Government scientists find way to cheaply turn CO_2 back into ethanol

摘要

Researchers have discovered a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO_2) and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product and low cost. Led by the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Chicago, the research team's process electrochemically converts CO_2 emitted from industrial processes, such as fossil fuel power plants, into valuable commodities at reasonable cost. Ethanol is a particularly desirable commodity as it is an ingredient in US gasoline.