Titanium is a promising and abundant resource for carbon capture

Titanium has emerged as a key player in a recent carbon capture breakthrough that has been unveiled by scientists at Oregon State University.

This innovative research offers new hope in the battle against climate change, and showcases the power of out-of-the-box thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration.

By leveraging titanium’s affordability and abundance, the team has developed a promising method to capture carbon dioxide more efficiently.

Their discovery could pave the way for scalable, cost-effective solutions to reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.

Transition metals and carbon capture

The novel study, led by Professor May Nyman and Karlie Bach from Oregon State University College of Science, revolves around a vital mission: the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the atmosphere.

The research is shedding new light on how carbon capture can be significantly improved – all the way down to the molecular level.

In 2021, Professor Nyman was chosen as the leader of one of nine direct air capture projects funded by the Department of Energy, according to a press release from OSU.

Her team is studying how specific transition metal complexes can capture carbon dioxide from the air and transform it into metal carbonate, a compound often found in natural minerals.

What are these mysterious “transition metals”? They are a group of elements found near the center of the periodic table. Transition metals derive their name from the “transition” of their electrons between low and high energy states.

This electron movement results in the emission of distinctive colors, which adds a little splash of dazzle to the complex world of chemistry.

Taking a closer look at titanium

While carbon capture is an existing technology that allows for CO₂ to be filtered from the air, current implementations are cost-prohibitive and energy-intensive.

This is precisely where the OSU team’s work comes into play. The researchers decided to focus their attention on the element titanium.

“We opted to look into titanium as it’s 100 times cheaper than vanadium, more abundant, more environmentally friendly and already well established in industrial uses,” noted Bach.

“It also is right next to vanadium on the periodic table, so we hypothesized that the carbon capture behavior could be similar enough to vanadium to be effective.”

Carbon capture capacity of titanium

In the course of their research, the team synthesized several new tetraperoxo titanate structures – compounds containing a titanium atom associated with four peroxide groups. These new compounds showed varying degrees of effectiveness in capturing CO₂.

“Our favorite carbon capture structure we discovered is potassium tetraperoxo titanate, which is extra unique because it turns out it is also a peroxosolvate,” said Bach.

“That means that in addition to having the peroxide bonds to titanium, it also has hydrogen peroxide in the structure, which is what we believe makes it so reactive.”

The research indicates that the carbon capture capacity of potassium tetraperoxo titanate is roughly double that of vanadium peroxide – a result which gives the team significant grounds for optimism.

“Titanium is a cheaper, safer material with a significantly higher capacity,” said Bach.

The ongoing fight against climate change

While the fight against climate change is ongoing, this research sheds new light on the potential of using an abundant and cost-effective element like titanium to capture CO₂ directly from the air.

The study highlights the critical importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and cutting-edge science for addressing the complexities of climate challenges.

By focusing on scalable and affordable solutions, such advances bring us closer to a future where technological innovation can help restore the balance of our atmosphere.

It is yet another reminder that, with innovative thinking, steadfast commitment, and a good dose of scientific curiosity, we can make strides towards a more sustainable future.

The OSU team included Professor Tim Zuehlsdorff, Professor Konstantinos Goulas, postdoctoral researcher Eduard Garrido Ribó, and crystallographer Lev Zakharov. The team also included graduate students Jacob Hirschi, Zhiwei Mao and Makenzie Nord.

Details of the research are found in this press release from OSU.

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