The path of CO 2 and CH 4 conversion to environmentally friendly materials
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Energy Sector Analysis
For chemical processes that focus on turning CO2 into solids, polymers, or fuels with a high efficiency, one of the challenges is to minimize the energy inputs required, while maximizing selectivity, yield, and throughput.
The path of CO2 and CH4 conversion to environmentally friendly materials By Eva Karatairi Feature Editors: Ellen D. Williams and Kristen Brown
C
arbon and carbon-based materials, from charcoal and diamonds, to graphene, carbon fibers, and nanotubes are fundamental to society for their ubiquity, versatility, and functionality and have sparked scientific innovations and an industrial revolution. Today, in its gaseous CO2 form (carbon dioxide), carbon is inextricably linked to one of the biggest environmental issues of all times—the rise of global temperature. Conversion of CO2 to high-value carbonaceous products is a story about new emerging technologies and huge scientific challenges. If addressed successfully, CO2 conversion will help mitigate climate change while at the same time stimulating economic growth and transforming the structural materials market. CO2 conversion can create a USD$1 trillion market opportunity by 2030, consuming ~10% of CO2 emissions, according to estimations of the Global CO2 Initiative (GCI), an organization created with the goal to lead the development and commercialization of products based on recycled CO2. Producing materials with a moderate to high market value from an abundant source, while reducing CO2 emissions, can be achieved, but at a financial and environmental cost. Moreover, thermodynamics does not favor CO2 conversion, which requires driving a reaction up a steep energy hill. Daniel Matuszak, who manages the carbon utilization program at the Office of Fossil Energy in the US Department of Energy, explained how converting CO2 gas to a solid carbon material is an energy-intensive process. Yet, Matuszak said that, “Since trees have found a way to convert carbonaceous gas to organized solids at a very low efficiency, I see no reason why science cannot find another solution. It remains to prove how.” Trees use solar energy to drive conversion of CO2 to lignin and cellulose at rather modest efficiency. For chemical processes that focus on turning CO2 into solids, polymers, or fuels with a high efficiency, one of the challenges is to minimize the energy inputs required, while maximizing selectivity, yield, and throughput in thermochemical and electrochemical reactions that have been the subject of decades of research. In contrast, the quest to transform CO2 into useful solid materials such as carbon fiber or carbon black is an uncharted area. Being one of the few groups to address the challenge of CO2 conversion into a useful material has its advantages. “At the moment, some target materials are rather expensive. In addition to a very good payout for creating a lower-cost process, the impact of a breakthrough can be really big,” said Issam Dairanieh, CEO of
CO2 Sciences, a company at the frontiers of CO2 conversion that has emerged
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