electric heating source.

In particular, this system is so energy-efficient that it can operate solely on renewable energy. This allows it to be deployed in any geographical environment with access to electricity, meaning carbon dioxide capture is possible in various locations.

Currently, the technology developed by the research team can process 1 to 3 kg of carbon dioxide per day in the laboratory. However, it is expected that the daily capture capacity will be increased to over 1 ton in the future, making it possible to deploy in large-scale industrial sites. The research team explains that this technology will play an important role not only in capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide but also targeting large carbon dioxide emission sources such as thermal power plants, cement factories, and steel mills.

This research was supported by the Saudi Aramco-KAIST Carbon Dioxide Research Center. The technology developed through this research is being commercialized through a student startup company (Sove) founded by PhD candidate Kim Gyu-nam.

PhD candidate Kim Gyu-nam said, "This research is an important achievement that brings us one step closer to solving air pollution problems," and added, "We will continue to develop the technology through ongoing research and strive to increase its potential for application in actual industrial sites."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.