--- title: "New Tech That Sucks Carbon From Chimneys Has “Tremendous Potential”" description: "## Scrubbing Carbon Dioxide" date: "2019-02-02" modified: "2019-02-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/carbon-dioxide-scrubber-bigs" categories: - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "carbon dioxide" - "carbon dioxide emissions" - "environment" - "the digest" --- # New Tech That Sucks Carbon From Chimneys Has “Tremendous Potential” ![]() *\Image: Pxhere/Victor Tangermann\* ## Scrubbing Carbon Dioxide The same technology that allows scuba divers to "rebreathe" used-up carbon dioxide while underwater could be used to suck up harmful emissions — and straight out of the smokestack. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee found a way to collect and store CO2 gas through a new technique: a special substance of organic chemicals called imino guanidines or BIGs bind to the bicarbonate in carbon dioxide-water solutions. Their research was [published by journal ]()*Chem* on Thursday. ## BIG Potential When captured CO2 from smokestacks is forced to bubble through a solution of BIGs and water, part of those organic compounds bind to the bicarbonate that's formed in the CO2-water solution. The resulting product crystallizes and can be separated from the water, meaning that it can be stored rather than emitted to the atmosphere. The crystals can even be used again to capture more carbon dioxide later. This technique "has tremendous potential," Kristin Bowman-James, a chemist at the University of Kansas in Lawrence [told *Science Magazine*](). The technique is also extremely efficient: it takes about [24 percent less energy]() than commonly used carbon dioxide "scrubbers" — a similar process that uses a different organic compound. ## A Question of Scale But it's unclear if the technology will still be as efficient and cost effective on an industrial scale. As of 2018, there are still [over 350 coal power plants]() operating in the U.S. Sucking up that much emitted carbon dioxide would require immense amounts of BIGs. **READ MORE:** [Scubalike technology could suck carbon dioxide from smokestacks]() \[*Science Magazine*\] ***More on carbon dioxide scrubbers: [Researchers Have Found a Way to Convert CO2 Into a Usable Fuel]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()