This New Material Traps CO2 Like an Adult Tree, with Just 200 Grams

As the fight against climate change intensifies, scientists are exploring every possible avenue to reduce the growing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. One breakthrough that could make a significant impact comes from an innovative new material capable of trapping CO2 as efficiently as an adult tree—using just 200 grams of the substance. This discovery could revolutionize efforts to combat global warming and open up new possibilities for large-scale carbon capture.

A Material That Works Like a Tree

Researchers have developed a porous material that can capture CO2 directly from the air—just like trees do. This new material doesn’t degrade when exposed to water or oxygen, a limitation that has historically plagued other carbon capture technologies. In tests, 200 grams of this material were able to absorb nearly 20 kilograms of CO2, which is roughly equivalent to what a full-grown tree can absorb over the course of an entire year. Moreover, it can easily release the trapped CO2 when heated to low temperatures, allowing it to be reused hundreds of times.

This is a significant breakthrough in the ongoing efforts to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration and slow the pace of climate change. For context, the global CO2 concentration is currently hovering around 423 parts per million (ppm)—about 50% higher than pre-industrial levels, according to recent measurements. To keep global warming below the critical 1.5°C threshold, scientists agree that CO2 levels must be reduced to below 450 ppm. Without action, these levels could rise to 500–550 ppm, exacerbating the climate crisis.

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Capturing CO2 from the Air: A Growing Necessity

While reducing emissions is key to mitigating climate change, experts recognize that it’s equally important to remove existing CO2 from the atmosphere. Technologies known as Direct Air Capture (DAC) aim to do just that. According to Zihui Zhou, lead author of the study from UC Berkeley, capturing carbon directly from the air is essential if we’re to meet the Paris Agreement climate targets.

“If we want to bring CO2 levels down to 400 or even 300 ppm, we need to invest in direct air capture technologies,” he said in a recent blog post.

Current DAC technologies, however, are mostly effective only for high-carbon sources, such as emissions from power plants. Many existing carbon capture materials are either too unstable or degrade quickly, limiting their long-term effectiveness. This new material, developed by Zhou and his colleagues, offers a solution that is more stable and more efficient than previous attempts.

How Does It Work?

This New Material Traps CO2 Like an Adult Tree with Just 200 Grams

The breakthrough material, known as COF-999, is a solid, porous structure that contains amine groups, which are key to binding with CO2 molecules. Unlike previous materials made from metals, COF-999 features carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen covalent bonds—some of the strongest chemical connections found in nature. This gives the material increased stability, even when exposed to water, acids, bases, or environmental pollutants like sulfur and nitrogen compounds, which can easily degrade traditional carbon-capturing substances.

The pore structure of COF-999 increases its surface area, allowing it to capture carbon at a rate that is at least 10 times faster than previous materials. In lab tests, the material reached half of its maximum CO2 absorption in just 18 minutes and became fully saturated in just two hours when exposed to ambient air with a CO2 concentration of 400 ppm.

Real-World Application

To test the material’s real-world application, the research team placed the COF-999 inside a stainless steel tube and exposed it to outdoor air in Berkeley for 20 days. The ambient CO2 concentration during the test ranged from 410 to 510 ppm, and after 20 days, the material had absorbed nearly all of the CO2, showing just how effective it is at capturing carbon from the atmosphere.

With the ability to absorb up to 2 millimoles of CO2 per gram, the researchers estimate that just 200 grams of COF-999 could capture 20 kilograms of CO2—equivalent to the amount an adult tree absorbs in an entire year. The material can also easily release the CO2 when heated to around 60°C, allowing it to be reused multiple times. In the initial tests, the material successfully performed 100 cycles of absorption and release without any significant degradation. A more recent version of COF-999 even lasted for 300 cycles, a promising sign for its long-term viability.

Looking Ahead: Overcoming Challenges

Although the material’s performance is promising, there are still challenges to overcome before it can be scaled up for widespread use. The next hurdle is developing systems that can filter air without dispersing the fine powder of COF-999. The researchers anticipate that a working version of the material could be ready for DAC plants within the next two years, but they are still working out the costs and technical requirements for mass production.

Interestingly, one of the major advantages of COF-999 is that it doesn’t require rare or costly materials to produce, making it a potentially affordable and scalable solution for large-scale carbon capture.

A New Hope in the Fight Against Climate Change

While this material is still in its early stages, its potential to capture CO2 as efficiently as a tree—and with just a fraction of the material weight—could make it a game-changer in our battle against climate change. As scientists continue to refine its design and functionality, we may soon have a new, more powerful tool in our arsenal to tackle the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and work towards a more sustainable future.