Focusing again on the rate of change of CO 2 fractions with time and cycle number, the semi-batch data suggest that kinetics improve with each cycle at all pressures studied. In every set of semi-batch experiments conducted at a specific pressure, the CO 2 fraction approaches its equilibrium value more rapidly with each subsequent cycle, until it stabilizes at a maximum rate where no further changes between cycles are observed. The difference between capture rates is most pronounced from the first to the second cycle. As the thermodynamic conditions remain consistent across cycles and nucleation can be ruled out as a factor in this phase of formation, the increased rate of CO 2 uptake is likely linked to a growing solid-gas interface area. This growing interface area can be explained by the creation and evolution of a pore network that forms due to local energy differences and density differences between ice and the water host network of the hydrate . This restructuring takes place every formation-dissociation cycle leading to an increase of the specific surface area until a stable porosity is achieved. Long-term cycling experiments are essential to confirm the proposed stable porosity and to assess its dependence on the initial conditions of a fresh packed bed and the operating parameters. If the impact of the operating conditions proves significant, this finding could lead to substantial cost reductions in bed preparation as it could imply that regardless of the initial setup, the ultimate effectiveness of the process is controlled by the pore network that naturally forms through repeated cycling.