CO2 catch and release under direct sunlight

Temperature swing adsorption-or absorption-based CO2 capture requires substantial energy for regeneration and cooling purposes. Therefore, a cheap heat source and a passive cooling practice would dramatically reduce the energy cost. In the current issue of Cell Reports Physical Science, the Sun group presents their fabricated device that can alternate contact with sunlight to utilize solar energy for desorption and facilitate natural cooling for adsorption. This reduces the energy demand significantly to less than 1 MJ/kg CO2.

Automated summary

Temperature swing adsorption or absorption-based CO2 capture requires a lot of energy, but utilizing solar energy for desorption and natural cooling can significantly reduce energy costs.