Cambridge scientists turn pollution into fuel in climate breakthrough

Scientists have developed a solar-powered device that can pull pollution from the air and convert it directly into fuel for cars and planes.

The new reactor, built by a team from the University of Cambridge, takes its inspiration from photosynthesis, requiring no cables or batteries in order to turn atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into syngas.

The researchers say the reactor offers a new solution to the climate crisis, providing an alternative to current Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies.

CCS has been touted as a way of slowing down or even reversing the worst effects of climate change, with the UK government recently committing £22 billion to the technology.

Current CCS methods have been criticised for being too energy-intensive, and for not recycling the captured CO2. Safety concerns have also been raised about storing pressurised CO2 underground.

“What if instead of pumping the carbon dioxide underground, we made something useful from it? said Dr Sayan Kar from Cambridge’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry.

“CO2 is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it can also be turned into useful chemicals without contributing to global warming… If we made these devices at scale, they could solve two problems at once: removing CO2 from the atmosphere and creating a clean alternative to fossil fuels.”

The device works by soaking up CO2 from the air at night through specialised filters, then using sunlight during the day to start a chemical reaction to convert it into syngas, which can serve as an alternative to gasoline.

Syngas can also be used to create chemicals and pharmaceutical products, while the ease of use would allow individuals living and working in remote locations to create their own fuel.

“Instead of continuing to dig up and burn fossil fuels to produce the products we have come to rely on, we can get all the CO2 we need directly from the air and reuse it,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research.

“We can build a circular, sustainable economy – if we have the political will to do it.”

The device was detailed in a study, titled ‘Direct air capture of CO2 for solar fuel production in flow’, published in the journal Nature Energy.

The scientists are now hoping to commercialise the technology through the support of Cambridge Enterprise.