A team of engineers at MIT has developed a new type of nanofiltration membrane that could make carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems six times more efficient. Their innovation addresses one of the biggest technical challenges in carbon capture: when the ions used in the process mix together, they create water and reduce efficiency.
Current CCS systems rely on two key chemical reactions. The first pulls diluted carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air; the second releases that CO₂ in pure form for long-term storage. But when the positively and negatively charged ions used in both steps combine, they produce water. This not only weakens the chemical reactions but also wastes energy.
MIT’s new membranes act like tiny barriers that separate the ions. This prevents them from reacting with each other too early. As a result, the CCS process uses less energy, improves output, and could cut costs by up to 30%.
CCS Is Getting a Boost from Innovation
This breakthrough comes at a time when CCS technology is growing quickly. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said global CO₂ capture and storage capacity hit over 50 million metric tons in early 2025. The IEA expects this number to climb to 430 million metric tons by 2030.
The MIT team’s membranes could help reach those goals faster. Making carbon capture cheaper and more efficient makes it more appealing to industries that emit a lot of CO₂.
Nano But Mighty: What Makes the Membrane Different
MIT engineers offer a key carbon capture innovation: nanofiltration. This method uses membranes with tiny holes. These holes can filter out ions while allowing other molecules to pass. These filters keep the key ingredients for CCS from mixing too early, which prevents them from forming water and weakening the reaction.
Before this technology, many CCS systems had to deal with a trade-off between reaction speed and purity. The faster the process ran, the more the ions would combine in unwanted ways. That led to higher energy use and lower CO₂ capture rates.
With the new filter, reactions can run faster without losing performance. That could make CCS more practical for real-world use—not just in research labs, but in factories, power plants, and even ships or mobile units.
The better process helps smaller companies and countries use CCS. This is great for those who didn’t have the resources before. If used widely, this membrane could ease a big hurdle in carbon removal projects around the world.
As the IEA predicts, major CCUS projects will launch this year, including the world’s largest cement capture site in Norway and the biggest DAC plant in the U.S. North America and Europe still dominate, holding 80% of the projected 2030 capacity.
However, China and the Middle East are rising players, with over 15 Mt of capacity under construction—more than Europe. Supply chain challenges are emerging as demand for custom-built equipment grows. This creates opportunities for countries and companies that can scale up mass manufacturing for capture technologies.
Major tech companies are especially interested in supporting CCS growth.
Why Big Tech Cares About Carbon Capture
Big Tech companies are now key players in the fight against climate change. They want to protect the environment and meet their own sustainability goals.
As companies create more energy-demanding data centers for AI, cloud services, and digital storage, their carbon footprints are increasing quickly, alongside their growth, as shown below. Rising energy use leads companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google (the hyperscalers) to seek reliable ways to balance their emissions. Carbon capture and storage offers one of the most promising tools for this.
CCS is different from traditional offsets like tree planting. It removes carbon dioxide from the air and stores it underground or in stable materials. This is key for Big Tech. Their climate goals often need removal-based offsets. These offsets actively take CO2 out of the air. They can’t just rely on avoidance methods that cut future emissions.
According to expert analysis, tech firms rely on carbon removal offsets more than other industries, such as oil, gas, or aviation. Their growing reliance on carbon removal aligns with the surge in demand for new CCS technologies.
MIT’s carbon capture nanofiltration membranes are a great innovation. They could make CCS six times more efficient and cut costs by 30%. This is exactly what companies need.
The team’s analysis revealed that current systems cost a minimum of $600 per ton of carbon dioxide captured. However, by adding the nanofiltration component, the cost drops to around $450 per ton.
Simon Rufer, one of the authors of the study, noted:
“People are buying carbon credits at a cost of over $500 per ton. So, at this cost we’re projecting, it is already commercially viable in that there are some buyers who are willing to pay that price. It’s just a question of how widespread we can make it.”
As pressure mounts from investors, customers, and regulators, Big Tech needs scalable, science-backed solutions. That’s why they’re not only buying carbon credits. They’re also investing in science and engineering for the next generation of carbon removal.
Carbon Markets Are Booming, Driving CCS Growth
The carbon market is growing fast. Here, companies buy and sell credits to offset emissions. Carbon removal credits are key to this growth.
In 2024, the volume of newly contracted carbon removal credits increased by 74%, according to Bloomberg. These credits let companies reduce their emissions. They do this by funding projects that capture or remove CO2 from the air. This includes nature-based projects like reforestation as well as advanced carbon capture and storage systems.
The market is expected to further grow in 2025, driven largely by demand from major corporations. Microsoft made up almost two-thirds of new carbon removal contracts last year. That’s about 5.1 million credits, followed by Google. These figures show how seriously companies are taking climate commitments. Many aim for net-zero emissions within the next two decades.
CCS technologies, like those from MIT, are boosting interest. They help meet demand by providing high-quality removal solutions.
In the coming years, carbon markets will likely become even more important. They offer a flexible way for companies to meet climate goals while supporting innovation in emissions reduction.
Carbon capture is no longer just a scientific idea—it’s becoming a major industry. And innovations like MIT’s carbon capture nanofilters could help it scale faster than expected. As countries and companies face pressure to reach net-zero emissions, CCS offers a critical solution for sectors that can’t easily go fully green.
