Design and Preliminary Experimental Evaluation of a Carbon Trapping Towered Chamber for Atmospheric CO₂ Mitigation

Abstract

The surge in the concentration of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas owing to urban growth, transport mechanisms and industry related activities urges us to conduct research on the ways to reduce atmospheric (CO₂). This study represents the design, construction & preliminary testing of a laboratory scale Carbon Trapping Tower Chamber (CTTC) designed to investigate the interaction of ambient air with carbon surfaces under an applied electric field. The prototype was fabricated from the vertical chamber, suction fan, carbon rods, and DC power supply. The last two elements are active parts where the fan creates the inflow of the air while carbon rods are the surface upon which it is found under the action of an electric current. The prototype was fabricated from readily available materials, and the fabrication process was kept as simple as possible; nevertheless, the prototype demonstrated good electrical insulation, airflow performance, internal access, and overall efficiency. Our tests related to prototype shows that the installed fan was able to provide enough airflow and the electric circuit was functioning well without significant problems and mechanical instability. Nevertheless, during the described tests, the (CO₂) concentrations at the inlet and outlet were not evaluated. Therefore, while the capacity of the prototype to remove (CO₂) from the air is evident, its efficiency and rates are not supported by the presented evidence. Future experiments should include calibrated inlet and outlet (CO₂) measurements, characterization of airflow, analysis of adsorption and controlled experiments to determine if the applied electric field has a measurable effect on (CO₂) capture.