While governments are primarily focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet their obligations under the Paris Agreement and mitigate climate change, there is also interest in carbon capture and storage solutions. Carbon capture technologies could be installed at significant sources of carbon – such as power plants and factories – to mitigate their environmental impact, as part of holistic decarbonisation efforts.
The device designed by the Department of Energy researchers is focused on improving the process of carbon absorption, which in a flue-gas stream from smokestacks is placed in contact with a solvent which reacts with the gas. This process typically produces heat when carbon dioxide interacts with the solvent, in turn diminishing the capability of the solvent to react with carbon dioxide, thus reducing efficiency.
Using 3D printing, the researchers were able to custom design a device which removes this excess heat while keeping...