Carbon Dioxide Captured From Air Can Be Directly Converted Into Methanol Fuel
29th March 2016
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that CO2 captured from the air can be directly converted into methanol (CH3OH) using a homogeneous catalyst. The benefits are two-fold: The process removes harmful CO2 from the atmosphere, and the methanol can be used as an alternative fuel to gasoline. The work represents an important step that could one day lead to a future “methanol economy,” in which fuel and energy storage are primarily based on methanol.
March 29th, 2016 at 12:43
They don’t include the heat balance data, the end product may contain less energy than it took to produce, which doesn’t make any sense except to “greens”. The best way to remove CO2 and convert it to something useful is photosynthesis.
March 30th, 2016 at 01:34
My impression is that the thought process goes: We need to remove CO2, so while we’re doing that let’s create a useful fuel with it. I don’t see any way that they can do the conversion without some (perhaps significant) losses of energy. As you suggest, ‘greens’ never worry about that sort of thing.
March 31st, 2016 at 03:59
First, CO2 isn’t harmful. Second, this will be energy intensive and therefore counterproductive, and third, this is a photo of smog (bad) used to exaggerate and create fear of harmless CO2 (plant food).
Dumb post for this site…
April 3rd, 2016 at 19:01
You know that CO2 isn’t harmful, and I know that CO2 isn’t harmful, but the enviro-Nazis think that it’s going to melt the poles and dump all of the polar bears in the drink.