The substance is composed of molecules that resemble hollow cages and have a high capacity to store greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and sulfur hexafluoride, a more potent chemical that can linger in the atmosphere for thousands of years.
The research’s co-leader, Dr. Mark Little of Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, stated that the finding could “help solve society’s biggest challenges”.
“Even if we stop producing carbon dioxide, there will still be a significant requirement to absorb the emissions that have already entered the atmosphere, which makes direct air capture of carbon dioxide extremely crucial.
