A team of CSIRO and Monash University researchers have created a ‘solar sponge’ which captures and then releases carbon dioxide using the power of natural sunlight.

The breakthrough promises a new way to recycle CO2 emissions using renewable energy.

Known as dynamic photo-switching, this capture-and-release method is extremely energy efficient and only requires UV light to trigger the release of CO2 after it has been captured from the mixture of exhaust gases.

“The capture and release process can be compared to soaking up water with a sponge and then wringing it out. When UV light hits the material its structure bends and twists and stored gas is released,” lead researcher Dr Matthew Hill said.

"This is an exciting development for carbon capture because concentrated solar energy can be used instead of further coal-based energy to drive the process.”

The traditional process for carbon dioxide capture has been to use liquid absorbers such as amines to remove flue gases at a coal-fired power station before they are released into the atmosphere. They are then heated to release the CO2 which is then stored and can be re-used. This process can consume as a much as 30 per cent of a power plant's production capacity