Global warming has, of course, been a scary issue over the last few decades, hence why it’s a relief to hear that a team of scientists have just got a stop closer to avoiding CO2 pollution by developing a technique in which the green house gas can be turned back into coal.
Specifically, the research team led by RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, developed a new technique that can efficiently turn CO2 from a gas into solid particles of carbon. In fact, the finding which was published in the journal Nature Communications saw the researchers offer an alternative way to safely and permanently remove the harmful gas from our atmosphere.
This is especially good news as current technologies for carbon capture and storage relies on turning the gas into a liquid which can then be injected back under the surface of the Earth. As this isn’t very economically viable, many were glad to hear that a more sustainable approach had been created.
In fact, the importance of this can’t be overstated, Daeneke, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, had this to say:
“While we can’t literally turn back time, turning carbon dioxide back into coal and burying it back in the ground is a bit like rewinding the emissions clock,”
“To date, CO2 has only been converted into a solid at extremely high temperatures, making it industrially unviable.
“By using liquid metals as a catalyst, we’ve shown it’s possible to turn the gas back into carbon at room temperature, in a process that’s efficient and scalable.
“While more research needs to be done, it’s a crucial first step to delivering solid storage of carbon.”
