Gasworld reports that University of Cambridge researchers have developed a low-cost, energy-efficient method for making materials that can capture carbon dioxide directly from the air.

In much the same way as they would charge batteries, researchers charged activated charcoal sponges with ions that form reversible bonds with CO₂   They found that the charged material could successfully capture CO₂ directly from the air at much lower temperatures than other carbon capture approaches.

The results are reported in the journal Nature.