Carbon dioxide, CO2, is the most troublesome gas from the perspective of climate change. Its accumulation in the Earth’s atmosphere causes the so-called greenhouse effect that increases the temperatures, triggering global warming. Scientists came up with a new material that transforms CO2 into organic materials.
The discovery could be a huge leap forward to genuine solutions against atmospheric carbon dioxide accumulation in our planet’s atmosphere. The breakthrough study is the act of the scientists from Kyoto University, the University of Tokyo, and Jiangsu Normal University in China. The paperwork was issued in the journal Nature Communications.
Human impact on our planet increased due to the use of fossil fuels. That releases carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere, boosting the greenhouse effect and accelerating climate change. That’s why scientists from all over the world are struggling to come up with reliable solutions to tackle the increase in atmospheric CO2. That would reduce the effects of global warming.
Scientists Produced A New Material That Turns Carbon Dioxide Into Organic Materials
“We have successfully designed a porous material which has a high affinity towards CO2 molecules and can quickly and effectively convert it into useful organic materials,” explained Ken-ichi Otake from the Kyoto University and the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, also known as iCeMS.
The newly invented material is a porous coordination polymer, made from zinc metal ions. In the study, the researchers found out that this substance absorbs carbon dioxide by ten times more efficient than any other polymer out there. Besides, the new material turns CO2 into organic materials that can be used for other purposes.
“One of the greenest approaches to carbon capture is to recycle the carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals, such as cyclic carbonates, which can be used in petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals,” added Susumu Kitagawa, also a researcher at the Kyoto University.