Researchers at TU Wien have discovered a direct chemical pathway that allows carbon dioxide to bind with minerals like wollastonite much faster than previously thought. By using atomic force microscopy, the team demonstrated that water acts as a catalyst, bending the CO2 molecule and allowing it to attach directly to the rock surface. This discovery challenges the old assumption that mineral carbonation takes centuries. Understanding this atomic scale process could improve industrial carbon capture and storage efforts, enabling more efficient and permanent removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.
