There’s a new way to convert carbon dioxide into green fuel

Carbon dioxide is the primary planet-warming gas produced by human activity, accounting for more than 75% of all greenhouse gas emissions. But what if CO2 could also be a part of the climate solution?

An international team of scientists have developed a new method to drastically lower emissions from fossil fuels by turning CO2 into methanol, a sustainable source of fuel, per a new peer-reviewed study.

• Previously, scientists had figured out how to recycle the CO2 created by fossil fuels and use it for other products – but their method required significant amounts of hydrogen gas, which ended up increasing the overall emissions from the process.

But this new approach is far more environmentally friendly. In their recent study, the researchers used a light-based technique called photocatalysis to transform CO2 into methanol, a sustainable fuel that produces 80%-95% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline or diesel.

👀 Looking ahead… The scientists say their next objective is to improve the efficiency of their new CO2 recycling process, with an overall goal of using their method to help countries achieve net-zero emissions targets in the coming years and decades.