r/science • u/Wagamaga • Aug 06 '20

Chemistry Turning carbon dioxide into liquid fuel. Scientists have discovered a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product and low cost.

https://www.anl.gov/article/turning-carbon-dioxide-into-liquid-fuel
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u/[deleted] Aug 06 '20

Because they didn't say it was for the economy. They literally want to build lots of new carbon neutral energy sources (a very expensive thing) to create carbon neutral fuels (a huge move away from the big oil companies).

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u/NotAPropagandaRobot Aug 06 '20

They implied it when talking about how expensive it is to scale up.

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u/[deleted] Aug 06 '20

Hydrogen, yes. Then they suggested an alternative which has the benefit of already having the needed infrastructure in place.