Carbon-capture breakthrough could be game-changer in utilizing CO₂

In Australia, CSIRO and Monash University developed a device that captures carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and its inventors say it’s the most cost-effective method of capturing CO₂ yet devised. 

In the short term, they hope their Airthena device will be used to produce the 100 million tonnes of CO₂ that Australia imports each year.

“CO₂ is used in the horticulture industry, it’s used in building manufacturing, it’s used in soft drinks, and it’s used in the chemical industry,” says chemical engineer Associate Professor Matthew Hill, who helped develop Airthena.

At present, the cost of CO₂ is about A$300 a tonne, but the new technology can capture the gas from the atmosphere for about $100 a tonne, he says.

A demonstration Airthena unit can capture six kilograms of CO₂ every day; the unit is two metres square, and can run off a solar cell.

“We’ve run more than 1000 cycles of that, so it’s very effective,” says Dr Hill. “What we really need to do is go from six kilograms per day to six tonnes per day.”

“If you can capture the CO₂ from the air, and it’s cheaper than buying it in, then straight away you’re onto a winner, and it gives you options.”

The developers are in discussions with industry partners and investors, and hope to finalise plans to scale up the technology in the near future.