UH Researchers Reveal Membraneless Carbon Capture Breakthrough

The University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering announced two research breakthroughs in electrochemical carbon capture led by Professor Mim Rahimi.

• Main announcement: Published work introduces a membraneless electrochemically mediated amine regeneration (EMAR) using engineered gas diffusion electrodes, achieving >90% CO₂ removal and an estimated capture cost of approximately $70 per metric ton of CO₂, reported as competitive with state-of-the-art amine scrubbing (published in Nature Communications; lead student author Ahmad Hassan).
• Additional details: A second paper (cover feature in ES&T Engineering) describes a vanadium redox flow battery architecture that absorbs CO₂ during charging and releases it on discharge, demonstrating strong cycle stability and high capture capacity; lead student author Mohsen Afshari highlights potential for energy storage + grid balancing when paired with intermittent renewables.