# Design of a Magnesium Microstructured Biohybrid Material for Practical Atmospheric CO2 Mitigation

## TL;DR

Scientists created a magnesium-based material that efficiently converts CO2 into bicarbonate at room temperature, showing promise for reducing indoor CO2 levels and mitigating climate change.

## Contribution

A novel magnesium-based biohybrid material (MicroMg) is developed for efficient and sustainable CO2 conversion under ambient conditions.

## Key findings

- MicroMg converts aqueous CO2 into bicarbonate with a TOF of 16 h–1 and maintains activity over multiple cycles.
- When applied as a paint, MicroMg reduces gas-phase CO2 concentrations effectively on large surfaces.
- The material remains active at high CO2 concentrations (up to 1500 ppm) with a transformation rate of 16 ppm/h.

## Abstract

The rising levels
of greenhouse gases such as CO2 pose
critical challenges for climate stability and indoor air quality.
Here, we report the design and synthesis of a magnesium-based microstructured
biohybrid (MicroMg) using a mild, enzyme-assisted process at room
temperature and neutral pH. MicroMg consists of well-defined Mg3(PO4)2 microstructures stabilized by
a lipase scaffold, exhibiting high structural integrity and crystallinity.
In aqueous media, MicroMg efficiently converts CO2 into
mainly bicarbonate under ambient conditions, achieving complete conversion
of aqueous CO2 within 30 min (TOF value of 16 h–1) and demonstrating structural stability over repeated reactions.
When this was incorporated into paint and applied to real wall surfaces,
MicroMg effectively reduced CO2 concentrations in gas-phase
experiments, maintaining >90% of the initial activity over three
washing
cycles and performing better on larger coated areas (35 cm2) and with double-layer applications. Additionally, MicroMg remained
active at elevated CO2 concentrations (up to 1500 ppm),
with a transformation rate of 16 ppm/h of CO2 confirming
its potential for mitigating indoor CO2 levels. These results
demonstrate that MicroMg is a sustainable, reusable, and scalable
material for the CO2 transformation, offering a promising
strategy for both indoor air quality improvement and greenhouse gas
mitigation.