Distributed direct air capture by carbon nanofiber air filters
- Ronghui Wu
- Hernan E. Delgado
- Yi Xie
- Yuanke Chen
- Gangbin Yan
- Edward Luo
- Qizhang Li
- Qingsong Fan
- Yu Han
- Genesis M. Higueros
- Amar Ruthen
- Chenxi Sui
- Adarsh Suresh
- David B. Mitzi
- Chong Liu
- Amgad Elgowainy
- Po-Chun Hsu
2025-10-17
The rising atmospheric CO 2 concentration is one of the biggest challenges human civilization faces. Direct air capture (DAC) that removes CO 2 from the atmosphere provides great potential in carbon neutralization. However, the massive land use and capital investment of centralized DAC plants and the energy-intensive process of adsorbent regeneration limit its wide employment. We develop a distributed carbon nanofiber (CNF)–based DAC air filter capable of adsorbing CO 2 downstream in ventilation systems. The DAC air filter not only has the potential to remove 596 MtCO 2 year −1 globally but can also decrease energy consumption in existing building systems. The CNF-based adsorbent has a capacity of 4 mmol/g and can be regenerated via solar thermal or electrothermal methods with low carbon footprints. Through life cycle assessment, the CNF air filter shows a carbon removal efficiency of 92.1% from cradle to grave. Additionally, techno-economic analysis estimates a cost of $209 to 668 in capturing and storing 1 tonne of CO 2 from direct air.