So, basically, we can fight Global Warming and get hammered doing so? Now that's what I call a win-win! (Seriously, though, one could do other things with ethanol besides burning it.)
Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
11–20 of 71 posts
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#12>The catalyst’s novelty lies in its nanoscale structure, consisting of copper nanoparticles embedded in carbon spikes. This nano-texturing approach avoids the use of expensive or rare metals such as platinum that limit the economic viability of many catalysts.
How about large scale production of the catalyst? Do we have any idea of how to produce efficiently a "nanoscale structure consisting of copper nanoparticles embedded in carbon spikes" in large quantities?
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#13>potentially creating a new technology to help avert climate change >The reaction turns CO2 into ethanol, which could in turn be used to power generators and vehicles. I am no scientist, my question is this: wouldn't it be a zero sum game at best? You are taking C02 out of the atmosphere, turning it into fuel, which then is used in C02 emitting engines.
Another article with more/better content here: https://www.ornl.gov/news/nano-spike-catalysts-convert-carbo...
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#14> This process has several advantages when compared to other methods of converting CO2 into fuel. The reaction uses common materials like copper and carbon, and it converts the CO2 into ethanol, which is already widely used as a fuel. > Perhaps most importantly, it works at room temperature, which means that it can be started and stopped easily and with little energy cost. This means that this conversion process coul…
In Popular Mechanics? Yeah, I think you might be asking for a bit much there.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#15> This process has several advantages when compared to other methods of converting CO2 into fuel. The reaction uses common materials like copper and carbon, and it converts the CO2 into ethanol, which is already widely used as a fuel. > Perhaps most importantly, it works at room temperature, which means that it can be started and stopped easily and with little energy cost. This means that this conversion process coul…
The abstract of the article includes :
>Herein we report a common element, nanostructured catalyst for the direct electrochemical conversion of CO2 to ethanol with high Faradaic efficiency (63 % at −1.2 V vs RHE) and high selectivity (84 %) that operates in water and at ambient temperature and pressure.
I am not exactly sure how to understand the 63% efficiency but I assume that this is the rate of conversion from electrical to chemical energy.
However the conclusion of the article mentions that :
>The overpotential (which might be lowered with the proper electrolyte, and by separating the hydrogen production to another catalyst) probably precludes economic viability for this catalyst, but the high selectivity for a 12-electron reaction suggests that nanostructured surfaces with multiple reactive sites in close proximity can yield novel reaction mechanisms.
Which sounds much less optimistic that the article's headline.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#16Is there a way to cheaply store ethanol long term and prevent it from turning back into co2?
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#17Could we run this process on Venus for terraforming?
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#18Something that annoys me with these articles is that such processes are usually praised as carbon capture at the same time as it is energy storage. Well yes, but not both at the same time. And I really doubt its effectiveness as energy storage in the first place - why would you burn fossil fuels (with a loss), then gather energy with renewables to capture back the CO2 (with a loss) and then use the energy of the etha…
Batteries might be more expensive than storing energy in liquid fuels. They have a limited number of charge cycles after all, whereas a vat of Ethanol can be refilled forever. There is also a large number of motors available that can burn Ethanol, but a significantly smaller number of electric vehicles.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#19>potentially creating a new technology to help avert climate change >The reaction turns CO2 into ethanol, which could in turn be used to power generators and vehicles. I am no scientist, my question is this: wouldn't it be a zero sum game at best? You are taking C02 out of the atmosphere, turning it into fuel, which then is used in C02 emitting engines.
We can fill the Aral Sea up with vodka.
Re: Scientists Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 into Ethanol
#20Something that annoys me with these articles is that such processes are usually praised as carbon capture at the same time as it is energy storage. Well yes, but not both at the same time. And I really doubt its effectiveness as energy storage in the first place - why would you burn fossil fuels (with a loss), then gather energy with renewables to capture back the CO2 (with a loss) and then use the energy of the etha…
[deleted]