Recently, innovative catalysts have allowed scientists to convert carbon dioxide into single carbon fuels like methanol or formate, but creating multi-carbon fuels has been tougher. Using catalysts to build two- or three-carbon fuels has required high voltage electricity and hasn't been energy efficient. But now, chemists at UC Berkeley have created a catalyst by depositing copper nanoparticles onto carbon paper, and this catalyst works with electricity that can be produced by solar panels. This new catalyst can produce ethylene, ethanol and propanol when supplied with carbon dioxide and 600 millivolts of electricity.
This type of technology could allow us to recycle the carbon dioxide released by combustion of traditional fuels into 'new' fuel via a primitive form of artificial photosynthesis. And recycling carbon dioxide should help us begin to control global greenhouse gas concentrations and global climate change! Read more here.
This type of technology could allow us to recycle the carbon dioxide released by combustion of traditional fuels into 'new' fuel via a primitive form of artificial photosynthesis. And recycling carbon dioxide should help us begin to control global greenhouse gas concentrations and global climate change! Read more here.