Chinese Researchers Create New Material That Converts CO2 Into Clean Fuel

Researchers from China have created a new material that can convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into clean fuel. The material is made of partially oxidized cobalt layers, and carries out the conversion with a high level of efficiency. The researchers believe that this material can provide the global-warming-ridden humanity a slight, although much needed, breathing room; literally.

It's been decades since we recognized the problems created by excess carbon emissions into the Earth’s atmosphere, and our scientists are trying hard to solve them. The obvious solution to it is to reduce carbon emissions, but it is easier said than done in our current situation.

Although we have reduced our carbon footprint by a significant amount in recent years, it has not yet been completely erased. Energy generation, transportation, manufacturing processes, etc. still release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every day, so much that natural processes cannot keep up.

Humanity has been actively seeking ways to combat these emissions, and this new wonder-material could very well be our new trump card.

The new material is made up of ultra-thin layers, of a thickness of four atoms. Partially oxidized cobalt layers were used after it was found that layers made of a combination of cobalt and cobalt oxide gave higher efficiencies than the ones made completely of pure cobalt.

The material uses a process known as electro-reduction to convert carbon dioxide into formate, which can be used as a clean, non-toxic energy source. The cobalt layers are supplied with an electric current, which causes it to interact with the carbon dioxide molecules, resulting in the formation of formate.

The electro-reduction of carbon dioxide has been tried before, but with lower efficiencies, which made it impractical. The efficiency of conversion in the new material is around 90%, with very little electrical losses.

This kind of never-before-seen efficiency confirms that this material could be a practical and useful solution to the carbon emission problem, although the question of where and how it can be used does not yet have a clear-cut answer.

Have an idea as to how this material could be put to use? Share your opinion via comments below. We would like to see carbon-eradicating clothes; fashionable ones, of course.

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