A Potentially Big Step in Carbon Sequestration

It looks like another potentially huge scientific discovery is the result of pure luck, or in this case by leaving stuff sitting out on a lab bench:

[Scientists] were trying to design and create molecules that could capture negatively charged ions, such as chlorides and phosphates, on the surfaces of bioengineered cells. In one experiment, the researchers set aside an alkaline solution of various organic substances to evaporate, says geochemist John A. Tossell, author of the new study. When analyzing the crystals that formed, the team found that the organic macromolecule that made up the crystal unexpectedly contained carbonates, which form in solutions containing carbon dioxide.

This means that the macromolecule they were using has the ability to directly absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide:

Though the carbonate isn’t chemically bonded to the macromolecule, spontaneous absorption of carbon dioxide from the air suggests that the combination is very stable, Tossell says. Theoretical analyses show the macromolecule is a giant ring composed mostly of ring-shaped subcomponents and that the negatively-charged carbonate ion nestles within the positively-charged center of that macromolecule, he notes.

Although the use of this process is most likely too expensive to be used on a wide-scale basis, studying the macromolecule and how it’s made may help future fuel future breakthroughs.