You probably remember the process of photosynthesis, in which plants use light to convert greenhouse gases like CO2 into oxygen. Well, scientists at McGill University have developed a similar process, using sunlight to transform that CO2 into chemicals that are then used to produce fuels.
Researchers call the process “sunlight-driven oxygen atom grafting.” They use gold, palladium and gallium nitride as a catalyst to chemically transform carbon dioxide and methane into carbon monoxide and green methanol… when exposed to sunlight.
“Imagine a world where car exhaust or factory emissions could be transformed, with the help of sunlight, into clean fuel for vehicles, building blocks for plastics, or energy stored in batteries,” said study co-lead author Hui Su of McGill’s Department of Chemistry. “That’s precisely the kind of transformation this new chemical process enables.”
How does it work?
It sounds so magical that it seems impossible. But it is a so-called “simple” process, because even we are able to understand it. The method triggers a chain reaction in which an oxygen atom is separated from carbon dioxide and jumps to a methane moleculeturning it into green methanol.
This type of renewable methanol produces between 60 and 95% less CO2 emissions than conventional fuels. Scientists say it is scalable (it can be made on an industrial scale, not just in a lab), can be adapted to carbon capture systems and does not depend on fossil fuels, only the sun. The downside? It is highly flammable and requires larger fuel tanks.
Another byproduct is carbon monoxide (CO). It is known to everyone as the silent killer… but it is used in medical research to help with inflammation and in the treatment of acute lung injuries, sepsis or organ transplants.
“By harnessing the sun’s energy, we can recycle two greenhouse gases into useful products,” said Chao-Jun Li, lead author of the study. “The process works at room temperature and requires neither high heat nor harsh chemicals like other chemical reactions.”
Products that catalyze CO2 and methane aren’t cheap… but they are robust for the continuous, sunlight-driven grafting of oxygen atoms that drives this chemical reaction. This method works the same way plants convert CO2 and H2O into energy and oxygen, with the help of sunlight.
Via: Nature
