Scientists in South Korea
have built a device that captures carbon, abates NOx pollution, and generates
small amounts of electricity. The device directly converts the energy generated
during gas adsorption into electricity. The prototype, known as the Gas
Capture and Electricity Generator (GCEG), is composed of
carbon-based electrodes and hydrogel materials. More specifically, it has “a
carbon black-coated mulberry paper electrode with a dip-coated polyacrylamide
hydrogel.” The structure of the device enables selective gas adsorption and
voltage generation. Essentially, the atmospheric pollutants (NOx and CO2) are
utilized as fuel to generate small but continuous amounts of electricity.
According to an article in
The Independent:
“Upon exposure to 50 parts per million of nitrous oxide,
researchers say the generator delivers 0.8 volts and 55 microamperes of power.”
“While the energy generated is small, it can be scaled
up to 3.8 volts and 140 microamperes via “series and parallel integration”,
enough to power some wearables and environmental monitors, researchers say.
“By integrating gas capture and electricity generation
within a single self-powered platform, this approach provides a scalable,
low-energy pathway for mitigating multiple greenhouse gases,” the study noted.
“Scientists hope the technology can be further developed
for use in smart environmental sensors, battery-free devices connected to the
internet, and in industrial facilities where large volumes of emissions are
generated.”
Since most carbon capture
devices and systems require significant energy inputs to operate, this device
could eliminate (some?) of those requirements. The new device, according to
TechXplore:
“…directly converts the physicochemical energy generated
during gas adsorption on electrode surfaces into electrical energy.”
“This technology is expected to be widely applicable in
self-powered smart environmental sensors, battery-free IoT systems, and
industrial facilities where large volumes of emissions are generated. In such
settings, it could enable simultaneous energy harvesting and carbon reduction.”
The paper was published in
the journal Energy and Environmental Science. Its abstract notes
that the mechanism for chemical reactions is via changes to hydrogen bonds:
“…hydrogen-bond-driven gas–hydrogel interactions govern
the energy harvesting mechanism.”
The figure below shows how
the small voltages in the demo were combined when up to 25 GCEG devices were
placed in a gas chamber.
This device, or something
similar, has the potential to revolutionize carbon capture and NOx abatement,
but it must be stressed that the tech is at an early stage, in this case, the
‘proof-of-concept’ stage. Much more engineering needs to be done to stabilize,
scale up, and optimize the device. As the paper’s conclusions, given in full
below, notes, the gas/gel-based chemical reactions are now proven to be able to
be designed to produce usable energy:
“As a proof-of-concept platform, the present GCEG
prioritizes validation of the gas–gel interaction-driven mechanism over full
optimization of operational stability and reversibility.”
References:
New
'gas battery' turns noxious pollutants into electricity. Vishwam Sankaran. The
Independent. April 21, 2026. New 'gas battery' turns noxious
pollutants into electricity
This
'gas battery' turns CO₂ and NOₓ pollution into electricity while
cleaning the air. Science X staff. TechXplore. April 20, 2026. This 'gas battery' turns CO₂ and NOₓ pollution into electricity while
cleaning the air
Electrical
power generation from asymmetric greenhouse gas capture. Tae Gwang Yun, Yejin
Lee, Joonchul Shin, Dong Ho Lee, Min Taek Hong, Seonghun Lee, Sang-Joon Kim,
Hyun Ji Lee, Jiwon Lee, Gyeongrok Min, Seunghyun Weon, Minho Choi, Ho Won Jang,
Han Seul Kim, and Ji-Soo Jang. Energy & Environmental Science. Issue 7.
2026. Electrical power generation from
asymmetric greenhouse gas capture - Energy & Environmental Science (RSC
Publishing)
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