研究人员开发了一种从大气中去除温室气体的新方法

研究人员开发了一种从大气中去除温室气体的新方法

Scientists are hailing a new process that strips carbon dioxide directly from the air as a revolutionary tool in the fight against climate change.

科学家们正在欢呼一种新方法，这种方法可以直接从空气中去除二氧化碳，作为对抗气候变化的革命性工具。

The new process, developed by researchers at MIT, can remove greenhouse gases regardless of concentration levels — a critical breakthrough since greenhouses gases in our atmosphere stand at 400 parts per million, a level that isn't considered sustainable.

这项由麻省理工学院研究人员开发的新工艺，可以在不考虑浓度水平的情况下去除温室气体——这是一个重大突破，因为我们大气中的温室气体含量为400ppm，这一水平被认为是不可持续的。

As described in a new research paper in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, the technique passes air through electrochemical plates. Those stacked plates essentially absorb the CO2 as air flows through them — a filtration system capturing even the finest particles found in the air we breathe.

发表在《能源和环境科学》杂志上的一个新的研究论文指出,该技术通过电化学板块传递空气。当空气流经这些堆叠起来的板块时，它们基本上吸收了二氧化碳——这是一个过滤系统，甚至可以捕捉到我们呼吸的空气中最细小的颗粒。

It wouldn't be the first time scientists have developed a process for stripping CO2 directly from the atmosphere. A Swiss firm recently received new equity funding to begin its air-scouring operations — although it's costlier and more energy-intensive than the MIT technique.

这并不是科学家第一次开发出直接从大气中去除二氧化碳的方法。一家瑞士公司最近获得了新的股权投资，开始了它的空气净化业务——尽管这比麻省理工学院的技术成本更高，能源消耗也更大。

The MIT team touts the new model as flexible, scalable and cheap, mostly due to its relatively simple design.

麻省理工学院的研究小组将这种新模式吹捧为灵活、可扩展和廉价的，主要是因为它相对简单的设计。

"All of this is at ambient conditions — there's no need for thermal, pressure, or chemical input. It's just these very thin sheets, with both surfaces active, that can be stacked in a box and connected to a source of electricity," notes team member Sahag Voskian in a news release.

“所有这些都是在自然环境条件下进行的，不需要热、压力或化学输入。它只是这些非常薄的薄片，两面都是活动的，可以堆叠在一个盒子里，并连接到电源上，”团队成员Sahag Voskian在新闻发布会上说。

It's basically a big battery that, during the charging cycle, draws in CO2 as air, or gas, passes over its electrodes. When the battery is discharged, the accumulated CO2 is released. The battery would be in a constant cycle of charging and discharging, as it separates the CO2 from the air.

它基本上是一个大电池，在充电过程中，当空气或气体通过它的电极时，会吸收二氧化碳。当电池放电时，积累的二氧化碳被释放出来。电池将处于一个恒定的充放电周期，因为它将二氧化碳从空气中分离出来。

"The electrodes have a natural affinity for carbon dioxide and readily react with its molecules in the airstream or feed gas, even when it is present at very low concentrations," the researchers note in the release. "The reverse reaction takes place when the battery is discharged — during which the device can provide part of the power needed for the whole system — and in the process ejects a stream of pure carbon dioxide. The whole system operates at room temperature and normal air pressure."

研究人员在新闻稿中指出:“这些电极对二氧化碳有天然的亲和力，即使在浓度非常低的情况下，它们也能很容易地与空气或原料气体中的二氧化碳分子发生反应。”“当电池放电时，设备可以提供整个系统所需的部分电力，并在此过程中喷射出纯二氧化碳流，这时就会发生逆反应。”整个系统在常温常压下工作。

The CO2 collected during the process could also be useful, and indirectly, contribute to greenhouse gas reduction. Companies that make fizzy drinks, the researchers point out, frequently burn fossil fuels to generate carbon dioxide for their products. They would no longer need to burden the atmosphere in order to give pop its "pop."

在这一过程中收集的二氧化碳也可能是有用的，并间接有助于减少温室气体。研究人员指出，生产碳酸饮料的公司经常通过燃烧化石燃料来产生二氧化碳。他们不再需要为了给流行音乐增添“流行”而加重大气的负担。

About 71 percent of greenhouse gases are produced by just 100 companies. (Photo: Paulo Resende/Shutterstock)

Otherwise, pure carbon dioxide can be compressed and disposed of underground. Or, they suggest, it can be turned into fuel.

否则，纯二氧化碳就会被压缩并被排放到地下。或者，他们建议，它可以变成燃料。

"This carbon dioxide capture technology is a clear demonstration of the power of electrochemical approaches that require only small swings in voltage to drive the separations," notes T. Alan Hatton, who co-authored the research paper.

“这种二氧化碳捕获技术清楚地展示了电化学方法的力量，这种方法只需要电压的微小波动就可以驱动分离，”该研究论文的合著者T.艾伦哈顿指出。

It all adds up to a world of possibilities for a planet that hasn't had so much CO2 in its atmosphere in all of human history. In fact, you would likely have to go back to the Pliocene Epoch some 3 million years ago to find an atmosphere so laden with greenhouses gases.

这一切都为一个在人类历史上大气中没有那么多二氧化碳的星球提供了无限的可能性。事实上，你可能要回到大约300万年前的上新世才能找到一个充满温室气体的大气层。

While CO2 is critical to life on Earth, it also has an affinity for trapping heat in the atmosphere.

虽然二氧化碳对地球上的生命至关重要，但它也有在大气中捕获热量的吸引力。

The MIT project, along with other promising advances, may give the planet a chance to breathe easy for the first time since industrialization literally darkened its door.

麻省理工学院的项目，以及其他有希望的进展，可能会给这个星球一个机会，让它自工业化使它的大门变得黑暗以来，第一次松一口气。