This solar power reactor sucks CO2 from the air and turns it into fuel

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have built a solar reactor that converts atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into gas, which one day can charge vehicles, feed homes outside the network and even produce pharmaceuticals.

Researchers are said to have been inspired by photosynthesis and claim that their technology can be more easily scaled by earlier solar devices. Team research was published Today in the magazine Natural energy.

Carbon capture and storage (which is exactly what sounds) is a possible means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is that most carbon capture technologies are fed by fossil combustion – not to mention the fact that CO2 is shot in process It should be stored somewhere like deep underground. But a new reactor can solve all this.

“What if instead of pumping carbon dioxide underground, we did something useful from it?” statementS “CO2 is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it can also become useful chemicals without contributing to global warming.”

The new Carr reactor and his colleagues is a completely sunny power supply, which means it does not require cables or batteries. At night it filters CO2 from the air – similar to how the sponge soak water, according to researchers. During the day, the sunlight heats up the collected CO2, which absorbs the infrared radiation of the sun, while the semiconductor powder absorbs ultraviolet radiation. A mirror on the reactor concentrates sunlight for more efficiency in the system.

Absorption initiates a chemical reaction in the reactor that converts CO2 into gas synthesis or synthes, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), which is an important ingredient in the production of many fuels and chemicals. The team is currently investigating how to turn this solar singles into liquid fuels, which can one day sustainably powerful vehicles such as cars and aircraft.

“If we made these devices on a scale, they could solve two problems at one time: eliminating CO2 from the atmosphere and creating a pure alternative to fossil fuels,” Carr said. “CO2 is regarded as a harmful waste product, but it is also an opportunity.”

Researchers claim that this type of solar reactor can even be used by individuals (unlike the power supply of an entire neighborhood or city) to provide energy for remote places. In addition, due to the spread of Syngas in the production of chemicals, solar shingles can also reduce the carbon footprint of the chemical sector.

“Instead of continuing to dig and burn fossil fuels to produce the products we have relied on, we can get the whole CO2 we need directly from the air and reuse it,” says Erwin Reisner, a chemist at the University of Cambridge who runs the study. “We can build a circular, sustainable economy – if we have the political will to do it.”

Here’s the hope that we will see on the market with cars with supply of solar-carbon-capelists to be earlier than we think.