What if you could expose the world's foremost greenhouse gas to sunlight and convert it to gasoline? That would be, in most healthy opinions, too good to be true right? Well, some hard thinkers at the University of California San Diego are working on exactly that.
A kind of solar panel basically splits CO2 into CO (carbon monoxide) and oxygen. The carbon monoxide, as long as it is contained, can then be converted to bio-fuel by CO eating bacteria, or turned into any number of useful products. The best part is that CO is normally produced for industrial use by natural gas. So, the process could either save gas by creating new gas, or saves natural gas by reducing the need for it.
As of now, the UC San Diego scientists haven't yet optimized the procedure and, currently, the panel needs more energy than can be provided by sunlight alone. But they're confident that, by using other materials in the panel, they'll be able to boost efficiency. We'll have to keep an eye on their progress.
Via TreeHugger
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by Tibor Kiss, April 30, 2007
-
- +0
-
-
written by VICENTE VILLALPANDO, May 02, 2007
THE WHOLE MY LIFE I HAVE TRYED TO GET ENERGY FROM THE WASTE MATERIAL. TRASH, STIRLING MOTOR, ETC. AND GET ENERGY, FROM THE SUN, THE WIND, TO GET AC, HOT WATER, ICE, ELECTRICITY, POWER, TO HAVE ALWAYS A GREEN PLANET FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS AND I AM WATCHING THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO THAT IS THE REASON I AM PROUD OF YOU,. THANKS A LOT.
VICENTE
-
- +0
-
-
written by harry, June 19, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by TennesseeCornStoves, March 24, 2009
The process consumes more energy than it produces. Honest is the best policy. Did you know it takes one gallon of fuel to deliver each gallon consumed. Large utilities use more electricity than any customer. Delivered electricity is only 25% efficient, or less. The most efficient energy is local produced energy
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/cornstoves
Greatest efficiencies are local Wind, local solar, local hydro, and local grown 34% hydrogen from whole kernel shelled corn.
-
- +0
-
-
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
APR 27
"Congratulations! Producing energy from CO/CO2 can utilize power plant ..."
View all Comments