--- title: "New Carbon Capture System Generates Electricity by Sucking up CO2" description: "Researchers say they've devised a carbon capture system that captures atmospheric carbon in water — and uses the reaction to generate electricity." date: "2019-01-22" modified: "2019-05-10" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/carbon-capture-generates-electricity" categories: - "Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Carbon Capture" - "CO2" - "energy" - "the digest" --- # New Carbon Capture System Generates Electricity by Sucking up CO2 ![Researchers say they've devised a carbon capture system that captures atmospheric carbon in water — and uses the reaction to generate electricity.]() *\Image: CC0/Victor Tangermann\* ## Carbon Capture When vehicles and power plants burn fossil fuels, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — trapping energy from the Sun and [warming the planet](). Some [researchers have suggested]() that the world could fight climate change by investing in machines that capture carbon from the air. A practical solution remains years away, but researchers in South Korea and Georgia now say they've devised a system that captures atmospheric carbon in water — and uses the reaction to generate electricity and hydrogen. ## Aqueous Solution The researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and the Georgia Institute of Technology drew inspiration from the ocean, which [absorbs a large amount]() of carbon from the atmosphere. As water takes on carbon, it becomes more acidic. The researchers built a device that uses that phenomenon to generate electricity, similarly to a battery. The system also produces hydrogen, which the researchers suggest could serve as a fuel. ## Sequestration Technologies The efficiency of the new system isn't clear, and it currently only works for 1,000 hours. But it's a rare bit of positivity amidst the many bleak predictions for the future of energy and the environment. "Carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration technologies have recently received a great deal of attention for providing a pathway in dealing with global climate change," UNIST researcher Guntae Kim said in a [press release](). "Our new system has solved this problem with \[a\] CO2 dissolution mechanism." **READ MORE:** [Scientists Turn Carbon Emissions Into Usable Energy]() \[*Phys.org*\] ***More on carbon capture: [New Powder Captures CO2 Before It Can Hit the Atmosphere]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()