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Novel Photocatalyst Can Perform Solar-Driven Conversion of CO2 into Fuel
- PaulHoule 6y agoSo far as synthetic chemistry goes, methane is different from all the other hydrocarbons. The Fischer-Tropsch process can build up hydrocarbon chains from H and CO -- if you keep the temperature below 300C. Otherwise you break the molecules down to methane. That is what they do in a factory in ND that turns deadly poisonous syngas into methane, but the demand for motor fuels is insatiable in a way that the demand for methane isn't. FT is one of those epic failed technologies up there with SST and LMFBR and magic leap. The reaction is exothermic so you have to work hard to get the heat out so it doesn't methanize. Since you can't get it that hot the reaction is slow; its the one chemical reaction where people complain it uses an iron catalyst. Yet that is something people want -- they don't want methane because the ancient earth was hot and already mechanized most of its hydrocarbons.
- blacksqr 6y agoTitle of paper: "Sustained, photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CH4 in a continuous flow reactor by earth-abundant materials: Reduced titania-Cu2O Z-scheme heterostructures" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0926337320307591?via%3Dihub https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09263...