Industries like cement, steel, and fertiliser production release huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Current solutions, such as underground storage, are expensive, limited in capacity, and uncertain over the long term. Other chemical methods either release more CO₂ than they capture or require high energy input, making them impractical at scale.
Core Features
This invention provides a new way to trap CO₂ by turning it into a stable solid mineral—magnesium carbonate. The process uses common rocks rich in magnesium (like serpentinite or olivine), which react with CO₂ dissolved in water. By carefully controlling pH levels and reusing the same solution in multiple steps, the process efficiently converts CO₂ into solid magnesium carbonate without needing high temperatures or pressures.
What’s Novel
Unlike older methods that rely on pressurising or heating CO₂ (energy-intensive and inefficient), this approach uses reactive magnesium solids to drive the precipitation step. This both reduces costs and increases yields, since more CO₂ is locked away as magnesium carbonate. The process also allows recycling of materials, making it more sustainable.
Tangible Benefits
- Lower costs: Operates at normal temperature and pressure, reducing energy needs.
- Higher efficiency: Captures more CO₂ per cycle.
- Scalability: Uses abundant rocks available worldwide.
- Versatility: Produces magnesium carbonate that can be stored permanently or reused in construction materials, plastics, fertilisers, and fire retardants.
Broader Impact
This technology could help industries become carbon neutral or even carbon negative, by permanently storing CO₂ in solid form. If combined with biofuels or other renewable energy processes, it could lock away atmospheric carbon for good, directly addressing climate change. On a global scale, it provides a pathway for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating useful industrial products.