'We found that the short-range order was slightly modified with temperature, but the medium-range order of AMC remained unchanged,' Professor Kyono explains. To study the impact of temperature on amorphous magnesium carbonate (AMC), a precursor of the crystalline magnesium carbonate hydrate materials, the team used advanced laboratory methods, including synchrotron X-ray scattering and quantum chemical calculations. The water molecules in nesquehonite are highly interconnected by a hydrogen-bonding network, while in contrast, no network is present in the hydromagnesite structure. These configurations can have markedly different properties. For example, the nesquehonite (MgCO 3♳H 2O) form can become hydromagnesite when the water content increases. The crystal structure of hydrated minerals can vary based on the amount of water molecules incorporated, which in turn can depend on the temperature. 'More than 70 percent of the total carbon in the Earth's crust is locked away in the form of carbonates,' explains author Professor Atsushi Kyono. In this approach, carbon dioxide gas is made to precipitate as part of a rocky crystal or powder, such as magnesium carbonate hydrates.

Now, a team of scientists at the University of Tsukuba have worked on advancing the concept of carbon capture via mineral trapping. A solution that permanently removes it from the ecosystem would be an invaluable tool to diminish the intensity of global warming.

Many approaches for carbon capture have been proposed, but most are impractical or prone to the carbon dioxide leaking out over time. This CO 2 alters the balance of the planet's solar energy input and output by permitting visible light from the sun to reach the Earth but preventing some of the reradiated infrared energy from leaving. One of the primary drivers of anthropogenic climate change is the overabundance of carbon dioxide (CO 2) gas in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.

Making polyhedra in crystalmaker