Removal of carbon dioxide from air

1. An apparatus for the capture of CO 2 from ambient air, the apparatus comprising a store of ambient air, an anion exchange material in contact with a flow of said ambient air, and a collector that collects CO 2 separated from said anion exchange material subsequent to the capture of said CO 2 by said anion exchange material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , characterized by one or more of the following features:

a. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes arranged in a series of flat plates with the ambient air flow parallel to face surfaces of the membranes;

b. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes spaced from one another with membrane spacings of from 1-25 mm, exposed to ambient air flow;

c. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes spaced from one another, and further comprising a powered blower for moving air across surfaces of the membranes;

d. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of one or more membranes arranged in a corrugated fashion to allow air flow through channels formed by the corrugations;

e. wherein a flow path along the anion exchange material has a length dictated by air flow velocity such that the ambient air is not excessively depleted of CO 2 ;

f. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes stacked in layers and forming “pie shaped” sections assembled into a wheel, rotating on an axle;

g. further including a caustic solution wash for washing captured CO 2 from a surface of the anion exchange material, wherein the wash preferably comprises an amine or a carbonate solution;

h. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a continuous sheet which is moved in a serpentine pattern such that the membrane first is exposed to air flow, dipped in a caustic, amine, or carbonate solution, and then exposed to the ambient air repeatedly; and

i. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a loose mat of threads or tubes, or a honeycomb structure or a foams structure.

3. A method for the capture of CO 2 from ambient air, the method comprising: exposing an anion exchange material to a flow of ambient air; capturing CO 2 from the ambient air with said anion exchange material; separating said CO 2 from said anion exchange material; and subsequently collecting said separated CO 2 .

4. The method of claim 3 , characterized by one or more of the following features:

a. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes arranged in a series of flat plates, and the air is flowed substantially parallel to surfaces of the membranes;

b. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes spaced from one another with membrane spacings of from 1-25 mm, and air is flowed past the membranes without auxiliary boost;

c. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes spaced from one another, and a blower is used to power air flow across surfaces of the membranes;

d. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes having membrane surfaces, and further wherein air flow and said membrane surfaces are matched so that the air is not excessively depleted of CO 2 ;

e. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a plurality of membranes stacked in layers and forming “pie shaped” sections that are assembled into a wheel, and including the step of rotating the periphery of the wheel through a CO 2 sorbent;

f. including the step of washing the anion exchange material with a wash solution after exposure to the air so as to wash captured CO 2 from the surface of the anion exchange material, so that the anion exchange material can repeatedly act as a CO 2 absorber;

g. including the step of washing the anion exchange material with a wash solution which comprises an amine solution, or a carbonate or bicarbonate solution; and

h. wherein the anion exchange material is in the form of a continuous sheet, and including the steps of moving the sheet in a serpentine pattern such that the sheet is first exposed to air flow, dipped in a wash solution, and then exposed to the air repeatedly.

5. A method for capturing CO 2 from ambient air, the method comprising: exposing an anion exchange material to a flow of ambient air; capturing CO 2 from the ambient air; releasing said captured CO 2 using a thermal swing, a pressure swing, or an electrodialysis process; and subsequently collecting said separated CO 2 .

6. A method for the capture of CO 2 from ambient air, the method comprising: exposing an anion exchange material to a flow of ambient air;

capturing CO 2 from the ambient air with said anion exchange material; separating said CO 2 from said anion exchange material; and subsequently disposing of said CO 2 by deep well injection.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said captured CO 2 is released using a thermal swing.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein said captured CO 2 is released using an electrodialysis process.

9. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , further comprising storing said collected CO 2 .

10. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , whereby amount of CO 2 in said ambient air is reduced.

11. The method of claim 3 , wherein said collecting is preceded by a recovery step comprising a thermal swing, a pressure swing, or an electrodialysis process.

12. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , wherein said anion exchange material comprises an amine.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said amine is covalently bound to four carbon groups.

14. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , wherein said anion exchange material is regenerated in a process having a low energy penalty.

15. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , wherein said anion exchange material comprises a plurality of membranes.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said plurality of membranes are arranged in series.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said plurality of membranes are spaced apart from one another with spacing from 1 mm to 25 mm.

18. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , wherein said anion exchange material has a thickness from 0.1 to 10 mm.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein said plurality of membranes are stacked in layers forming pie shaped sections that are assembled into a wheel.

20. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , wherein, said anion exchange material comprises tubes.

21. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , wherein said anion exchange material comprises a foam structure.

22. The method of claim 3 , 5 , or 6 , wherein said anion exchange material comprises a honeycomb structure.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein said anion exchange material comprising a honeycomb structure comprises spacing from 1 mm to 25 mm.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein said honeycomb structure has a thickness from 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

25. The method of claim 3 or 5 , further comprising disposing of said separated CO 2 by deep well injection.