9621 Agnes Crossing, Lake Suzanneview, New Mexico Island 84604-9295.
Visually striking enough to be named after the goddess, the chemical element exhibits Goldilocks levels of reactivity (neither too high nor too low), making it a strong candidate
Visually striking enough to be named after the goddess, the chemical element exhibits Goldilocks levels of reactivity (neither too high nor too low), making it a strong candidate as a carbon scavenger.
The element is vanadium, and research by Oregon State University scientists has demonstrated the ability of vanadium peroxide molecules to react with and bind carbon dioxide; This is an important step towards developing technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The research is part of a federal effort to develop new methods for direct airborne capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas created when fossil fuels are burned and linked to climate change.
Equipment that filters carbon from the air is starting to pop up around the world, but it’s still in its infancy. For example, technologies to reduce carbon dioxide at the point of entry into the atmosphere in power plants are more developed. Both types of carbon sequestration may be necessary if Earth is to avoid the worst effects of climate change, scientists say.
In 2021, Oregon State’s May Nyman, Terence Bradshaw Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, was selected to lead one of nine direct air capture projects funded by the Department of Energy. His team is investigating how certain transition metal complexes can react with air to remove carbon dioxide and convert it into a metal carbonate similar to that found in many naturally occurring minerals.
Transition metals are located near the center of the periodic table and their name derives from the transition of electrons from low-energy states to high-energy states and back, resulting in characteristic colors. For this study, the scientists settled on vanadium, named after Vanadis, the Old Norse name for the Norse goddess of love, who was said to be so beautiful that tears would turn to gold.
Nyman explains that carbon dioxide is present in the atmosphere at a concentration of 400 parts per million. This means that for every 1 million air molecules, 400 of them, or 0.04%, are carbon dioxide.
“The problem with direct air trapping is finding molecules or materials that are selective enough, otherwise other reactions with more air molecules, such as reactions with water, will overwhelm the reaction with CO.2“Our team synthesized a set of molecules containing three fragments that are important in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and they work together.”
Some of it was vanadium, so named because of the variety of wonderful colors it could display, and the other part was peroxide bound to vanadium. Because the vanadium peroxide molecule is negatively charged, it needs alkaline cations to balance the charge, Nyman said, and the researchers used alkaline cations of potassium, rubidium and cesium for this study.
He added that staff also tried to replace vanadium with other metals in the same neighborhood on the periodic table.
“Tungsten, niobium and tantalum were not as effective in this chemical form,” Nyman said. “Molybdenum, on the other hand, was so reactive that it sometimes exploded.”
Additionally, scientists substituted ammonium and tetramethylammonium, which are moderately acidic, for alkalis. These compounds did not react at all, and researchers are still trying to understand this mystery.
“And when we removed the peroxide, there wasn’t as much reactivity again,” Nyman said. “In this sense, vanadium peroxide is a beautiful purple Goldilocks that turns golden when exposed to air and binds a carbon dioxide molecule.”
Another valuable property of vanadium, he notes, is that it provides a relatively low formation temperature for trapped carbon dioxide, of about 200 degrees Celsius.
“This compares with almost 700 degrees Celsius when bound to potassium, lithium or sodium, other metals used to capture carbon,” he said. “The possibility of re-releasing captured CO2 It allows carbon capture materials to be reused, and the lower the temperature required for this, the less energy is required and the lower the cost. There are some very clever ideas for reusing captured carbon that are already being implemented; e.g. captured CO transfer2 in a greenhouse for growing plants”.
Other Oregon State authors on the paper include Tim Zuelsdorf, Ph.D., associate professor of theoretical/physical chemistry. There was Eduardo Garrido.
“I am also proud of the hard work of my graduate students in my lab, Zhiwei Mao and Carly Bach, as well as my graduate student Taylor Linsday,” Nyman said. “This is completely new territory for my laboratory and also for Tim Suhlsdorf, who supervised the doctoral thesis. student Jacob Hirschi on his computational work to explain reaction mechanisms. The beginning of a new field of study is associated with many unknowns.
Source: Port Altele
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
