研究人員開(kāi)發(fā)了一種從大氣中去除溫室氣體的新方法

研究人員開(kāi)發(fā)了一種從大氣中去除溫室氣體的新方法

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

科學(xué)家們正在歡呼一種新方法，這種方法可以直接從空氣中去除二氧化碳，作為對(duì)抗氣候變化的革命性工具。

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.

這項(xiàng)由麻省理工學(xué)院研究人員開(kāi)發(fā)的新工藝，可以在不考慮濃度水平的情況下去除溫室氣體——這是一個(gè)重大突破，因?yàn)槲覀兇髿庵械臏厥覛怏w含量為400ppm，這一水平被認(rèn)為是不可持續(xù)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.

發(fā)表在《能源和環(huán)境科學(xué)》雜志上的一個(gè)新的研究論文指出,該技術(shù)通過(guò)電化學(xué)板塊傳遞空氣。當(dāng)空氣流經(jīng)這些堆疊起來(lái)的板塊時(shí)，它們基本上吸收了二氧化碳——這是一個(gè)過(guò)濾系統(tǒng)，甚至可以捕捉到我們呼吸的空氣中最細(xì)小的顆粒。

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.

這并不是科學(xué)家第一次開(kāi)發(fā)出直接從大氣中去除二氧化碳的方法。一家瑞士公司最近獲得了新的股權(quán)投資，開(kāi)始了它的空氣凈化業(yè)務(wù)——盡管這比麻省理工學(xué)院的技術(shù)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.

麻省理工學(xué)院的研究小組將這種新模式吹捧為靈活、可擴(kuò)展和廉價(jià)的，主要是因?yàn)樗鄬?duì)簡(jiǎn)單的設(shè)計(jì)。

"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.

“所有這些都是在自然環(huán)境條件下進(jìn)行的，不需要熱、壓力或化學(xué)輸入。它只是這些非常薄的薄片，兩面都是活動(dòng)的，可以堆疊在一個(gè)盒子里，并連接到電源上，”團(tuán)隊(duì)成員Sahag Voskian在新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上說(shuō)。

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.

它基本上是一個(gè)大電池，在充電過(guò)程中，當(dāng)空氣或氣體通過(guò)它的電極時(shí)，會(huì)吸收二氧化碳。當(dāng)電池放電時(shí)，積累的二氧化碳被釋放出來(lái)。電池將處于一個(gè)恒定的充放電周期，因?yàn)樗鼘⒍趸紡目諝庵蟹蛛x出來(lái)。

"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."

研究人員在新聞稿中指出:“這些電極對(duì)二氧化碳有天然的親和力，即使在濃度非常低的情況下，它們也能很容易地與空氣或原料氣體中的二氧化碳分子發(fā)生反應(yīng)。”“當(dāng)電池放電時(shí)，設(shè)備可以提供整個(gè)系統(tǒng)所需的部分電力，并在此過(guò)程中噴射出純二氧化碳流，這時(shí)就會(huì)發(fā)生逆反應(yīng)。”整個(gè)系統(tǒng)在常溫常壓下工作。

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."

在這一過(guò)程中收集的二氧化碳也可能是有用的，并間接有助于減少溫室氣體。研究人員指出，生產(chǎn)碳酸飲料的公司經(jīng)常通過(guò)燃燒化石燃料來(lái)產(chǎn)生二氧化碳。他們不再需要為了給流行音樂(lè)增添“流行”而加重大氣的負(fù)擔(dān)。

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.

否則，純二氧化碳就會(huì)被壓縮并被排放到地下。或者，他們建議，它可以變成燃料。

"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.

“這種二氧化碳捕獲技術(shù)清楚地展示了電化學(xué)方法的力量，這種方法只需要電壓的微小波動(dòng)就可以驅(qū)動(dòng)分離，”該研究論文的合著者T.艾倫哈頓指出。

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.

這一切都為一個(gè)在人類(lèi)歷史上大氣中沒(méi)有那么多二氧化碳的星球提供了無(wú)限的可能性。事實(shí)上，你可能要回到大約300萬(wàn)年前的上新世才能找到一個(gè)充滿(mǎn)溫室氣體的大氣層。

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

雖然二氧化碳對(duì)地球上的生命至關(guān)重要，但它也有在大氣中捕獲熱量的吸引力。

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.

麻省理工學(xué)院的項(xiàng)目，以及其他有希望的進(jìn)展，可能會(huì)給這個(gè)星球一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，讓它自工業(yè)化使它的大門(mén)變得黑暗以來(lái)，第一次松一口氣。