Solar-Powered Reactor Gobbles Up Carbon Dioxide And Spits Out Sustainable Fuel

A groundbreaking new device has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge that can capture carbon dioxide directly from the air and convert it into fuel using only solar power.

While the concept of direct air carbon capture is not new, it has faced challenges in terms of cost and energy consumption, especially when relying on fossil fuels. Professor Erwin Reisner, leading the Cambridge lab working on sustainable energy technology, pointed out that relying on Carbon Capture and Storage as a solution could perpetuate the use of fossil fuels, which contributed to the climate crisis in the first place.

Inspired by the process of photosynthesis in plants, the team designed a reactor that operates solely on solar power. The device captures carbon dioxide at night using specialized filters and then uses concentrated sunlight during the day to convert the captured carbon dioxide into syngas, a precursor to liquid fuel.

The researchers aim to scale up their design to not only remove CO2 from the atmosphere but also create a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Dr. Sayan Kar, the study’s first author, believes that turning CO2 from a harmful waste product into a valuable resource presents a significant opportunity for sustainable fuel production.

If successful, this technology could help transition away from fossil fuels towards a circular and sustainable economy. The study detailing the reactor’s design and capabilities has been published in Nature Energy.