The researchers developed a new method called integrated carbonation to capture CO2 emissions from power plants. They used serpentine as a material and found that chemical activation with sulfuric acid was more effective than physical activation in increasing surface area. The activated serpentine had a 73% conversion to magnesite at 155°C and 1850 psig after 1 hour, compared to only 8% for the untreated sample. This shows that chemical activation can make more magnesium available for carbonation, making the process more efficient.