Scientists Develop Efficient System to Capture and Convert CO2

New approach combines carbon capture and conversion in a single step, offering potential cost savings

Apr. 18, 2026 at 1:54am

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A bold, abstract painting in muted earth tones depicting sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise spirals, representing the structural order and interconnected forces involved in capturing and converting carbon dioxide into useful industrial products.A conceptual illustration of an integrated carbon capture and conversion system, visualizing the complex scientific forces and chemical reactions at work.Chicago Today

Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a system that can simultaneously capture and convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful products like carbon monoxide. By using a different solvent and catalyst, the team was able to improve the efficiency and potentially lower the cost of the overall process compared to conventional methods that treat capture and conversion as separate steps.

Why it matters

Carbon capture and conversion technologies are crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating valuable industrial products from waste CO2. This new integrated approach could make these processes more practical and cost-effective for real-world deployment, helping to address the urgent challenge of climate change.

The details

The key innovations in the new system are the use of DMSO solvent instead of water, and a zinc catalyst instead of the more expensive silver. In water-based systems, two amine molecules are required to bind each CO2 molecule, but in DMSO, a single amine can capture one CO2. This doubles the capture capacity. The DMSO also avoids unwanted side reactions that produce hydrogen gas, allowing the use of the cheaper zinc catalyst. Under simulated industrial exhaust conditions, the system achieved up to 43% efficiency in converting the captured CO2 to carbon monoxide, matching the performance of state-of-the-art water-based systems using silver under pure CO2.

  • The research team formed about four years ago through the University of Chicago Joint Task Force Initiative.
  • The study was published in the journal Nature Energy on April 17, 2026.

The players

Chibueze Amanchukwu

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and senior author of the study.

Reginaldo Gomes

First author of the study, who completed his PhD at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Argonne National Laboratory.

Cong Liu

Collaborator at Argonne National Laboratory who performed computational work to reveal why the zinc catalyst outperformed silver in the DMSO system.

Chukwunwike Iloeje

Researcher at Argonne National Laboratory who led the techno-economic analysis to estimate the cost of using DMSO instead of water.

University of Chicago Joint Task Force Initiative

A program designed to foster collaboration between the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory.

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What they’re saying

“The concept of being able to integrate capture and conversion into a single step is a relatively new one, and we've made significant headway in not only showing that this is possible but that it can be done under conditions that are relevant for industrial deployment.”

— Chibueze Amanchukwu, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering

“We didn't anticipate how removing water would open up all these other new ways to make capture and conversion more efficient. It worked better than we had even hoped for.”

— Chibueze Amanchukwu, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering

“We established the scientific foundation for this system. We're not just working with a pure, controlled CO₂ stream in the lab — we developed something that can start to handle the complexity of real-world challenges.”

— Reginaldo Gomes, Postdoctoral researcher at Argonne National Laboratory

What’s next

The researchers acknowledge that significant work remains before the system can be scaled up for industrial deployment, including improving its durability and reaction rates. They have filed a patent disclosure and been contacted by industry partners interested in the technology.

The takeaway

This new integrated approach to carbon capture and conversion represents an important step forward in developing cost-effective solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create valuable industrial products from waste CO2. By rethinking the underlying chemistry, the researchers have demonstrated the potential to make these processes more efficient and practical for real-world use.