Scientists create improved CO2-absorbing crystals
2010 07 21
By Tan Ee Lyn and Chris Lewis | Reuters.com
Chemists in South Korea and the United States have improved the design of a type of artificial crystal, doubling the amount of carbon-dioxide they can absorb and store.
 The new crystals are developed from an earlier crystal named MOF-177.
Called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), the metallic crystals are porous, stable structures that can absorb and compress gases into very small spaces.
Scientists are hoping such materials can lead to cleaner energy and help capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and ocean acidity.
Led by Omar Yaghi at UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute, the team improved upon an earlier crystal named MOF-177 to produce two new versions -- MOF-200 and MOF-210 -- that can store twice the volume of gases.
"Porosity is a way to do a lot with little," said Yaghi, a chemistry and biochemistry professor, in a statement. "Instead of having only the outside surface of a particle, we drill small holes to dramatically increase the surface area."
The improved crystals were described in a paper published in the online edition of the journal Science.
Jaheon Kim, a chemistry professor at Seoul’s Soongsil University, helped design the MOF-210. He described one gram of MOFs as being about the size of four sugar tablets.
When flattened, each gram of these improved crystals could spread over 5,000 square meters, Yaghi said.
"If I take a gram of MOF-200 and unravel it, it will cover many football fields, and that is the space you have for gases to assemble," Yaghi said. "It’s like magic. Forty tons of MOFs is equal to the entire surface area of California."
In an email exchange with Reuters, Kim said he saw many uses for these crystals.
"They can be used for the short-term storage of CO2 (carbon dioxide) or fuel gas storage. I think it is practically possible," said Kim, adding that hydrogen could also be stored.
MOFs can be made from low-cost ingredients, such as zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreen, and terephthalate, which is found in plastic soda bottles.
Article from: Reuters.com
Related Articles
A route to high surface area, porosity and inclusion of large molecules in crystals
US scientists create cloth that can listen, produce sound
Near Death Experience "explained" by carbon dioxide
Carbon Capture Effort Collects Critics
Study Says Carbon Nanotubes as Dangerous as Asbestos [2008]
NASA-inspired Aerogel could sponge up oil spills
Latest News from our Front Page
|
No Bank Deposits Will Be Spared from Confiscation
2013 05 18
As alert Zero Hedge readers are aware, this week the EURO Politburo is busy debating the dodgy subject of deposit "bail-ins."
The following article very succinctly explains this odious mode of fractal fractional reserve end-game chicanery.
The author encourages all of you to share it with others.
NO BANK DEPOSITS WILL BE SPARED FROM CONFISCATION
By Matthias Chang Esq, futurefastforward.com (with author’s permission)
I challenge ... |
Military Says No Presidential Authorization Needed To Quell “Civil Disturbances”
2013 05 17
A recent Department of Defense instruction alters the US code applying to the military’s involvement in domestic law enforcement by allowing US troops to quell “civil disturbances” domestically without any Presidential authorization, greasing the skids for a de facto military coup in America along with the wholesale abolition of Posse Comitatus.
The instruction (embedded at the end of this article), which ... |
Ancient Maya Pyramid Destroyed in Belize
2013 05 17
An archaeological group says it plans to take legal action.
Despite its small size, the Caribbean country of Belize is known for a few outstanding characteristics: a spectacular barrier reef, a teeming rain forest, and extensive Maya ruins.
It now has one fewer of those ruins.
A construction company in Belize has been scooping stone out of the major pyramid at the site ... |
Ginger: A Warming Herb
2013 05 17
Ginger is an Asian herb that is particularly well known to us in the West. Over time, and with trial and error, its stimulating properties and piquant flavor have been integrated into both our herbal “materia medica” and cuisine.
Brewed as an herbal tea, ginger root is particularly helpful for those people who have underactive stomachs and difficulty producing adequate amounts ... |
Australian man dead for 40 minutes revived with new CPR machine
2013 05 17
In an Australian first, doctors have used a new resuscitation technique to revive three patients who were clinically dead for up to an hour.
One of the lucky survivors was Colin Fiedler, 49, who was pronounced dead at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, after suffering a heart attack, The Herald Sun reported.
Doctors brought Fieldler back to life using a U.S.-made ... |
| More News » |
|
|
|
|
