The new carbon storage technology is the fastest of its kind

A new way to store carbon captured from the atmosphere, developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, works much faster than current methods without the harmful chemical accelerators they require.

In new research published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, the team developed a technique for the ultrafast formation of carbon dioxide hydrates. These unique ice-like materials can bury carbon dioxide in the ocean, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.

“We’re looking at a big challenge—finding a way to safely remove gigatons of carbon from our atmosphere—and hydrates offer a universal solution for carbon storage. That they’re a major part of the storage pie of carbon, we need the technology to grow them quickly and at scale,” said Vaibhav Bahadur, a professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering who led the research. “We’ve shown that we can quickly grow hydrates without using any chemicals that offset the environmental benefits of carbon capture.”

Carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas and a major driver of climate change. Carbon capture and sequestration takes carbon out of the atmosphere and stores it forever. It is seen as a critical aspect of decarbonizing our planet.

Today, the most common method of carbon storage involves injecting carbon dioxide into underground reservoirs. This technique has the dual benefits of carbon capture and also increased oil production.

However, this technique faces significant problems, including leakage and migration of carbon dioxide, groundwater contamination, and seismic hazards associated with injection. Many parts of the world also lack suitable geological features for injecting reservoirs.

Hydrates represent a “plan B” for giga-scale carbon storage, Bahadur said, but they could become “plan A” if some key issues can be overcome. Until now, the process of forming these carbon-trapping hydrates has been slow and energy-intensive, preventing it from becoming a large-scale carbon storage tool.

In this new study, the researchers achieved a sixfold increase in the rate of hydrate formation compared to previous methods. The speed combined with the chemical-free process makes it easier to use these hydrates for carbon storage on a massive scale.

Magnesium represents the “secret sauce” in this research, acting as a catalyst that eliminates the need for chemical boosters. This is aided by the high CO bubble flow₂ in a specific reactor configuration. This technology works well with seawater, which makes it easier to implement because it does not rely on complex desalination processes to create fresh water.

“Hydrates are attractive options for carbon storage as the seabed provides stable thermodynamic conditions, which protects them from decomposition.” said Bahadur. “We’re essentially making carbon storage available to every country on the planet that has a coastline; it makes conservation more accessible and feasible on a global scale and brings us closer to achieving a sustainable future.”

The implications of this discovery extend beyond carbon sequestration. Ultra-fast hydrate formation has potential applications in desalination, gas separation and gas storage, providing a versatile solution for various industries.

The researchers and UT have filed for a pair of patents related to the technology, and the team is considering a startup to commercialize it.