Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a novel and cost-effective method for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the atmosphere—potentially revolutionising how we address carbon emissions across industries. The study, published in Energy & Environmental Science, explores the use of low temperatures and common sorbent materials to enable more scalable, sustainable direct air capture (DAC).

Capturing CO₂ with Cold Energy

The technique harnesses the ultra-low temperatures generated during the regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG), a process already in place at many coastal industrial terminals worldwide. Rather than allowing the cold energy to go to waste—typically dissipated by warming the LNG with seawater—the Georgia Tech team uses it to cool ambient air. This near-cryogenic air creates ideal conditions for porous materials known as physisorbents to adsorb CO₂.

Unlike traditional amine-based sorbents used in many current DAC systems—which degrade over time, demand high energy input, and struggle with moisture—physisorbents such as Zeolite 13X and CALF-20 are robust, affordable, and operate more efficiently in dry, cold conditions. Cooling the air naturally removes moisture, sidestepping the need for expensive water-removal systems and enabling better CO₂ uptake.

Material Innovation for Scalable Climate Solutions

Zeolite 13X, a widely used water treatment material, and CALF-20, a stable metal-organic framework (MOF), showed exceptional performance at -78°C—achieving CO₂ capture capacities three times greater than traditional materials. These materials also allow for low-energy regeneration, making them promising candidates for real-world DAC applications.

For designers, especially those working in architecture and packaging, this presents a new frontier in carbon-smart materials. Integrating such systems into existing LNG infrastructure or new urban developments could support climate-positive design strategies. Moreover, this opens up opportunities to explore new material libraries—as many physisorbents unsuitable at ambient temperatures become viable under cryogenic conditions, greatly expanding the range of usable carbon-capture media.

A Broader Climate Application

The potential impact is significant: the study estimates that using even a portion of the global LNG terminal infrastructure could allow the capture of more than 100 million metric tons of CO₂ annually by 2050. The researchers are now focused on refining materials and system design to scale the technology effectively.

As global net-zero goals become more urgent, innovations like this DAC system may play a key role in the built environment, product systems, and logistics chains—paving the way for climate-responsive, circular material strategies.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Photo: Markus Distelrath