The reactor converts greenhouse gas emissions into fuel

The electrolytic reactor built at Rice University can recycle CO _{2 to} create pure liquid fuel using electricity.

Research team and assistant Professor Haotian Wang used carbon dioxide as a fuel to produce high purity formic acid (CH ₂ O ₂ ). Formic acid is an energy carrier. Fuel cells from formic acid can generate electricity and emit CO ₂ . This substance can compress hydrogen gas 1,000 times the volume, which is a big challenge for vehicles running on hydrogen fuel.

Professor Wang is studying the process of converting CO ₂ .(Photo: Eurekelert).

Wang said the research is the cornerstone of the chemical engineering industry, fueling other chemicals and storage materials for hydrogen.

Previously formic acid was produced by traditional carbon dioxide equipment, requiring time-consuming, costly and energy-intensive purification steps. The direct production of pure formic acid fuel will promote commercial carbon dioxide conversion technologies.

Wang's team has been pursuing technologies that turn greenhouse gases into environmentally-friendly products for years. Through experiments, the energy conversion efficiency of the group has reached about 42%. That means nearly half of the electricity can be stored in formic acid to make liquid fuels.

Reducing carbon dioxide is important because it is the cause of global warming. Currently the team is still in the process of research to optimize the energy transition.