Device That Uses Sunlight To Break Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Answer To Extreme Climate Change Effects?

First Posted: Aug 01, 2016 05:30 AM EDT
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This breakthrough from the University of Illinois at Chicago seems to be an artificial leaf that demonstrates the process of photosynthesis wherein plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to create fuel in the form of sugar.

A team of scientists reported that they have created a device that absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere then uses sunlight to break it into a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, called synthesis gas, PerfScience reported. The lead researcher Amin Salehi-Khojin, a mechanical engineer from the University of Illinois at Chicago, said that the mix produced can be directly used or turned into diesel or other liquid fuel.

Burning such a transportation fuel would release the carbon back to the atmosphere. however, the process may be considered a carbon-neutral energy source because that carbon would have been removed from the atmosphere to make the synthetic gas, thus producing no new emissions, Take Part reported.

Mohammad Asadi, the study's lead author and a researcher in Salehi-Khojin's lab said that the beauty of this innovation is it directly uses the energy of the sun and doesn't need any electricity or external energy.

So far, the team of scientists has already created a working prototype of the device on a small scale that uses an artificial sunlight and a direct source of CO2 in studying and optimizing the chemical process. It has also been reported that The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation has funded their research.

Climate change is now seemingly being driven by new innovations today. Salehi-Khojin is optimistic that their system is adaptable to be used at scale in solar farms and also on a smaller scale. In addition, the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change found this new innovation to be crucial part to avert extreme climate change.

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