An international team of researchers from the University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham, University of Queensland and University of Ulm have taken a big step towards creating clean fuel from sunlight and air. Their research, published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels Journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, describes a new method that uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol, a clean-burning fuel.
The method relies on a specially designed material called “nanocrystalline carbon nitride” sprinkled with tiny amounts of copper atoms. When sunlight hits this material, it energizes both the copper and the carbon nitride, creating an unusual flow of energy. This flow of energy can then be used to transform CO2, along with water, into methanol through a process called photocatalysis.
This discovery is important for a few reasons. First, it uses sunlight, a renewable energy source, and CO2, a waste product, to create clean fuel. Second, it’s more efficient than previous attempts at photocatalysis, producing more methanol with less wasted energy. Finally, the materials used are common and abundant on Earth, making this a potentially scalable solution.
Professor Andrei Khlobystov, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, said: “Carbon dioxide valorisation holds the key for achieving the net-zero ambition of the UK. It is vitally important to ensure the sustainability of our catalyst materials for this important reaction. A big advantage of the new catalyst is that it consists of sustainable elements — carbon, nitrogen and copper — all highly abundant on our planet.”
While this research is a breakthrough, there’s still room for improvement. Scientists are working to make the process even more efficient and suitable for large-scale fuel production. Overall, this discovery offers a promising path towards a cleaner future by using sunlight and air to create the fuels we need.
