Researchers at the University of Delaware have developed a carbon capture device that uses battery chemistry to pump CO2 across a cell. The lab-scale stack consumed 0.8 megawatt-hours per ton of captured CO2, less than half the energy used by current direct air capture systems. The team behind the startup RepAir Carbon projects costs could fall to $92 per ton at large scale, using learning rates from lithium-ion battery manufacturing. The technology works by producing hydroxide at the cathode to absorb CO2, then releasing it at the anode. The nickel hydroxide electrodes are reversible, allowing the same cell to capture and release CO2. While the cost projection is optimistic, it adds a new approach to the carbon capture toolbox, which is currently dominated by heat-driven sorbent systems. If the process can be scaled economically, it could make carbon removal more affordable and widely deployable.
