Researchers developed a lab-scale device that captures carbon dioxide by pumping air across a battery. The device consists of nine cells stacked together, each about half a letter-sized sheet, using components borrowed from fuel cells. It uses electricity at a rate of about 0.8 megawatt-hours per ton of captured CO2, compared to current ambient capture facilities at 1.5 to 3 megawatt-hours per ton.

The team, including researchers from startup Rep Air Carbon, estimates costs for an initial small pilot plant at about $566 per ton. Projecting forward using learning rates from the lithium-ion battery industry, they estimate a plant with a thousand times the capacity could achieve $92 per ton of captured CO2.

This is much cheaper than the goal of companies like Climeworks, which aims for $250–$350 per ton by 2030. Targeting $100 per ton has long been the carbon-capture world's goal, as lower costs could spur wider adoption. The research was published in Nature Energy.