Carbon dioxide (CO2), a large byproduct of many anthropogenic activities, particularly industrial manufacturing, contributes significantly to climate change. The chemical conversion of released CO2 into useful chemicals or fuels has been a principal objective in the energy area. Although CO2 is abundant, it has yet to be widely utilized to produce value-added products. why not
Because CO2 molecules are so extremely stable, they are less likely to undergo chemical transformation into other forms. Researchers have looked for materials and device designs that could accelerate that conversion. Still, they have yet to be effective enough to produce a system that is both economical and effective.
Cheap metal-free catalysis that can transform carbon dioxide to methane by only collecting visible light has been created by Indian scientists.
The ongoing study will enable the conversion of CO2 into products with additional value, such as methane, which has applications as a source of hydrogen in fuel cells and as a clean fuel.
Many strategies exist to reduce CO2, including photochemistry, electrochemical, superoxide radicals, photothermal, etc. Solar energy is used in the photochemical process as a natural source.
CO2 into methane
Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology’s independent Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Accelerated Scientific Research have developed a metal-free porous coordination polymer that absorbs light waves to catalyze the CO2 reduction reaction, converting it into methane.
They created a stable connected microporous organic polymer utilizing a donor-acceptor structure and C-C coupling, then used as a catalyst support. Unlike other traditional metal-based catalysts where the metal partner performs the CO2 reduction reaction, the keto group in the phenanthraquinone moiety functioned as a catalytic site.
Due to its high CO2 intake capacity at room temp and its capacity to transform it into methane, the first molecule, known as conjugated microporous polymer, could update co2 from the atmosphere on its surface even during the catalytic process.
The push-pull interaction between the electron-rich donor and the electron-deficient acceptor effectively separated the electrons from their holes, improving the kinetics of electron transfer and supporting effective catalysis.
This could soon present a novel method for assembling porous heterogeneous catalyst-based carbon capture and reduction systems. Extracted gas can also replace coal in the production of energy and provide a steady supply to support intermittent renewable producers.
In order to reach net-zero targets, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) demanded in its most recent report that greenhouse gas emissions be drastically reduced by 2030. In an effort to increase India’s prospects, a group of scientists from Hyderabad’s Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) have developed a substance that can absorb the greenhouse gases methane and transform it into pure Hydrogen.
So far, the group has successfully created a hybrid material that can imitate the process of trapping carbon dioxide in situ and turning it into high-purity hydrogen using non-fuel-grade bioethanol. The team has created a facility to test this substance and promote cutting-edge carbon capture technologies.
