Proposal for direct air capture of CO$_2$ during the Antarctic winter using physisorption

TL;DR

This paper explores a novel approach for direct CO₂ capture in Antarctica during winter using physisorption, leveraging low water vapor levels for efficient, rapid adsorption/desorption cycles with potential energy benefits.

Contribution

It proposes a new method for Antarctic CO₂ capture utilizing physisorption, exploiting low water vapor to enable fast cycles and flexible sorbent material choices.

Findings

Potential for short cycle times due to low water vapor

Flexibility in sorbent material selection

Energy efficiency improvements through structural optimization

Abstract

The possibility of direct air capture of CO$_2$ in Antarctica is discussed. Because the concentration of H$_2$O in the atmosphere during the Antarctic winter is extremely low, an installation for direct air capture could employ a physisorption-based process, allowing, in principle, a very short adsorption/desorption cycle time. The lower required binding allows more options for materials for the sorbent. With a shorter cycle time, more resource could be spent on structuring the sorbent to improve energy efficiency, for example by improving its mass efficiency if desorption is driven thermally.