1. Home
  2. Report Archives
  3. Project Highlights - 2021
  4. Energy and Resource Security - 2021
  5. Support-Free Adsorbents for Intensification of Carbon Dioxide Capture from the Air

Support-Free Adsorbents for Intensification of Carbon Dioxide Capture from the Air

Simon Pang | 21-FS-006

Project Overview

Direct air capture (DAC) can remove CO2 from the atmosphere to help us achieve carbon neutrality. State-of-the-art DAC processes use composite materials that combine an active, amine-based material with an inert support material. If the inert support could be removed, the DAC process could be intensified, and the cost of DAC reduced. Our research aimed to create self-supporting amine-rich materials by borrowing crosslinking techniques from the light-based 3d-printing community. We were able to successfully fabricate materials with the desired chemistry, pore and polymer microstructure, and mechanical strength to be self-supporting, and tested them for CO2 capture under conditions relevant to DAC. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of creating these types of support-free adsorbents and we have identified specific target areas for material development that would drastically improve their performance.

Mission Impact

This research is directly related to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) Mission Focus Area in Energy and Resource Security in that it develops new technology for removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. It is also directly related to the Director's Initiative in Engineering the Carbon Economy, supporting efforts at global-scale CO2 removal. Our research is relevant to the mission of the DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Carbon Capture program, which has been investing heavily in development of processes and structured materials for direct air capture. Development of materials through our research will help address DOE's environmental security missions and allow the US to maintain scientific dominance in development of climate-relevant technologies to meet future national energy and environmental security challenges.

Publications, Presentations, and Patents

Pang, Simon Hoching, and Melinda Lia Wah Jue. 2021. Support-Free Adsorbents for CO2 Capture from Air. US Patent Application filed June 29, 2021.