All posts tagged: dioxide

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 …

Walmart and H&M are trying to turn carbon dioxide into clothes

Walmart and H&M are trying to turn carbon dioxide into clothes

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. It might not seem like it when you nonchalantly click a Buy Now button while online shopping, but that new t-shirt is part of a complex global web of commerce taking a toll on the environment. Consulting giant McKinsey estimates that the fashion industry alone accounts for as much as 4 percent of total global climate emissions. Those ballooning emissions are driven by increased appetites for ever more new clothes. An industry report from 2021 found that the amount of clothes produced annually more than doubled between 2000 and 2015. This worrying trend has led to a boom in scientists and start-ups trying to engineer their way out of the problem with all manner of less environmentally taxing threads. One of those companies, San Francisco-based Rubi, thinks it can make a dent in the issue by sucking up some of that harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) and using it to create carbon neutral textiles that can then be made into …

Ants capture carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into armour

Ants capture carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into armour

Published by skeptic

Electron microscope image showing an ant with dolomite in its exoskeleton Hongjie Li An ant that can turn carbon dioxide in the air into dolomite stone in its exoskeleton may hold clues to how humans can sequester greenhouse gases to avert climate disaster. Fungus-farming ants forage for vegetation to feed cultivated fungi that are grown inside their colonies. In turn, the fungi serve as the primary food source for the ants. The high density of ants and fungi can result in high concentrations of CO2 inside the nests. In 2020, Cameron Currie at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues found that the ants of the species Acromyrmex echinatior incorporate a carbonate biomineral into their armour. The ants do this through a symbiotic relationship with Pseudonocardia bacteria, which transform CO2 into rock using chemical processes that aren’t yet properly understood. Now the team has discovered that another fungus-farming ant, Sericomyrmex amabilis, which is found in Central and South America, can do the same thing without symbiotic bacteria, becoming the first known animal to have evolved …

New machine captures carbon dioxide from air and converts it into usable gasoline for cars

New machine captures carbon dioxide from air and converts it into usable gasoline for cars

Published by Jenni Sidey

On a rooftop in Manhattan’s Garment District, a blue hexagonal machine hummed quietly while producing something unexpected: gasoline. The device, about the size of a commercial refrigerator, pulls carbon dioxide from the air and converts it into usable fuel. According to New York–based startup Aircela, the result can be poured straight into the tank of a standard car with no engine modifications required. Transportation accounts for about 28 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with most of that tied to gasoline vehicles. Electric cars are often promoted as the solution, yet adoption remains limited. Only about 8 percent of vehicles on U.S. roads are electric today, and roughly 90 percent worldwide still rely on fossil fuels. Aircela’s pitch is simple: instead of replacing the car, replace the fuel. Bottle with gasoline made on-site—produced in real time by the Aircela machine “We didn’t build a prototype. We built a working machine,” co-founder and CEO Eric Dahlgren said in a statement. “We want people to walk away knowing this isn’t too good to be true, it actually …

Chemists convert plastic waste into a powerful new tool to capture carbon dioxide

Chemists convert plastic waste into a powerful new tool to capture carbon dioxide

Published by Jenni Sidey

Carbon dioxide levels keep climbing, even after years of promises to cut emissions. At the same time, plastic waste pours into oceans, rivers, and landfills. These crises often feel separate, yet they share a common thread. Human activity created both, and time is running short to fix them. Now, researchers in Denmark report a discovery that links these problems in an unexpected way. Chemists at the University of Copenhagen have found a method that turns discarded plastic into a powerful material that captures carbon dioxide. In this process, old plastic bottles and worn textiles gain a second life. Instead of polluting soil and seas, they help pull greenhouse gases from the air and factory exhaust. The work suggests waste itself can become part of the climate solution. Plastic made from polyethylene terephthalate, known as PET, plays a central role. PET appears everywhere, from drink bottles to food trays to clothing fibers. Once used, much of it ends up buried or drifting in the ocean. There, it slowly breaks into microplastics that spread through water, air, …

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, …