A research team from the Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM) and the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, led by researcher Marcileia Zanatta, has developed a new class of absorbents for the efficient capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the air as well as from other dilute gas streams. A Spanish patent application has been filed for this invention, and partners are being sought for the commercial exploitation of the salts and capture methods, the industrial scale-up of the process, and its validation in real operating environments.

The system enables the stable and efficient capture of the gas and its subsequent release for reuse or storage. This solution addresses the critical limitations of traditional amine-based technologies, which often suffer from degradation, volatility and low absorption capacity under normal atmospheric conditions. “The new approach is efficient at low CO₂ concentrations, including atmospheric air, which contains only 0.04% CO₂. In addition to its high capture capacity, the system is selective for CO₂, versatile and adaptable, making it suitable for integration into existing carbon capture plants”, explains researcher Marcileia Zanatta.

University of Miami researchers and collaborators have expanded an offshore reef restoration and coastal resilience project off Miami Beach with the deployment of three 3D-printed SEAHIVE clustered structures. 

Coinciding with National Ocean Month, the second phase of the Engineering Coastal Resilience Through Hybrid Reef Restoration (ECoREEF) project advances an offshore living laboratory designed to study how engineered reef structures can be combined with active restoration of stony corals to produce self-building and self-repairing hybrid reefs that dissipate wave energy, reduce coastal flooding, and create new marine habitat.

ORNL has named Brian Anderson director of the Office of Institutional Strategic Planning, where he will help shape the laboratory’s long-term research strategy and priorities. Anderson most recently led ORNL’s Enrichment Science and Engineering Division, advancing key nuclear science and national security initiatives.