Chemist Phillip Milner develops novel strategies to remove greenhouse gases from emission sources and directly from air. One major goal of his lab is to reduce the energy needed to power carbon capture systems, so they can be deployed more efficiently and affordably. Most carbon capture systems in use today employ amines – organic compounds derived from ammonia – but they are toxic, corrosive, volatile, prone to degradation, and energy-intensive. Milner is exploring alternative chemistry for carbon capture. “We’ve seen in the last 10 years a lot of advances in carbon capture technologies, but all of those technologies are based on these amines,” Milner said. A new 2030-funded project will enable Milner and colleagues to create an experimental carbon capture facility at Cornell’s power plant. Scientists from around the world will be able to use the facility to test new carbon capture strategies. “We’re always going to need to capture carbon dioxide. For the rest of human history, we’ll be relying on these technologies, so we need to get them right.”