Scientists Have Accidentally Discovered a Way to Turn Carbon Dioxide into Clean Energy

In a groundbreaking and truly revolutionary discovery, scientists have discovered how to turn the overly abundant gas, carbon dioxide, into utilizable fuel. The discovery took place at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where researchers were attempting to construct an intricate set of chemical reactions that might turn Co2 into ethanol.

To their delight, the researchers found that the first step in their process completed the reaction entirely, negating the need for further research. According to Popular Mechanics, “The tech involves a new combination of copper and carbon arranged into nanospikes on a silicon surface. The nanotechnology allows the reactions to be very precise, with very few contaminants.” Adam Rondinone, an industry liaison, continues to explain the process when he says,  “By using common materials, but arranging them with nanotechnology, we figured out how to limit the side reactions and end up with the one thing that we want.” – And that thing is clean energy.

What’s most exciting about the discovery is that the conversion technology doesn’t need to run excessively hot or freezing cold. In fact, the conversion happens at room temperature, meaning that this technology is relatively low-maintenance and could be easy to implement within personal vehicles, buses, and possibly even household generators.

Ethanol is traditionally a quasi-renewable source of fuel, often made from corn, which has become a popular choice of fuel in the United States thanks to Chevrolet’s Flex-Fuel vehicles, which run on a mixture of ethanol and gasoline. If we’re able to convert carbon dioxide into fuel, we would ultimately be able to further protect the environment against harmful greenhouse gasses, use our crops for their intended purpose, while simultaneously reducing our reliance on limited resources like gasoline.

The researchers are planning to look deeper into their newfound process in effort to make it more efficient. We’re hoping they’re successful, as this technology could change the world. If you’d like to learn about more recent advancements in technology, click here.