Fig. 1: Synthesis method for the novel three-component photocatalyst. A carbon nanotube encapsulating iodine molecules is immersed in silver nitrate (

Using Sunlight to Alleviate Global Warming: Breakthrough in Decomposing CO2 With High Efficiency

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2021-06-23 04:30:08

Fig. 1: Synthesis method for the novel three-component photocatalyst. A carbon nanotube encapsulating iodine molecules is immersed in silver nitrate (AgNO3) aqueous solution to produce the composite photocatalyst. Credit: Shinji Kawasaki and Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology

Scientists find a way to efficiently use visible light from the sun to break down CO2, open doors to novel means of alleviating global warming.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activities have risen drastically over the last century and a half and are seen as the primary cause of global warming and abnormal weather patterns. So, there has been considerable research focus, in a number of fields, on lowering our CO2 emissions and its atmospheric levels. One promising strategy is to chemically break down, or ‘reduce,’ CO2 using photocatalysts — compounds that absorb light energy and provide it to reactions, speeding them up. With this strategy, the solar powered reduction of CO2, where no other artificial source of energy is used, becomes possible, opening doors to a sustainable path to a sustainable future.

A team of scientists led by Drs. Shinji Kawasaki and Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, has been at the forefront of efforts to achieve efficient solar-energy-assisted CO2 reduction. Their recent breakthrough is published in Nature’s Scientific Reports.

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