A study has revealed a more efficient method for creating methanol.
For years, chemists have been striving to synthesize valuable materials from waste molecules. Now, an international team of scientists is investigating how electricity can simplify this process.
In their study, recently published in Nature Catalysis, researchers demonstrated that carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, can be converted into a type of liquid fuel called methanol in a highly efficient manner.
This process happened by taking cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) molecules and spreading them evenly on carbon nanotubes. On their surface was an electrolyte solution, which allowed the CoPc molecules to take electrons and use them to turn carbon dioxide into methanol.
Researchers found that the path the reaction takes is decided by the environment where the carbon dioxide molecule reacts. By controlling how the CoPc catalyst was distributed on the carbon nanotube surface, they could make carbon dioxide up to eight times more likely to produce methanol.
The team used advanced spectroscopy techniques and computer modeling to understand the complex process. They found that the molecules were directly interacting with supercharged particles called cations that enhanced the process of methanol formation.
Methanol produced from renewable electricity can be a low-cost fuel for vehicles, heating, and power generation, and can also advance future chemical discoveries.
The study’s findings could have widespread impact on other fields and increase the efficiency of other catalytic processes.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/chemists-use-electricity-to-turn-waste-molecules-into-valuable-liquid-fuel/