Method of converting exhaust gases into fuel

Chinese scientists have found a mechanism to convert carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into chemicals and fuels through electrolysis.

The research work led by the group of Professors Bao Xinhe, Wang Guoxiong and Gao Dunfeng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, China Daily.

The experiments in this study recorded the highest efficiency compared to currently available documents on the process, meaning that the new electrolyzer can produce the largest amount of ethylene, acetic acid and ethanol from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. per unit of time and per unit of area.

In it, scientists examined the electrolysis of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide using a copper catalyst in an electrolyzer, an electrochemical device that uses electricity to convert gases into multicarbon products. at high current density.

They specifically tuned the catalyst’s microenvironment to use a mixed feed of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, typical of the composition of emissions from steel mills and industrial combustion using fuels. fossils created.

By increasing the carbon monoxide pressure, the electrolyzer begins to switch from producing ethylene to acetate, and the current density increases significantly.

“This highlights the potential for tailoring catalyst microenvironments to selectively produce single multicarbon products at industrial densities. Our research has laid the technical foundation for carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide electrolysis from the laboratory to practical applications,” Professor. Wang shared.