A scientist at the University of Central Florida has developed a revolutionary technology that not only removes carbon dioxide pollution from the air, according to Tech Xplore, but it also has the potential to contribute to technologies that will further reduce carbon pollution, the number one driver of the overheating of the planet.
The device, developed by Yang Yang, an associate professor in UCF's NanoScience Technology Center, captures carbon dioxide using a microsurface consisting of a tin oxide film and fluorine layer. Then, using a bubbling electrode, the device removes gaseous carbon dioxide and converts it into carbon monoxide and formic acid. This is where the new technology gets even more exciting.
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Carbon monoxide has many uses, the most important of which, in the context of cleaning up the Earth's atmosphere, is the important role it plays in the purification of nickel, a key component in electric vehicle batteries.
Formic acid can be used to dye paper and textiles, treat leather, be a preservative or antibacterial agent in livestock feed, as well as a whole host of other uses.
This technology could be put to use at any number of industrial or chemical facilities that produce carbon pollution, that could turn around and use the byproducts of the carbon-capture process.
"We want to create a better material which can quickly grab carbon dioxide molecules from the air and convert them into chemicals," Yang said. "We just reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air and convert it in the liquid and gas phase so we can directly use those converted chemicals and fields for other applications."
The inspiration for the technology came from the lotus flower, which repels water but at the same time captures carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. The device separates carbon dioxide conversion reactant from the water while not trapping the water itself. The electrode is then used to convert the carbon dioxide that is captured.
There are carbon capture methods being used all around the world, some as simple as planting trees. More complex though are the efforts to capture carbon pollution then convert it into something useful like running shoes, or a salt that can be used to power a fuel cell.
Yang hopes his device can serve as a cheaper and faster alternative to other methods and hopes to develop a bigger prototype to prove this technology can be put to use on a larger scale.
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