【2008 Archives】

A group of U.S. scientists has discovered a way to turn carbon dioxide008 Archives a planet-warming greenhouse gas, into a cleaner-burning motor fuel.

The electrochemical process could be used in waste-to-fuel technologies that transform carbon emissions from coal and natural gas power plants into ethanol, according to scientists at the Energy Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

The team published their findings last week in the journal ChemistrySelect.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Here's why the new agreement on 'super greenhouse gases' is a huge deal

Their process turns carbon dioxide into ethanol with little more than extremely tiny spikes of carbon and copper.

Adam Rondinone, the study's lead author and a scientist at Oak Ridge, said they stumbled onto this process nearly by accident.

"We were trying to study the first step of a proposed reaction, when we realized that the catalyst was doing the entire reaction on its own," Rondinone said in an Oak Ridge press release.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Ethanol was a surprise -- it’s extremely difficult to go straight from carbon dioxide to ethanol with a single catalyst," he added.

Rondinone and his colleagues used a catalyst made from carbon, copper and nitrogen and then applied voltage. This triggered a complicated chemical reaction that reversed the combustion process.

Applying these techniques to a solution of carbon dioxide dissolved into water, the scientists produced ethanol with a yield of 63 percent. Typically, this type of electrochemical reaction would result in a mix of different fuels in small amounts, according to Oak Ridge.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The researchers said they plan to further study the catalyst's properties and behavior and will refine their approach to boost the overall production rate of ethanol.

Rondinone suggested the process could be used not only for fossil fuel power plants but also renewable energy systems. He said the excess electricity from wind and solar plants could be stored as ethanol -- which grid operators could then burn when the wind wanes or the sun sets.

"This could help to balance a grid supplied by intermittent renewable sources," he said in the press release.

Existing vehicle fleets, and even some aircraft, are capable of using motor fuel containing a mix of ethanol. However, one of the main ethanol production processes in use today, which relies on deriving the fuel from corn, actually aggravates global warming rather than helping to solve it.

Topics Sustainability

• Entertainment
• Life
• Tech
• Shopping
• Games
• Science
• Deals
• Digital Culture

• Samsung Unpacked stream is set for May 12, 2025
• More than half of U.S. adults are gamers, and most will vote in 2020
• Is 'Game of Thrones' setting up Sansa and Tyrion for the Iron Throne?
• Please do not give your pets alcohol these holidays, or like ever
• Creator job opportunities grew 7x in recent years [April 2025]
• Controversial iPhone hacking company signs deal with ICE
• Hillary Clinton's campaign will now help Jill Stein's vote recount
• How Uber and other digital platforms could trick us using behavioral science – unless we act fast
• 4GHz CPU Battle: AMD 2nd
• Google is thinking about a foldable Pixel, but don't expect it soon

• This ramen joint is an introverted foodie's paradise
• Confused kid searches everywhere for the goggles on top of his head
• Someone in Tennessee just won a $420.9 million Powerball jackpot
• Man unboxes OnePlus 3T in midair, on a fighter plane, as the smartphone goes on sale
• What to buy for the person in your life whose only interest is Kylie Jenner's lips
• MobiKwik's new Lite app will let you go cashless on any network, any phone in India
• NASA asked for cheaper ways to get Mars samples. It had one all along.
• Cheese advent calendar is the tastiest holiday item we've ever curd of
• Taylor Swift partners up with AT&T for streaming 'video experience'
• Colin Kaepernick booed in Miami for 'defending' Fidel Castro

• Meta continues its submission to Trump with new advisor on its board
• Samsung to announce Galaxy Fold launch date in a few days
• How Uber and other digital platforms could trick us using behavioral science – unless we act fast
• Watch this brilliant fan
• NYT Strands hints, answers for April 26
• The novel that predicted the sinking of the Titanic, 14 years before it happened
• Super cute baby koala and mother just hanging out, looking like stuffed toys
• Cards Against Humanity are digging a giant hole for no good reason
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve Connections #237
• In other (nicer) news, the whole of New Zealand is doing a Secret Santa

• This fat bear's before and after photos are stunning
• Donald Trump is lying about illegal votes being cast in the election
• Netflix's 'Wine Country' relies on stellar cast to tell a formulaic story
• Samsung to announce Galaxy Fold launch date in a few days
• Apple is reportedly still working on smart glasses of some kind
• Samsung to announce Galaxy Fold launch date in a few days
• Movies and shows to stream Mother's Day weekend 2019
• Waymo's self
• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• Taylor Swift reveals the 'Game of Thrones' influences in her albums