Discussions about CO2 have been going on for decades. To compensate for its emissions as much as possible, forests are being planted so that the CO2 can be converted. If we are lucky, a material that can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere will soon be on the market.
Researchers at Rice University developed a foam material made of hexagonal boron nitride and polyvinyl alcohol that can absorb three times its own weight of CO2. It can then also be released at a suitable time or location after which the sponge-like material can be reused.
To compose the material, boron nitride was freeze-dried and reinforced with the polyvinyl alcohol. This glue-like substance was then freeze-dried again to form the final foam material. In simulations of the material, the foam was found to absorb almost 3.5 times its own weight of CO2, which can then be evaporated from the sponge. As a result, the material can be reused at least 2,000 times.
The material is not only reusable but also easy to scale up for production due to the freeze-drying production process. Applications of the material are conceivable in air filters or -if the size of the pores can be adjusted- also for removing oil from water.
How the material behaves can be seen in the video below.
