The development of technology for Direct Air Capture (DAC) is geting much attention from industries and companies to decrease the effects of contamination by Green House Gas Emissions. Specifically, the accumulation CO₂ is one of the main problems for the environment, contributing to global warming.
Sorbents that can absorb and desorb CO₂ are used for DAC because of the low energy cost. The adsorption/desorption process can be reached by different mechanisms, for example, one approach is the moisture-driven mechanism, i.e., the CO₂ is absorbed when the sorbent is dried and released when it becomes wet.
This mechanism can be advantageously used for the develop of new technology, one way to overlap materials science and biology is use polymeric materials to create biotechnology. Sorbents that work throug moisture-swing can be used to capture CO₂ and release into cyanobacteria culture. In other words, the polymer serves as carbon source for cyanobacteria produce their biochemicals, such as phycocyanin and the poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, polylactate, and other commercially relevant polysaccharides.
In this work a series of polymeric materials have been designed that are efficient moisture-swing sorbents and that also are biocompatible with cyanobacteria. The process involves the CO₂ capture from air in the sorbent and then the desorption into the culture medium when the sorbent gets wet. The sorbent can then be taken out of the medium and left to dry, so that the cycle can be repeated.

CO<sub>2 adsorption/desorption in polymeric sorbent and cyanobacteria growth. Illustration by Ena Estibaliz Chavez Caro.</sub>

CO_{2 adsorption/desorption in polymeric sorbent and cyanobacteria growth. Illustration by Ena Estibaliz Chavez Caro.}

Willem Vermaas

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