Scientists turn carbon dioxide (CO2) back into Coal at Room temperature

Researchers have found a way to turn back the Carbon dioxide (CO2) into solid coal at room temperature. This breakthrough research will help to fight the climate change effectively.

The researchers from the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have developed a new technique that can efficiently convert CO₂ from a gas into solid particles of carbon. They have published their findings in the journal Nature Communications to explain the details about their alternative pathway for safely and permanently removing the greenhouse gas from our atmosphere.

Negative carbon emission technologies are critical for ensuring a future stable climate. Currently, the carbon capture and storage technologies are focusing on compressing CO₂ into a liquid form, transporting it to a suitable site and injecting it underground.

But implementation of this approach is having many short-coming, risks and difficulties. It has to face many engineering challenges and economically ineffective and even it has the environmental risk of possible leaks from the storage sites.

According to RMIT researcher, Dr Torben Daeneke, converting CO₂ into a solid could be a more sustainable approach.

While we can’t literally turn back time, turning carbon dioxide back into coal and burying it back in the ground is a bit like rewinding the emissions clock.

To date, CO₂ has only been converted into a solid at extremely high temperatures, making it industrially unviable.

By using liquid metals as a catalyst, we’ve shown it’s possible to turn the gas back into carbon at room temperature, in a process that’s efficient and scalable.

While more research needs to be done, it’s a crucial first step to delivering solid storage of carbon

Dr Torben Daeneke, RMIT

To convert CO₂, the researchers designed a liquid metal catalyst with specific surface properties that made it extremely efficient at conducting electricity while chemically activating the surface.

The carbon dioxide is dissolved in a beaker filled with an electrolyte liquid and a small amount of the liquid metal, which is then charged with an electrical current.

The CO₂ slowly converts into solid flakes of carbon, which are naturally detached from the liquid metal surface, allowing the continuous production of carbonaceous solid.

A side benefit of the process is that the carbon can hold electrical charge, becoming a supercapacitor, so it could potentially be used as a component in future vehicles.

The process also produces synthetic fuel as a by-product, which could also have industrial applications.

News Source: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2019/feb/carbon-dioxide-coal