Provided is a temperature-responsive hygroscopic material having a hygroscopic property that varies widely according to temperature variation and a method for producing the temperature-responsive hygroscopic material. The temperature-responsive hygroscopic material includes a mesoporous body having an average pore diameter of 2 nm to less than 50 nm and a temperature sensitive molecule chemically bonded with the mesoporous body inside a pore of the mesoporous body. The method includes a step of causing, in a solvent including an activator and a coupling agent, a coupling reaction of: a mesoporous body having an average diameter of 2 nm to less than 50 nm and having a functional group on a surface thereof; and a temperature sensitive molecule having a functional group which can undergo a coupling reaction with the functional group on the surface of the mesoporous body.

The invention relates to composite adsorbent materials, and in particular, to highly porous carbon-based composite materials for the adsorption and stabilization of inorganic substances. The composite adsorbent material comprises a porous carbon carrier matrix and an adsorbent species, wherein the adsorbent species is precipitated within the pores of the carrier matrix. The invention extends to various uses of such adsorbent materials, for example in water purification, recovery of metals from waste streams and remediation applications, and where the adsorbant material is amended into soil, waste etc. for the purpose of breaking pollutant-receptor linkages.

A method for removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, using a sorbent under ambient conditions, to obtain relatively pure CO.sub.2. The CO.sub.2 is removed from the sorbent using process heat, preferably in the form of steam, at a temperature in the range of not greater than about 130 C., to capture the relatively pure CO.sub.2 and to regenerate the sorbent for repeated use. Increased efficiency can be achieved by admixing with the ambient air, prior to contacting the sorbent, a minor amount of a preferably pretreated effluent gas containing a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. The captured carbon dioxide can be stored for further use, or sequestered permanently. The above method provides purified carbon dioxide for further use in agriculture and chemical processes, or for permanent sequestration.

The subject invention concerns metal or metalloid oxide-based sol-gel hybrid sorbent and methods of synthesis. In one embodiment, the sorbent is a ZrO.sub.2 polypropylene oxide based sol-gel. The subject invention also concerns a hollow tube or capillary internally coated with a sorbent of the invention. Sorbent coated tubes and capillaries of the invention can be used in extraction and/or enrichment of samples to be analyzed for catecholamines and related compounds.

A method and a system capable of removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, and obtaining relatively pure CO.sub.2. The method comprises the steps of generating usable and process heat from a primary production process; applying the process heat from said primary process to co-generate substantially saturated steam, alternately repeatedly exposing a sorbent to removal and to capture regeneration system phases, wherein said sorbent is alternately exposed to a flow of ambient air during said removal phase, to sorb, and therefore remove, carbon dioxide from said ambient air, and to a flow of the process steam during the regeneration and capture phase, to remove the sorbed carbon dioxide, thus regenerating such sorbent, and capturing in relatively pure form the removed carbon dioxide. The sorbent can be carried on a porous thin flexible sheet constantly in motion between the removal location and the regeneration location

A method and a system capable of removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, and obtaining relatively pure CO.sub.2. The method comprises the steps of generating usable and process heat from a primary production process; applying the process heat from said primary process to co-generate substantially saturated steam, alternately repeatedly exposing a sorbent to removal and to capture regeneration system phases, wherein said sorbent is alternately exposed to a flow of ambient air during said removal phase, to sorb, and therefore remove, carbon dioxide from said ambient air, and to a flow of the process steam during the regeneration and capture phase, to remove the sorbed carbon dioxide, thus regenerating such sorbent, and capturing in relatively pure form the removed carbon dioxide. The sorbent can be carried on a porous thin flexible sheet constantly in motion between the removal location and the regeneration location.

A method and a system capable of removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, and obtaining relatively pure CO.sub.2. The method comprises the steps of generating usable and process heat from a primary production process; applying the process heat from said primary process to co-generate substantially saturated steam, alternately repeatedly exposing a sorbent to removal and to capture regeneration system phases, wherein said sorbent is alternately exposed to flow of ambient air during said removal phase, to sorb, and therefore remove, carbon dioxide from said ambient air, and to a flow of the process steam during the regeneration and capture phase, to remove the sorbed carbon dioxide, thus regenerating such sorbent, and capturing in relatively pure form the removed carbon dioxide. The sorbent can be carried on a porous thin flexible sheet constantly in motion between the removal location and the regeneration location

A structure and system for the adsorption of carbon dioxide from air, the system comprising a sorbent structure comprising a porous substrate having a porous alumina coating on the surfaces of said substrate, and the sorbent for carbon dioxide is embedded on the surfaces of said porous alumina coating. The substrate is preferably a porous monolith, formed from silica or mesocellular foam. The sorbent is an amine group-containing material, preferably loaded at 40 to 60 percent by volume relative to the porous alumina coating.

A chemical substance concentrator is configured to concentrate a chemical substance in a gaseous object. The chemical substance concentrator includes a channel in which a gaseous object flows, an adsorbent being conductive and configured to adsorb the chemical substance, and a pair of electrodes configured to cause a current to flow in the adsorbent.

A superpolar sorbent network is a sol-gel network of at least one metal oxide precursor condensed and at least one polyhydroxy molecule. The metal oxide precursor is a silicate precursor, aluminate precursor, titanate precursor, zirconate precursor, germinate precursor, or any combinations thereof, and the polyhydroxy molecule has a multiplicity of hydroxyl groups. The polyhydroxy molecule can be an organic molecule derived from nature. The superpolar sorbent network can be used as a particulate or bulk sorbent for sampling or removal of analytes or contaminants from an environment or can be coated on a tube or particulate substrate for use as a chromatographic stationary phase.