Title: Photochemically‐Driven CO 2 Release Using a Metastable‐State Photoacid for Energy Efficient Direct Air Capture

Journal Article · · Angewandte Chemie
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Chemical Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory P.O. Box 2008 Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA
  2. Chemical Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory P.O. Box 2008 Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IN 46556 USA
  3. Chemical Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory P.O. Box 2008 Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA, Department of Chemical Engineering University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611 USA
  4. Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne FL 32901 USA
  5. Manufacturing Science Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory P.O. Box 2008 Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA

Abstract One of the grand challenges underlying current direct air capture (DAC) technologies relates to the intensive energy cost for sorbent regeneration and CO 2 release, making the massive scale (GtCO 2 /year) deployment required to have a positive impact on climate change economically unfeasible. This challenge underscores the critical need to develop new DAC processes with substantially reduced regeneration energies. Here, we report a photochemically‐driven approach for CO 2 release by exploiting the unique properties of an indazole metastable‐state photoacid (mPAH). Our measurements on simulated and amino acid‐based DAC systems revealed the potential of mPAH to be used for CO 2 release cycles by regulating pH changes and associated isomers driven by light. Upon irradiating with moderate intensity light, a ≈55 % and ≈68 % to ≈78 % conversion of total inorganic carbon to CO 2 was found for the simulated and amino acid‐based DAC systems, respectively. Our results confirm the feasibility of on‐demand CO 2 release under ambient conditions using light instead of heat, thereby providing an energy efficient pathway for the regeneration of DAC sorbents.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0022214
OSTI ID:
1984739
Journal Information:
Angewandte Chemie, Journal Name: Angewandte Chemie Journal Issue: 29 Vol. 135; ISSN 0044-8249
Publisher:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Germany
Language:
English

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