Finnish Researchers Develop Efficient Low-Cost Carbon Capture Material

Researchers at Finland's University of Helsinki have developed a breakthrough carbon capture material that outperforms existing methods in efficiency, cost, and reusability. The compound—a blend of superbase material 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-6-ene (TBN) and benzyl alcohol—demonstrates significant advantages for direct air capture (DAC) systems, particularly relevant for energy-intensive industries like datacenters facing mounting pressure to reduce emissions.

Key Technical Advantages

• High Absorption Capacity: Captures 156 milligrams of CO₂ per gram of material—surpassing many existing absorbents in both molar and gravimetric efficiency.
• Low-Temperature Regeneration: Releases captured CO₂ after just 30 minutes at 70°C (158°F), compared to conventional methods requiring up to 900°C (1,652°F). This reduces energy consumption by approximately 92% during the regeneration phase.
• Selective Capture: Shows no reactivity with nitrogen, oxygen, or other atmospheric gases, ensuring targeted CO₂ sequestration.
• Reusability: Maintains 75% absorption capacity after 50 capture/release cycles and 50% after 100 cycles, with near-total CO₂ recovery after the second regeneration cycle.
• Non-Toxic & Cost-Effective: Uses inexpensive, readily available components without hazardous properties.

Operational Workflow

1. Capture Phase: Ambient air passes through liquid TBN-BA solution at room temperature, binding CO₂ molecules.
2. Release Phase: Captured CO₂ is liberated by exposing the saturated compound to low-heat airflow (70°C).
3. Recycling: Liberated CO₂ can be utilized in manufacturing plastics, methanol fuel, or other industrial applications.
4. Material Reuse: Regenerated TBN-BA solution re-enters the capture cycle with minimal degradation.

Development Timeline & Commercialization Path

While promising, the technology remains in laboratory-scale development. The research team is currently working to:

• Convert the liquid compound into solid sorbents using silica or graphene oxide frameworks
• Conduct pilot-scale testing using dedicated DAC infrastructure

Lead researcher Zahra Eshaghi Gorji confirmed that parental leave until October 2026 may impact development pacing, noting: "Developing a commercial product requires significant time, funding, and effort. We're progressing toward solid sorbents but cannot estimate a market-ready timeline."

Industry Implications

This innovation arrives amid record fossil fuel emissions driven partly by datacenter expansion. With AI workloads increasing global datacenter energy consumption by 30-50% annually, conventional carbon capture methods remain economically impractical due to high energy demands. The TBN-BA compound could eventually provide datacenters with:

• On-site carbon capture systems integrated with HVAC infrastructure
• Reduced carbon offset costs
• Scalable decarbonization without grid dependency

University of Helsinki Chemistry Department continues supporting the research, though no commercial partners have yet committed to scaling production. As datacenter emissions continue rising—with forecasts predicting AI could consume 10% of global electricity by 2027—low-energy carbon capture solutions like TBN-BA may prove critical for sustainable digital infrastructure growth.