One significant way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions entails trapping carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from power plants and various industries. But current materials that can collect CO₂ have low capacities or require very high temperatures to work. Scientists are working toward making carbon capture less energy-intensive, say IT researchers writing in the American Chemical Society's Chemistry of Materials.

Some solid systems that aim to capture these emissions, such as zeolites, are sensitive to water in the gas streams. Others, such as clays and metal oxides, have to be heated to more than 900 degrees Fahrenheit, which requires a lot of energy.

The researchers studied a new class of materials based on magnesium oxide (MgO), which can capture larger quantities of carbon at much lower temperatures than other substances being investigated. They found that coating MgO particles with low-cost substances called alkali metal nitrates boosted the amount of CO₂ that could take up more than 10-fold. The MgO captures a significantly higher amount of CO₂ (2-10 times) than other systems for a given volume. This translates into smaller equipment needs and lower plant costs.