Envisioning the “Air Economy” — Powered by Reticular Chemistry and Sunlight for Clean Air, Clean Energy, and Clean Water

Abstract

Addressing the three major stresses facing our planet, clean air, clean energy, and clean water, is within our reach. At present, new materials such as metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, produced by reticular chemistry, are at the forefront of efforts to capture carbon dioxide from air and harvest water from air. We envision that the products of these two capture processes (carbon dioxide and water) can be fed into a conversion cycle in which they are used to produce fuels and chemicals via artificial photosynthesis. The use of air as a nonpolluting, cyclable, and sustainable resource for carbon and water can be powered by sunlight. We describe how the scientific basis for realizing this vision is either already achieved or being established, and that in the fullness of time this paradigm may lead to new global industries and a thriving “air economy.”

Keywords

• Clean air
• carbon dioxide capture
• clean energy
• water harvesting
• metal-organic frameworks
• artificial photosynthesis