On a suffocating planet carbon dioxide It is becoming increasingly urgent to look for an effective formula that will not only reduce global pollutant emissions, but also remove from the atmosphere the gases that humanity has been releasing for decades. Even though CO2 has become the world’s number one enemy, What if it could be reused, clean and turned into an alternative fuel to gasoline or diesel?
Although the idea is very promising a priori, it is not easy to implement it in practice. Many of the processes tested so far to achieve this transformation have run into problems because they cannot be truly carbon efficient and, in addition, cannot produce fuels that are toxic, flammable, or generally unmanageable. But, A recent scientific study conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University (USA) appears to have found the right ‘key’ Turning this innovative idea into reality.
Salts that produce electricity
In an article published in Cell PressPhysical SciencesThis group of scientists claims to have created a process. can convert carbon dioxide directly into formate, salts that can exist in liquid or solid form and this can be used to generate electricity.
Potassium or sodium formate, also known as potassium salt or sodium salt, has a variety of uses. These are frequently used, for example, to de-ice roads and pavements. But it also has other advantages, such as not being toxic or flammable. It is easy to store and transport and can remain stable in common steel tanks. It can be used for months or even years after production.
Although the process has only been demonstrated on a small scale in the laboratory, Researchers hope this will be scalable and could provide heat and electricity in homes or industry Without producing emissions.
“In other cases, it was decided to split the process into two phases,” explains Ju Li, an MIT engineer and coordinator of this study. “The work of other groups relies on chemically capturing the gas, converting it into calcium carbonate (a solid) and then heating it, expelling carbon dioxide (CO2) and retaining carbon monoxide (CO) as fuel,” he emphasizes. . This second step is often where problems arise: “This is a low-yield process, converting less than 20% of the carbon dioxide into the desired product,” Li insists.
This research group decided to innovate and improve the formulas proposed by its predecessorsThey manage to convert up to 90% of the carbon they capture. To do this, all they did was stop heating the product and let it remain liquid; because in this case it is easier to convert it electrochemically into liquid potassium or sodium formate than into gaseous form. This highly concentrated liquid solution can be dried, for example by solar evaporation, to produce a solid powder that resembles crystals, is extremely stable, and can be stored for years or even decades in ordinary steel tanks.
Crystals can be stored more efficiently than hydrogen. And even the best hydrogen tanks lose 1% of gas per day. On the other hand, methanol, which is also being investigated as a storage alternative for the reuse of carbon dioxide, is a toxic substance, so any possible leakage could pose a health hazard. But the format is harmless and is actually widely used.
In addition to converting CO2, The team also designed and built a cell to use the new fuel. and thus we produce electricity. The formate particles stored in this stack are dissolved in water and pumped into the fuel cell when needed.
A refrigerator at home that uses CO2
According to researchers, This conversion, storage and battery system can be adapted to any energy need.. In other words, it can be used both domestically and in industry.
In a home, for example, the technology would involve drilling a hole in a refrigerator-sized device that would capture and convert carbon dioxide, which could then be stored in an underground tank or on the roof. When energy was needed, the resulting crystalline powder only had to be mixed with water and fed into a pile to provide energy and heat.
Reference work: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-physical-science/fulltext/S2666-3864(23)00485-X
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