Surrey team's tech could repurpose captured CO2

According to the team, the technology could allow scientists to capture CO2 and transform it into useful chemicals such as carbon monoxide and synthetic natural gas in one circular process.

Dr Melis Duyar, senior lecturer of chemical engineering at Surrey University said that the process could be ‘exactly what we need to approach carbon neutrality in the chemicals sector’.

“This could very well be a milestone in the steps needed for the UK to reach its 2050 net zero goals,” Duyar commented.

“We need to get away from our current thinking on how we produce chemicals, as current practices rely on fossil fuels which are not sustainable. With this technology we can supply chemicals with a much lower carbon footprint and look at replacing fossil fuels with carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen as the building blocks of other important chemicals.”

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The technology uses patent-pending switchable Dual Function Materials (DFMs) that capture carbon dioxide on their surface and catalyse the conversion of captured CO2 directly into chemicals.

The ‘switchable’ nature of the DFMs comes from their ability to produce multiple chemicals depending on the operating conditions or the composition of the added reactant. This makes the technology responsive to variations in demand for chemicals as well as availability of renewable hydrogen as a reactant, researchers said.

Loukia-Pantzechroula Merkouri, a postgraduate student leading the research at Surrey University, said: “Not only does this research demonstrate a viable solution to the production of carbon neutral fuels and chemicals, but it also offers an innovative approach to combat the ever-increasing CO2 emissions contributing to global warming.”

The study published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Nanoscale was made possible through the Surrey Doctoral College Studentship Award.