Sea urchin inspires carbon capture catalyst

UK scientists have taken inspiration from the sea urchin and shown how nickel nanoparticles could be a cheap and re-usable catalyst in a key step for capturing carbon dioxide produced by power plants and the chemical industry. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) typically involves separating CO₂ from flue gases and then either storing it in saline aquifers or converting it into mineral carbonates, including calcium carbonate, the main component of egg shells, marine organism shells and the sea urchin exoskeleton. In the latter, the mineralisation process is deemed a more reliable maintenance-free solution to the problem of CO₂storage.  More...

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/02/sea-urchin-exoskeleton-nickel-carbon-capture