The Renewables Revolution
By Alysha Ebrahim, Chemistry, 2022
Global temperatures are rising, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are to blame. The CO2 emissions on the planet are increasing rapidly due to the use of new technology. Instead of watching while technology creates CO2 emissions, there are scientists out there who are creating new technology to take this CO2 from the air and use it again.
Researchers at MIT are developing a new procedure to take CO2 from the air and convert it back to fuels. The process involves using renewable fuels, specifically electricity created from energy sources such as wind or solar, to capture the CO2 from the air and utilizing a catalyst to remove an oxygen atom, resulting in carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide can then be converted into multiple liquid fuels. The CO can be used as a fuel itself, but more commonly is mixed with hydrogen to create hydrocarbon fuels. These fuels are used to create energy for everyday products, such as car engines or boilers.
The process involves using renewable fuels, specifically electricity created from energy sources such as wind or solar, to capture the CO2 from the air and utilizing a catalyst to remove an oxygen atom, resulting in carbon monoxide.
A similar study on greenhouse gases is occuring at Rice University where scientists turn CO2 into a fuel cell loop. They convert it into formic acid — what is found in ant and bee venom — and place the formic acid into a fuel cell. It will burn the CO2 for energy and some CO2 will be turned into energy and some will be burned into the surroundings. The cell will then recapture the burned CO2 and take it through the cell again to be converted to more energy. This cell ran a test continuously for 100 hours.
At the end of the day, climate change will affect everyone so it is necessary for scientists to generate new sustainable solutions to keep our planet functioning. Today, MIT and Rice are finding new ways to convert CO2 back into renewable fuels to save our planet.
