Chemists from the University of York in the United Kingdom have developed a new way to capture carbon from various industrial sources by using seaweed and other forms of waste biomass. The university developed “Starbons,” mesoporous materials derived from polysaccharides composed of waste biomass, 10 years ago and have now discovered a way to use them in carbon capture. “The synthetic make-up of Starbons, which contains pores, results in the absorption of up to 65 percent more CO2 than other methods,” according to a university press release. “Starbons are also more selective in capturing CO2 when mixed with nitrogen, with results showing a capture rate of 20:1 rather than 5:1 – four times more selective than other methods.”
Starbons are sustainable and cost little to make, according to the July 4 release. “The high CO2 adsorption, high selectivity, rapid kinetics and water tolerance, combined with the low cost and ease of large scale production from waste biomass, gives Starbons great potential. We hope to offer the product as a commercial capture agent for separating CO2 from chemical or power station waste streams,” James Clark, director of the university’s Green Chemistry Center of Excellence, said in the release.
