Money from emissions: scientists figured out how to make fuel from carbon dioxide

Associate Professor at the University of California Jingze Wu and his students used a two-stage cascade

reaction to make carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and then ethylene. It is a chemical that is used in almost everything from food packaging to tire manufacturing.

Graduate of Tianyou University of CaliforniaZhang, one of the study's lead authors, did similar work last year, where he studied how to convert carbon dioxide into methane. Further, it can be used as rocket fuel for the exploration of Mars.

The importance of the two-step conversion lies inthat we can improve the selectivity and productivity of ethylene and reduce costs. This process can be applied to various reactions because the electrode structure is common and simple.

Tianyou Zhang, one of the lead authors of the study

Selectivity means selecting the desired compounds. Productivity is the amount of ethylene that the reactor can create.

We selectively reduce our carbon footprint and turn it into value.

Tianyou Zhang, one of the lead authors of the study

Ethylene has been called the most important chemical in the world. It is used in various plastics, bottles, PVC pipes, textiles, rubber, tires and insulation.

Professor Wu said the chemical they produce is called green ethylene because it comes from renewable sources.

Ideally, we can remove greenhouse gases fromenvironment while producing fuels and chemicals. Power plants and ethylene plants emit a lot of carbon dioxide. Our goal is to capture carbon dioxide and convert it to ethylene using electrochemical conversion.

Jingjie Wu, Associate Professor, University of California College of Engineering and Applied Science

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