Korean scientists turn Co₂ into “liquid gold”

A new coa conversion technology achieves record efficiency in the production of high -value chemical fuels such as allico alcohol – an authentic “liquid gold”.

With climate change continuing to get worse and carbon emissions to reach historical maximums, the urgency of finding effective ways of recycling carbon dioxide (CO₂) has never been so large.

As the global movement towards carbonic neutrality begins to gain impulse, innovative methods to turn CO₂ into fuels and products useful chemicals They are quickly aroused interest.

Among these methods, the conversion of CO₂ to alcohol -based products It is especially promising due to the high energy content and economic value of these compounds.

Despite this potential, it notes, the process has been very difficult for the low efficiency and challenges of scale for industrial levels.

Recently, a team of scientists from the Gwangju Science and Technology Institute (GIST) in South Korea, led by Jaeyoung Lee, Minjun Choi e Sooan Baeintroduced a significant advance in this area.

Its new approach to the conversion of CO₂ into alcohol establishes a worldwide performance record by combining exceptional efficiency with capacity to large -scale production.

In published in Nature Catalysisthe researchers reveal the electrochemical technique they used to Transform CO₂ into ‘alcohol alílico’ – A high value compound with various industrial applications.

Challenges in reducing CO₂ for high value compounds

CO₂ Electrochemical Reduction Technology is a key technology in the age of carbonic neutrality, which can convert main guilty global warming in useful substances.

However, selectively produce high value compounds added with three or more carbon atoms, such as allico alcohol, presents several challenges.

First, current methods allow a Faraday efficiency Very low – Less than 15% of the electricity used is really for the production of the desired compound, while the rest is wasted.

Secondly, the reaction route is complex And the intermediaries have low stability, adding to the inefficiency of the process.

“Allico alcohol (c₃h₆o) is a very useful substancewhich can be used in various chemical reactions, ”explains Jaeyoung Lee.“ But producing these liquid added high value compounds is difficult due to the complex formation of carbon-carbon connections (C-C) and the low stability of the reaction intermediate. ”

The technology developed by the researchers was remarkable. The team created a Phosphorus -rich copper catalyst Integrating copper phosphet (CUP₂) in an electrode-membran assembly along with a nickel-ferro oxidation catalyst (the level).

Using this catalyst in the electrochemical configuration, they reached a 66.9%Faraday efficiency, which is about 4 times higher than the best technology existing (<15%). This high efficiency proves the excellent selectivity of the catalyst that minimizes the production of unnecessary by -products and selectively produces only the desired substance.

In addition, the technology also recorded a Partial current density 735.4 mA cm⁻² and a production rate of 1643 μmol cm⁻² H⁻¹ in a process that can apply 1100 mA cm⁻² per unit of the electrode area.

These metrics represent the highest performance reported to date and also underline their potential for large -scale applications.

Industrial relevance and broader impact

How is the allico alcohol used as Essential Raw Material In various industries such as plastics, adhesives, sterilizers and fragrances, this technology can be revolutionary for its mass production.

Furthermore, The method is also unique in its mechanism. Where conventional methods operate through the carbon monoxide path, this method revealed a new reaction path in which carbon-carbon connection (C-C) was formed during the conversion of an intermediate formaldehyde formal group.

This mechanism the commercial value greatly increases of the product because it directly produces liquids that are easier to store and transport.

Technology marks one advance in the age of carbonic neutralityand it is expected to open new roads for economic carbon capture and electrochemical use technology by selectively converting CO₂ with only one carbon atom to allico alcohol, one High value added multi-carbon added value (c₃+) with three or more carbon atoms.

“This co₂ conversion technology can open new opportunities For the coal, petrochemical and steel industries that face increasing pressures of emissions, ”says Lee.“ We see this as a fundamental step towards a neutral carbon era through scalable science and technology ”.