Textile filter could capture

North Carolina State University (NC State) researchers found they could filter carbon dioxide from air and gas mixtures at promising rates using a proposed new textile-based filter that combines cotton fabric and an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase—one of nature’s tools for speeding chemical reactions.

The findings from initial laboratory testing are a step forward in the development of a technology that could reduce carbon dioxide emissions from biomass, coal or natural gas power plants. The study’s lead author Jialong Shen, postdoctoral research scholar at NC State, says, “We think the main advantage of our method is that our method could be easily scaled up using traditional textile manufacturing facilities.”

To create the filter, researchers attached the carbonic anhydrase enzyme to a two-layer cotton fabric by dunking the fabric in a solution containing a material called chitosan, which acts like a glue. The chitosan physically traps the enzyme, causing it to stick to the fabric.