Conversion of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbon fuel in a selective process

Researchers have succeeded in developing a highly efficient photocatalyst capable of converting carbon dioxide into methane or ethane using graphene-coated titanium oxide. The findings are expected to be used in the industries of carbon dioxide reduction and recycling

A research team from the Department of Energy Sciences and Engineering at the Quranic University DGIST succeeded in developing a highly efficient photocatalyst capable of converting carbon dioxide into usable fuels such as methane or ethane.

As the emissions of carbon dioxide increase, the temperature of the earth rises and as a result, the great interest in reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of global warming, increases. In addition, the transition to renewable fuel from existing sources, following the depletion of energy sources, also generates a lot of attention. With the aim of solving environmental problems that cross countries, research in the field of photocatalysts, which are essential in converting carbon dioxide and water into hydrocarbon fuel, is also generating a lot of attention.

Although many band-gap semiconductor materials are commonly used in photocatalyst research, they are limited in their ability to absorb solar energy in different regions. Therefore, photocatalyst research that focuses on improving the structure and surface of the catalysts in order to increase the solar energy absorption area, or the use of two-dimensional materials with excellent electron transfer capability, is being carried out all over the world. A research team has succeeded in developing a highly efficient photocatalyst capable of converting carbon dioxide into methane (CH4) or ethane (C2H6) by fixing graphene on recycled titanium oxide, in a stable and efficient manner. The photocatalyst developed by the research team is capable of selectively converting carbon dioxide from a gas into methane or ethane.

The results show that the production volume is 259 micromol per gram and 77 micromol per gram of methane and ethane, respectively; And that the conversion rate is 5.2% and 2.7% higher than conventional photocatalysts based on refined titanium dioxide. In terms of ethane production volume, this result shows the highest level of efficiency under identical experimental conditions. The research team revealed a mechanism for the production of methane following a reaction between a methane radical with hydrogen ions, and ethane following a reaction between two methane radicals. The catalyst developed by the research team is expected to be applied in the future in a variety of fields, for example in the production of products with added value, and to be used in solving problems of global warming and depletion of energy sources, with the help of selective production of larger amounts of hydrocarbon materials using sunlight.
Article Summary

Enhancing the selectivity of the graphene-coated platinum-based catalyst with blue titania [Courtesy DGIST]