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UCLA team proposes non-photosynthetic biological conversion of CO2

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Most of us naturally associate biological CO 2 conversion with photosynthesis in plants and algae. Furthermore, the maximum efficiency of solar energy conversion by photosynthesis is 5%, while typical solar panel efficiency reaches 20%. If these are achieved, carbon yield and productivity can be greatly accelerated (e.g.,

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Three-part catalyst study advances conversion of CO2 to ethanol

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An international collaboration of scientists has taken a significant step toward the realization of a nearly “green” zero-net-carbon technology that can efficiently convert CO 2 and hydrogen into ethanol. None of the three components examined in the study is able to individually catalyze the CO 2 -to-ethanol conversion, nor can they in pairs.

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New process uses localized surface plasmons for room-temperature conversion of CO2 to CO

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Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have demonstrated a room-temperature method that could significantly reduce carbon dioxide levels in fossil-fuel power plant exhaust, one of the main sources of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

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Researchers develop earth-abundant photocatalyst for conversion of ammonia into hydrogen

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When illuminated with light-emitting diodes rather than lasers, the photocatalytic efficiencies remain comparable, even when the scale of reaction increases by nearly three orders of magnitude. Unlike traditional catalysts, it doesn’t require heat; it harvests energy from light. —Yuan et al. —Peter Nordlander, co-author.

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WUSTL researchers demonstrate solar-panel-powered microbial electrosynthesis to produce n-butanol from light, CO2 and power

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A team of biologists and engineers modified Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 (TIE-1) so that it can produce a biofuel using only three renewable and naturally abundant source ingredients: carbon dioxide, solar panel-generated electricity and light. The results are reported in an open-access paper in the journal Communications Biology.

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Light over heat: UV-driven rhodium nanoparticles catalyze conversion of CO2 to methane

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Duke University researchers have engineered rhodium nanoparticles that can harness the energy in ultraviolet light and use it to catalyze the conversion of carbon dioxide to methane, a key building block for many types of fuels. The black, red, and blue spheres are carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms, respectively.

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Oxford team directly converts CO2 to jet fuel using iron-based catalysts

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The catalyst shows a carbon dioxide conversion through hydrogenation to hydrocarbons in the aviation jet fuel range of 38.2%, with a yield of 17.2%, and a selectivity of 47.8%, and with an attendant low carbon monoxide (5.6%) and methane selectivity (10.4%). In brief, the Fe–Mn–K catalyst shows a CO 2 conversion of 38.2%

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