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/awitcheskid Aug 06 '20

So does this mean that we could potentially capture CO2 from the atmosphere and slow down climate change?

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u/RainbowDarter Aug 06 '20

Even if this would work with atmospheric concentrations of CO2, this wouldn't help reduce atmospheric CO2.

Ethanol would just be burned or metabolized, which releases CO2.

The only thing that would actually reduce atmospheric CO2 is some form of carbon capture and long term storage

So if we made coal or crude oil and put it back in the ground, that would reduce atmospheric CO2 in the long run.

This process would be most useful at creating a liquid fuel or chemical feedstock that could replace fossil carbon sources like coal and crude oil.

If it's efficient enough, it could also serve as a method to store excess energy produced by variable sources like wind and solar. I don't know if this is more or less efficient and costly than other storage methods.