Researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have achieved a breakthrough in the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol using a unique cascade reaction strategy. This two-part process is powered by sunlight, occurs at room temperature and ambient pressure, and utilizes a recyclable organic reagent similar to a catalyst found in natural photosynthesis.
Published as the front cover article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, this research was conducted as part of the Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE), an Energy Innovation Hub based at UNC.
For decades, the conversion of CO2 into liquid fuels at room temperature has been a sought-after goal. Such strategies could contribute to achieving carbon-neutral energy cycles, especially when powered by sunlight. This process could essentially recycle carbon emitted as CO2 by burning single-carbon fuel molecules like methanol into making new fuel without adding new carbon to the atmosphere.
Methanol (CH3OH) is an attractive target due to its liquid form, making it easily transportable and storable. It also serves as a key feedstock in the chemical industry for making more complex molecules. Additionally, because methanol contains just one carbon atom, it eliminates the need for energy-intensive processes to make carbon-carbon bonds.
Despite its potential, there are still poorly understood steps involved in the reactions required to selectively and efficiently generate solar liquid fuels like methanol.
2024-03-20 16:00:04
Article from phys.org