AGC develops chemical absorption solution to capture CO2 from air

Demonstration to be unveiled at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai

AGC a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and other high-tech materials, has developed a chemical absorption solution for Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology, which directly captures CO2 from the air.

DAC is considered an essential technology for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and research towards its practical application is progressing worldwide. The absorption solution developed by AGC for DAC uses polypropylene glycol (PPG) as a non-aqueous chemical absorption solution, which significantly reduces energy consumption during CO2 capture compared to conventional aqueous chemical absorption solutions.

A demonstration experiment using the absorption solution to capture CO2 will be conducted at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai starting on April 13.

DAC is a technology that separates and captures the approximately 0.04% of CO2 present in the air using CO2 capture devices. Various methods are being researched for practical application. Among these, the method of using chemical absorption solutions to capture CO2 is notable for its ease of scaling up the equipment, making it promising for future use in large facilities such as factories. However, most chemical absorption solutions are mixtures of amines and water, which poses a challenge: when heat energy is applied to separate and capture CO2, the water evaporates, leading to excess energy consumption.

In response, we have developed a non-aqueous amine absorption solution that significantly reduces the energy consumption required for CO2 capture. The primary material of this absorption solution, polypropylene glycol is characterized by low volatility, resulting in minimal energy loss due to evaporation. Moreover, polypropylene glycol has high compatibility with amine compounds, allowing for stable separation and capture of CO2.