The National Digest

Rice Scientists Develop Clean Tech to Transform Carbon Dioxide Into Fuels

New technology developed at Rice University could solve part of the puzzle in transitioning the world to a carbon-neutral future.

Chemical and biomolecular engineer Haotian Wang and his team of researchers at Rice University developed a cleaner and more efficient process to turn carbon dioxide into a feedstock for chemicals and fuel for electricity generation without using oil, natural gas or coal.

Researchers developed an electrolyzer that uses carbon dioxide and electricity from renewable sources to produce purified, high concentrations of formic acid, a feedstock in the petrochemical industry for various products such as plastics.

The science has the potential to be part of the cycle of reusing carbon, instead of allowing it escape into the atmosphere, Wang said.

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