Find a way to turn CO2 into fabric and plastic very quickly

According to ScienceAlert, researchers have developed catalysts that can convert CO2 - the main cause of global warming - into plastics, fabrics, resin resins and other products.

Catalysts are the first materials, in addition to enzymes, to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbon blocks containing one, two, three or four carbon atoms with a efficiency of more than 99%.

Specifically, two of the products - methylglyoxal (C3) and 2,3-furandiol (C4) - can be used as precursors for plastics, adhesives and pharmaceuticals. Hazardous formaldehyde can be replaced with methylglyoxal for safer use.

CO2 can be converted into methanol, ethanol, methane and ethylene with relatively high yields.

"Our breakthrough could lead to the conversion of CO ₂ into valuable products and materials in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries," New Brunswick, professor of chemistry, biology and faculty. Biochemistry and microbiology at Rutgers University said.

Previously, scientists have shown that CO2 can be converted into methanol, ethanol, methane and ethylene with relatively high yields . But Karin Calvinho, a doctoral student in chemistry, thinks that such production is inefficient and too expensive to be commercially viable.

However, by using five catalysts made of nickel and phosphorus, cheap and plentiful, researchers can convert carbon dioxide and water into a range of carbon-based products, she said. .

The choice of catalysts and other conditions determines how many carbon atoms can bind together to create molecules or even create longer polymers. In general, the longer the carbon chain, the more valuable the product is.

The next step is to learn more about basic chemical reactions, so it can be used to produce other valuable products such as diol, which are widely used in the polymer or hydrocarbon industry. used as renewable fuel. Researchers are designing, building and testing electrolytes for commercial use.

Based on their research, researchers have acquired patents for catalysts and established RenewCO₂ start-up company.

Research has been published in Energy & Environmental Science.