Scientists have found that an item widely used in kitchens can absorb planet-heating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, in what they hope will become a low-cost and efficient tool to slow climate change.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge in England used activated charcoal — a sponge-like substance used in household water filters — and "charged" it like a battery to see if it would absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air.

While activated charcoal can filter impurities in water, it wouldn't normally be able to capture CO2. But scientists discovered this changed when they mimicked the process of charging a battery — in which ions stick to a battery's electrodes — using chemical compounds called hydroxides.

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📸: University of Cambridge