Molecular sieve pulls CO2 from the air  Posted by Kate Taylor
Scientists at the University of Melbourne have developed a new
way of capturing carbon dioxide that should reduce the cost of
separating and storing the gas.  Quite apart from carbon capture
as a way of countering global warming, pure CO2 is useful to
industry. But current processes are pretty inefficient, needing
several stages of refining and extraction before a pure form of
the gas is produced.  The team's new method is based on a
molecular sieve, an ultra-fine filter system.  "Because the
process allows only carbon dioxide molecules to be captured, it
will reduce the cost and energy required for separating carbon
dioxide," says Professor Paul Webley.  "The technology works on
the principle of the material acting like a trap-door that only
allows certain molecules to enter.Once entered, the trapdoor
closes and the carbon dioxide molecules remain."   The new
technique could be used to separate carbon dioxide from sources
such as power stations a