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New Solar Cells Can Convert CO2 Into Hydrocarbon Fuel (nextbigfuture.com)
"Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have engineered a potentially game-changing solar cell that cheaply and efficiently converts atmospheric carbon dioxide directly into usable hydrocarbon fuel, using only sunlight for energy," reports Next Big Future. Slashdot reader William Robinson writes:
This artificial leaf delivers syngas, or synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide. Syngas can be burned directly, or converted into diesel or other hydrocarbon fuels. The discovery opens up possibilities of clean reusable energy.
"A solar farm of such 'artificial leaves' could remove significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and produce energy-dense fuel efficiently..." according to the article, which adds that the process could prove useful in the high-carbon atmosphere of Mars. "Unlike conventional solar cells, which convert sunlight into electricity that must be stored in heavy batteries, the new device essentially does the work of plants, converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into fuel, solving two crucial problems at once."
"A solar farm of such 'artificial leaves' could remove significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and produce energy-dense fuel efficiently..." according to the article, which adds that the process could prove useful in the high-carbon atmosphere of Mars. "Unlike conventional solar cells, which convert sunlight into electricity that must be stored in heavy batteries, the new device essentially does the work of plants, converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into fuel, solving two crucial problems at once."
Whether or not this is interesting really depends on the expected power / area and cost (production and operating) of an engineering version. It is better than bio-fuels by those measures?
Because so far most of these carbon removing technologies fall way short of just planting a grove of trees. This seems like one of those problems where maybe nature is handing us a simpler solution. But for the sake of science (and keeping that funding flowing) we go out of our way to make a less efficient, more expensive machine to do the job that a tree will do for free.
It is not better than photovoltaic cells. It is just more compatible with our current energy infrastructure. There are billions of cars out there that run on hydrocarbons. It is way easier to give them a clean source of hydrocarbons than to scrap them and build billions of electric cars.
entropy happens
Syngas can be converted to gasoline or diesel via the Fischer-Tropsch process.
Which also generates a bunch of heat at temperatures moderately above water's boiling point, which must be removed to keep the process in its optimal temperature range. This is suitable for co-generation, producing more electriity than is needed to run the plant. So in addition to clean diesel fuel (or gasoline with a little refining) and a bit of chemical feedstock, you get to feed the grid.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Then in ten years we will wonder what the fuck happened.
The main reason most of these things don't come to market is that inventions are coming so rapidly that something BETTER comes along and obsoletes them before they reach manufacturing and deployment.
Nevertheless, enough make it that things are improving substantially. For instance: Photovoltaic prices recently "crossed-over" grid power costs for much of the temperate-zone sunny sites - even without further government subsidies on manufacture and installation. That's a BIG change from a decade ago.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
You convert CO2 in CO. Then you oxidize it to get CO2 back.
No CO2 sequestration at all!
So, how would this be better than photovoltaic cells?
It's better because every time there's a story on photvoltaic cells, a bunch of self-appointed geniuses yell: "I'm the first person to realize that the sun doesn't shine all day! It won't do any good without energy storage!!1!"
Well, here's a solar technology with built-in energy storage.
you will NEVER be able to walk into a local Home Depot and buy one. Not tomorrow, not 5 years from now.
I hear about solar panels as clear as glass a few years ago, that you could put on all the windows in your house to generate cheap electricity.. Still don't see them on the market, don't expect I ever will.
For whatever reason, maybe its oil company conspiracy, maybe the ideas were fake to begin with, who knows, we see news about all kinds of new technology concepts, that NEVER COME TO FRUITION.