Magnesium Can Make Carbon Capture Technology Faster; Could Bury Molecules Under the Sea for Hundreds of Years

The carbon capture approach is among the most promising methods to reduce the warming of water bodies on the planet, and ultimately hold off the threat of global climate change. A new study conducted by the University of Texas and ExxonMobil has found a way to develop a technology that uses carbon capture through crystalized hydrates. With the materials, experts have found that massive carbon dioxide content from the seafloor could be stored for more than hundreds of years. Moreover, adding magnesium to the system could speed up the reaction process of the crystalized hydrates up to 3,000 times faster than their standard capability.

Carbon Capture Technology vs Climate Change

(Photo : Emiliano Arano from Pexels)

The solutions to end the constant climate change on our planet have offered possibilities, but only a few were credible enough to take the burden. Among the best methods is to reduce the harmful gas content that hovers on Earth's atmospheric regions. Reducing greenhouse gases is theorized to significantly slow down the increasing risks of climate change. One of the applicable methods that experts are interested in is the carbon capture and sequestration approach. This procedure has the ability to suck up the carbon content from the skies and keep it for a very long time. Carbon capture has been tested and found to be effective, but only a small portion of CO2 content has been processed through the technique.

The University of Texas and Exxonmobil have conducted collaborative research to increase and speed up the carbon capture process. According to the study, the most effective way to quickly absorb the carbon dioxide and store it for more than centuries under the ocean floor is through synthesizing magnesium with the standard carbon-capturing model.

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Magnesium-Induced Carbon Capture

Cockrell School of Engineering's Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering expert and lead author of the study Vaibhav Bahadur said in a SciTechDaily report that they view the carbon capture method as insurance for Earth's climate condition. The expert added that if carbon neutral is impossible to decrease the threat of climate change, they will take part to achieve a carbon-neutral environment. In this way, the damage inflicted is theorized to be healed.

Hydrates are the material that is expected to help experts absorb and trap CO2 underwater. Hydrates are formed whenever carbon dioxide is fused with a composition including water in an extremely high pressure but with a low temperature, respectively. The chemical reaction that goes through this method allows the water molecules to transition into another material that is capable of trapping and burying the carbon dioxide molecules.

Magnesium can speed up the carbon capture process by 3,000 times the standard reaction. Measured to be faster than the most effective carbon-capture method, the warming of the planet could be significantly lowered in just a shorter span of time. The study was published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry Engineering, titled "Magnesium-Promoted Rapid Nucleation of Carbon Dioxide Hydrates."