By Kristen Eichamer
https://dailycaller.com/author/KHamer/
A group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers discovered a type of clay commonly used in cat litter is effective at removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
Professor Desirée Plata and her team were inspired by methanotroph, a seafloor-dwelling bacteria that metabolize methane without dangerously high temperatures or expensive materials, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The team found that the porous structure of the clay material zeolite made it ideal for absorbing methane and turning it into carbon dioxide, a less potent greenhouse gas, the Wall Street Journal continued. They also found that, when treated with small amounts of copper, zeolite was able to effectively remove methane from the air even in areas with very low concentrations, making the compound ideal for targeting widely dispersed sources of methane emissions, reported MIT News.
Unlike most current methane capturing techniques, which often rely on expensive catalysts and extremely high temperatures to break down the gas, Plata and her team found the “dirt cheap” solution could reduce projected global warming by as much as a half-degree Celsius by the end of the century, according to the Wall Street Journal.
https://dailycaller.com/2022/05/16/scientists-cat-litter-climate-change-solution-mit/