A New Avenue in Ca2+ Ion-Exchanged A-Type Zeolite Chemistry
Credit?2021 Okayama University-InorgChem
Scientists report hitherto unobserved high-performance CO2 adsorption in zeolites at room temperature, opening doors to applications in air purification
Reducing the amount of CO2 in our environment is crucial for mitigating climate change and needs materials that can adsorb CO2 from air under ambient conditions. In a new study, scientists from Japan explore the CO2 adsorption properties of zeolite, which has been overlooked in this regard, and report an unprecedented selective adsorption behavior in the extremely lower pressure region and at room temperature, paving the way for its future applications in air purification.
It is now well known that carbon dioxide is the biggest contributor to climate change and originates primarily from burning of fossil fuels. While there are ongoing efforts around the world to end our dependence on fossil fuels as energy sources, the promise of green energy still lies in the future. Can something be done in the meantime to reduce the concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere?
It would, in fact, be great if the CO2 in the atmosphere could simply be adsorbed! Turns out, this is exactly what direct air capture (DAC), or the capture of CO2 under ambient conditions, aims to do. However, no such material with the ability to adsorb CO2 efficiently under DAC conditions has so far been developed. “It is well known that CO2 is acidic in nature. Therefore, materials with basic nature are generally utilized as adsorbents for CO2. However, that often leads to corrosion of the system and is also not suitable for recycling the adsorbed CO2,” explains Professor Yasushige Kuroda from Okayama University, Japan, who conducts research on surface chemistry.
Against this backdrop, in a recent study published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, scientists from Okayama University and Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) led by Prof. Kuroda explored the adsorption properties of a material that has so far remained an “underdog”: zeolites (minerals containing mainly aluminum and silicon oxides). “Zeolite materials have received little attention as adsorbents owing to their low CO2 adsorption capacity at room temperature and in the lower pressure adsorption region, as well as their poor selectivity over nitrogen,” says Prof. Kuroda.
In their study, Prof. Kuroda and his team designed an ion-exchanging method of zeolite with alkaline-earth ions and achieved a remarkably high CO2 adsorption under ambient conditions. The team specifically chose an A-type zeolite (silicon/aluminum ratio of 1) because of its appropriate pore size for adsorbing CO2, while the alkaline-earth ion exchange imparted a large electric field strength that, supposedly, acted as a driving force for the adsorption. Scientists chose a doubly charged calcium ion (Ca2+) as the exchange ion since it allowed for the greatest amount of adsorption. In fact, the adsorbed volume noted was the largest amount of CO2 to have ever been adsorbed by any zeolite system, surpassing that for other materials under similar conditions!
To investigate the underlying adsorption mechanism, the scientists carried out far-infrared (far-IR) measurements and backed them up with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The far-IR spectra, which detected the vibrational modes due to Ca2+-zeolite vibration, showed a distinct shift towards longer wavelengths following CO2 adsorption, a feature scientists could not recognize in other samples, e.g. Na-ion exchanged A-type zeolite. They further verified their observation with a model that showed good agreement with DFT calculations.
Moreover, the scientists were able to completely desorb the adsorbed CO2 and recover the original sample and its specific adsorption properties. In addition, the sample showed a superior selective adsorption of CO2 from other gases after the scientists examined the separation of CO2 using a model gas that emulated ambient air in its composition.
The findings thus bring zeolites to the forefront as an efficient adsorbent of CO2 under ambient conditions, a feat previously thought unachievable with these systems. “Our work can open doors to potentially novel applications of zeolites, such as in the cleaning of air inside semi-closed spaces including space shuttles, submarines, and concert halls, and as an adsorbent material in the anesthetic process,” speculates Prof. Kuroda excitedly.
One thing is for sure, though: chemists will never look at zeolite in the same way again.
Original Article: Zero to Hero: Overlooked Material Could Help Reduce Our Carbon Footprint
More from: Okayama University
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Zeolites
- Clariant AG (OTCMKTS:CLZNY) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts
Clariant AG (OTCMKTS:CLZNY – Get Rating) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the ...
- Natural Zeolites Market landscape, Top Competitor Analysis, Revenue, Sales With Forecast Data from 2022 to 2028
The " Natural Zeolites market " value is projected to grow by USD billions at a CAGR of (percentage)% during 2022 - 2028. This market research report on Natural Zeolites market provides a holistic ...
- Ecovyst Announces Upsize and Pricing of Secondary Offering of 13,000,000 Shares of Common Stock by Selling Stockholders and Repurchase of Common Stock
supplies zeolites used for catalysts that help produce renewable fuels, remove nitrogen oxides from diesel engine emissions as well as sulfur from fuels during the refining process. Forward ...
- Ecovyst Announces Secondary Offering of 12,000,000 Shares of Common Stock by Selling Stockholders and Repurchase of Common Stock
Ecovyst Inc. (NYSE: ECVT) (the “Company”) today announced that funds affiliated with CCMP Capital Advisors, LP (the “Selling Stockholders”) intend to offer for sale 12,000,000 shares of its common ...
- Global Synthetic Zeolites Market Size and Growth New Project SWOT Analysis, Market Share, Investment Feasibility Analysis and Forecast to 2028
Aug 02, 2022 (The Expresswire) -- "Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry." Global “Synthetic Zeolites Market” ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Zeolites
Go deeper with Bing News on:
CO2 adsorption
- A simple, cheap material for carbon capture, perhaps from tailpipes
Carbon dioxide (depicted in red and white at left) is the main greenhouse gas warming Earth and is emitted in large quantities in the flue gases from industrial and power plants. A new method for ...
- A simple, cheap material for carbon capture, perhaps from tailpipes
A scalable solid-state nanoporous network with atomic-level interaction design for carbon dioxide capture. Science Advances , 2022; 8 (31) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo6849 Cite This Page : ...
- Inexpensive melamine used to capture carbon dioxide in energy-efficient process
Chemists have used melamine to create an inexpensive and energy-efficient way to capture carbon dioxide, an advance that could one day be scaled down and employed in vehicle exhausts.
- Journal of molecular graphics & modelling
Selective adsorption of CO2 from gas mixture by P-decorated C24N24 fullerene assisted by an electric field: A DFT approach.
- Activated Carbon Fiber Market in Asia pacific to witness over 7% CAGR till 2027
Rigorous government policies for vehicle emission are expected to impact the forecast of activated carbon fiber market across advanced economies, including Australia and Japan; and emerging economies, ...