North Carolina State University researchers demo 3D printing for carbon dioxide capture

In North Carolina, in a new study, North Carolina State University researchers demonstrated that it’s possible to make carbon dioxide capture filters using 3D printing. Specifically, they printed a hydrogel material that can hold carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that speeds a reaction that turns carbon dioxide and water into bicarbonate.

The findings, published in the journal Gels, suggest 3D printing could be a faster, more versatile method of making filter designs.

In the study, researchers in the NC State Wilson College of Textiles mixed a solution containing two different organic compounds – or the printing “ink” – and an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase. The researchers then printed thread-like filaments of the hydrogel into a two-dimensional grid while solidifying the solution with UV light as it was printed.