Scientists at the University of Queensland’s School of Chemical Engineering, along with colleagues from universities around the world, have found a way to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and solid carbon.
The new solution could, for example, turn cars with internal combustion engines into eco-friendly vehicles that emit pure oxygen instead of carbon dioxide.
The authors used a pilot plant with a volume of two liters – it is based on the physicochemical processes associated with the transmission of carbon dioxide through gallium – a light metal that melts at a temperature of about 30 ° C. This metal is added to the mixture in liquid form, as well as its nanoparticles. In addition, the composition contains nanometer-sized silver rods.
Further, according to the authors, the mixture is actively mixed, as a result, triboelectrochemical reactions are formed – this is when substances in a liquid state, due to the friction force, begin to interact more actively with the surfaces of solid fillers.
The researchers state that their plant consistently produced 100 ml of CO2 every minute for a month. It took only 230 kWh of electricity to convert a ton of CO2 into pure oxygen and solid carbon, which is about $ 100.
The developers note that their installation works with 92% efficiency. As a result of its work, carbon is formed in the mixture in the form of flakes and floats to the surface, from where it is easy to remove.
