Researchers at ETH Zurich developed porous protein beads from food waste (whey and tofu byproducts) that can absorb carbon dioxide from the air with 10% to 50% greater capacity than conventional direct air capture methods.

How this affects you

This breakthrough offers a more efficient and potentially cheaper method for direct air capture using readily available food waste, addressing the energy-intensive and expensive nature of current CO2 removal technologies. The organic nature of the beads also allows for circular economy applications, as they can be reused and then repurposed as fertilizer or biofuel.