CO2 is the biggest contributor to climate change. Now chemists are hoping to convert carbon dioxide into a useful fuel, with a little help from the sun. If they succeed, it will be possible to recycle the greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels. The work could also lead to a way for future Mars missions to generate fuel for their return journey from carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere.
Chemists have long hoped to find a method of bringing the combustion of fuel full circle by turning CO2 back into useful hydrocarbons. Now researchers at the University of Messina in Italy have developed an electro-catalytic technique they say could do the job. "The conversion of CO2 to fuel is not a dream, but an effective possibility which requires further research," says team leader Gabriele Centi.
The researchers chemically reduced CO2 to produce eight and nine-carbon hydrocarbons using a catalyst of particles of platinum and palladium confined in carbon nanotubes. These hydrocarbons can be made into petrol and diesel...read more
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
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