All posts tagged: CO2 emissions

Scientists turn carbon dioxide into renewable methane using microbes

Scientists turn carbon dioxide into renewable methane using microbes

Published by Jenni Sidey

As wind turbines spin and solar panels soak up sunlight, one major problem continues to shadow the clean energy transition: storing energy for long periods of time. Batteries can help for hours or even days, but seasonal storage remains far more difficult. Researchers at Penn State now believe tiny microbes could help solve part of that challenge. An international team led by Bruce Logan, director of Penn State’s Institute of Energy and the Environment, has developed a larger and more efficient reactor that converts carbon dioxide and renewable electricity into methane, the main component of natural gas. Their findings show that microbial electrosynthesis systems can scale up dramatically without losing performance. The work offers a possible pathway for storing renewable energy in chemical form while reusing carbon dioxide that would otherwise enter the atmosphere. A graphical abstract of the study. (CREDIT: Water Research) “Traditionally, large-scale, long-term storage means pumping water uphill and letting it flow back down through turbines,” Logan said. “If you’re talking seasonal storage, you really need to put that energy into a …

Smarter farming could pull billions of tons of carbon from the air

Smarter farming could pull billions of tons of carbon from the air

Published by Jenni Sidey

Fields of wheat, rice and corn might feel far from climate negotiations, yet they hold surprising power over the planet’s future. A new international study led by researchers at Queensland University of Technology argues that the world’s farms could become one of the biggest tools in the fight against global warming if you change how they work. Lead author Professor Claudia Vickers said the basic starting point is simple but huge. “Global croplands are estimated to capture more than 115 gigatons of carbon dioxide annually through photosynthesis,” she said. That number is staggering. It means your food system already pulls massive amounts of carbon out of the air every year. Her team’s message is hopeful and blunt at the same time. “Even modest improvements in how crops capture, use, and store that carbon, if applied across existing farmland, could deliver huge climate benefits.” Cartoon representation of the Earth–Space battery concept (Schramski et al. 2015). Energy from sunlight is captured by photosynthesis over millennia. (CREDIT: PLANT PHYSIOLOGY) Farms as a Hidden Climate Engine Modern agriculture gives …

Scientists use semiconductors and sunlight to convert waste carbon dioxide into fuel

Scientists use semiconductors and sunlight to convert waste carbon dioxide into fuel

Published by Jenni Sidey

In labs focused on clean energy, a quiet shift is underway. Instead of treating carbon dioxide as a dead-end waste gas, researchers want to turn it into a useful starting point. A new study from Vrije Universiteit Brussel describes progress toward solar fuel systems that can convert sunlight into chemical energy more efficiently, while lasting longer under real operating conditions. The work centers on semiconductors, materials that can absorb light and help drive chemical reactions. In solar fuel devices, these materials sit at the heart of the system. They catch sunlight, create electrical charges, and push those charges toward electrodes where chemistry happens. If any step falters, the whole promise of solar fuels fades. The researchers report they learned how to make these semiconductor-based systems both sturdier and stronger. They tracked how energy inside the material connects with electrodes, how charges cross key boundaries, and which factors most affect long-term stability. They also found that adding special catalysts can raise performance and extend system lifetime. Top row: surface scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of CBS, …