A new technology that captures carbon dioxide from the air and converts it into fuel using only sunlight, can help us reshape our approach to climate change and energy production. The innovation, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, is similar to artificial plants, working day and night to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into useful fuels.
The device consists of a dual-cavity system that works on a daily cycle – captures carbon dioxide from the air at night and converts it into syngas (Syngas) during the day using concentrated sunlight. This partner can then be converted into a variety of fuels and chemicals, potentially providing a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
“What if we didn’t pump CO2 underground, we made something useful from it?” said Dr. Sayan Kar, from Yusuf Hamied’s Department of Chemistry in Cambridge. “Carbon dioxide is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it can also turn it into a useful chemical without causing global warming.”
This technology is very different from the traditional carbon capture and storage (CCS) method, which usually requires a large amount of energy input and faces ongoing problems with the long-term security of underground carbon dioxide storage.
“In addition to spending and energy intensity, CCS also provides an excuse for burning fossil fuels, which is the cause of the climate crisis first,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the study. “CCS is also a non-circular process,” said. Because the pressurized CO2 is stored indefinitely at best, it is useless to anyone.”
The operation of the system reflects the natural process of photosynthesis, but improves efficiency. At night, specialized filters containing silicon dioxide and polyamine materials are like sponges that absorb carbon dioxide from the air. When sunlight arrives, the concentrated sunlight heats the captured carbon dioxide while converting it into syngas using a new catalyst system.
The researchers designed the device to overcome several long-term challenges in carbon dioxide conversion. By separating the capture and conversion steps, they avoided the problem of oxygen interference, which hindered previous direct air conversion attempts. The system also concentrates the captured carbon dioxide to a higher conversion rate before processing it.
The core of the transformation process relies on specially developed hybrid catalysts that combine molecular and semiconductor materials. The catalyst effectively converts the concentrated carbon dioxide stream into contractual gas while using waste plastic-derived compounds as additional reactants, potentially solving two environmental challenges simultaneously.
Unlike previous methods that require pure carbon dioxide or high temperatures and pressures, the system operates under mild conditions and can treat CO2 directly from the air. The researchers demonstrated that their device could be captured continuously for about nine hours in simulated night operations, then released and converted during the day.
The technology shows special hope for decentralized applications, with the potential to generate fuel in remote areas or in off-grid settings. “If we make these devices on a large scale, they can solve two problems immediately: remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create a clean alternative to fossil fuels,” Carl noted.
These implications are not limited to fuel production. Partners produced by the system can be used as the basis for the manufacture of a wide range of chemicals and medicines, thus providing a pathway to a more sustainable industrial process.
“ Rather than keep digging and burning fossil fuels to produce the product we are relying on, we can get all the carbon dioxide we need directly from the air and reuse it,” Reisner said. “If we have political will, we can build a cycle, Continuous economy.”
The research team is currently working to expand the technology and develop methods to convert produced synthetic agents into liquid fuels. Supported by Cambridge Enterprise, the university’s commercialization division, their goal is to start mass testing in the coming months.
The study, published in Natural Energy, was supported by the UK Research and Innovation, the European Research Council, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Cambridge Trust.
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