Researchers successfully convert CO2 into jet fuel

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which contributes greatly to global warming. Thus, finding methods to extract it from the air in order to purify it is a very important issue. In a promising new discovery, researchers achieved this feat, and were even able to turn this gas into jet fuel.

An effective method to help reduce the carbon footprint of air transport

As concerns about climate change grow day by day, scientists have been looking for a few years to convert carbon dioxide into sustainable synthetic hydrocarbons for transportation. The transport sector being one of the areas of activity emitting the most greenhouse gases, this would indeed be a big step in the fight against climate change. With this in mind, a team of researchers from the University of Oxford and Cambridge University has succeeded in transforming CO2 into jet fuel.

So far, the experiment has only been carried out on a very small scale, but scientists hope this breakthrough can help reduce the carbon footprint in the airline industry, reported Wired. To perform their experiment, the researchers used a process called the combustion method. This consists of using a catalyst based on iron, potassium and manganese, combined with hydrogen, citric acid and carbon dioxide, and heated to 350 ° C. The process forces the carbon atoms to dissociate from the oxygen atoms of the CO2 molecules.

When these carbon atoms are agglomerated with hydrogen atoms, it produces a type of hydrocarbon molecules that can be used as liquid jet fuel. Note that the process also resulted in the creation of water molecules and other products, with jet fuel accounting for 48% of the products obtained. According to the results of the study published in the journal Nature Communications, this process made it possible to convert 38% of the CO2 contained in a pressurized chamber in 20 hours.

A promising process, but still limited

Moreover, this approach has the advantage of being inexpensive, simple and uses common materials. In particular, it is less expensive than the processes used to transform hydrogen and water into fuel. In any case, there are still many challenges to be met before this jet fuel derived from CO2 emissions is actually used in airplanes. We can cite among others the challenge of large-scale production of jet fuel, as well as methods for a more extensive capture of CO2 in the atmosphere. Despite everything, the researchers are optimistic, and have raised the possibility of industrial partnerships, reported Engadget.

The biggest challenge now would therefore be the speed in the application of this new method of large-scale jet fuel production so that it can effectively help in the fight against climate change. It is also important to note that this new process is not the first successful attempt to convert carbon dioxide into biofuel. In this regard, we can cite the example ofan industrial complex Canadian which collects CO2 in the atmosphere in a process similar to that observed in plants.