Cutting-edge University of Auckland research converted waste carbon dioxide into a possible precursor for chemicals and carbon-free fuel.
Dr Ziyun Wang’s researchers within the School of Chemical Sciences, in collaboration with researchers at Chinese institutions, have demonstrated a way for turning CO2 into formic acid, reported within the journal Nature.
In benchtop experiments, a catalyst constituted of waste lead-acid batteries enabled a change which hadn’t been possible using previous catalysts.
Formic acid — the identical substance produced by ants (formica is the Latin word for ant) — is a colourless and pungent liquid with potential as a transportation fuel, for storing electricity and for enabling the petrochemical industry to chop CO2 emissions.
As emissions of carbon dioxide, the first greenhouse gas, rise every year, scientists are looking into options for the capture and storage of CO2, for repurposing CO2, and for pursuing a carbon-free economy.
Wang’s group is one in every of the world leaders in research into CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2RR) using acidic fairly than alkaline conditions.
“This innovation opens up exciting possibilities for carbon-neutral technologies,” he says. “In the long run, cars and gas stations may very well be using repurposed carbon dioxide.“
In tests, the brand new method efficiently converted CO2. for greater than 5,000 hours, and the researchers’ calculations suggest it will possibly be cost-effectively scaled up for industry.
The experiments used a proton exchange membrane electrolyser. Carbon dioxide flowed into an electrochemical cell and was converted into formic acid, similar to charging a battery.
Two PhD students, Chengyi Zhang and Ruihu Lu, and a research fellow, Dr Yu Mao, worked on the project.
