Scientists have claimed that have invented a machine that can help stop global warming by sucking the carbon dioxide out of the air. The researchers are currently planning to build a prototype of the machine which they hope will suck a tonne of carbon dioxide out of the air every day.

The prototype is being built by Global Research Technologies in Tucson, Arizona, and will cost around $200,000 to build and take around two years to complete. The prototype isn’t small – each device is around the size of a shipping container and millions would have to be built to completely counter the amount of carbon emitted by human activities.

Klaus Lackner, the lead physicist behind the invention, is enthusiastic about the project stating that it is a strong product because people will use fossil fuels therefore it is better to counteract the effects rather than trying to constrain human activities.

The machine uses ion exchange membranes which are normally used to purify water. These huge plastic sheets can be use to capture carbon dioxide in the air and when humid air is applied to them, they will release the CO2 they have trapped leaving them ready to absorb another load of carbon dioxide. The research team have said that the captured carbon dioxide can be put to good use in places like large greenhouses where the CO2 will aid plant growth.

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