Catalyst Could Turn CO2 Into Fuel

New Scientist ^ | 3-15-2007 | TomSimonite

[blam]

Catalyst could help turn CO2 into fuel

18:00 15 March 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Tom Simonite

A new catalyst that can split carbon dioxide gas could allow us to use carbon from the atmosphere as a fuel source in a similar way to plants.

"Breaking open the very stable bonds in CO2 is one of the biggest challenges in synthetic chemistry," says Frederic Goettmann, a chemist at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany. "But plants have been doing it for millions of years."

Plants use the energy of sunlight to cleave the relatively stable chemical bonds between the carbon and oxygen atoms in a carbon dioxide molecule. In photosynthesis, the CO2 molecule is initially bonded to nitrogen atoms, making reactive compounds called carbamates. These less stable compounds can then be broken down, allowing the carbon to be used in the synthesis of other plant products, such as sugars and proteins.

In an attempt to emulate this natural process, Goettmann and colleagues Arne Thomas and Markus Antonietti developed their own nitrogen-based catalyst that can produce carbamates. The graphite-like compound is made from flat layers of carbon and nitrogen atoms arranged in hexagons.

The team heated a mixture of CO2 and benzene with the catalyst to a temperature of 150 ºC, at about three times atmospheric pressure. In a first step, the catalyst enabled the CO2 to form a reactive carbamate, like that made in plants.

Oxygen grab

The catalyst's next useful step was to enable the benzene molecules to grab the oxygen atom from the CO2 in the carbamate, producing phenol and a reactive carbon monoxide (CO) species.

[Voltage]

Good news! Our problems are over.

[proxy_user]

Not so. Since air is free, greedy corporations will grab all the carbon dioxide out of the air, leading inexorably to GLOBAL COOLING!

[IslandJeff]

Lawyers are already lining up to sue them for CO poisoning in the potential exploited workers.

This is great news, if they can scale it up and break the chlorophyll barrier.

[IslandJeff]

And those evil shareholders are robbing plants of Their Fair Share.

[BfloGuy]

The company I work for actually takes in air and turns it into nitrogen, oxygen and argon -- and sells them at a profit to industry. And it does it at 100's of plants around the world.

I've been waiting for the day when some government decides to charge us for their air. (I hope no Democrats are reading this.)

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

ping.

[M203M4]

Artificial photosynthesis is not that far off. This problem is being tackled from many different angles as well - there are disparate approaches involving nanotechnology, as well as approaches working from the "opposite end" (genetic engineering), which would be the holy grail (grid-connected living self-repairing photosynthetic films).

I recall an MIT group's 2004 paper in Nano Letters that described harnessing proteins from bacteria and spinach to create a biological solar panel. The efficiency was low, but it was proof of principle. They even showed that the device was capable of self-repair.

[edsheppa]

Hahaha, very funny!

[capt. norm]

making reactive compounds called carbamates

Scared me for a moment there.

I thought it said "corbomite".

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Hold on a moment. If the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is driven to ZERO with this process, all plants will die and so will mankind in short order. This must be stopped. NOW!!

[RightWhale]

charge us for their air

If there is any air plant they can justify charging just like they do for city water. Probably the big commercial buildings already do--hidden in the rent.

[preacher]

Shucks, If this is true the left will have to find another reason to establish worldwide socialism & a worldwide UN income tax.

[tranzorZ]

Bad japanese anime coming into mind. Some creepy monster is created, kills scientist. Scientist's son somehow gets tech in/on him and fights off monster.

Anywho, if we are able to break down CO2 we aren't going to hear an end to caterwalling from the far left. I keep hearing global warming is a religion, I think it is a mere tenant of a much broader religion of fanatical nature worship. Man must know place by living on 3rd world/medieval tech alone or violate its place and "rape" mother earth. Dweebs, I swear.

[ryan71]

Plants are people, too.

We'll create a CO2 shortage and all the world's plants will die.

[CrazyIvan]

The company I work for actually takes in air and turns it into nitrogen, oxygen and argon -- and sells them at a profit to industry. And it does it at 100's of plants around the world.

I work for a company that among other things makes custom motorcycle frames. One of the pro welders has been giving me TIG welding lessons. After decades of melting stuff together (it won't dignify it by calling it welding, at least as I do it!) I think whoever came up with the idea of inert (argon) gas shielding should be nominated for sainthood.

[spunkets]

These kinds of process need nuke plants to work. the catalyst just reduces the the activation energy for hte process. The energy to revert the CO₂ is the same as what was released when it originally burned, or will be burned.

[AntiGuv]

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[grey_whiskers]

Now you've done it!

[blam]

"I think whoever came up with the idea of inert (argon) gas shielding should be nominated for sainthood."

I'm reminded of an article I read about the building of a Soviet titanium submarine. It had to be built in a large vacuum chamber to keep the titanium from oxidizing during welding. The welders had to wear deep sea diving suits when welding.