【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Scientists are researching the use of microwave heating technology to turn carbon dioxide into a valuable resource”

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According to a report on October 17, a joint research effort by the University of Tokyo and the University of Nagoya in Japan has shown that by using microwave heating technology to focus energy on individual atoms, it is possible to convert carbon dioxide into useful compounds with high energy conversion efficiency. This achievement helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 　　The study was recently published in the American journal Science Advances. The researchers jointly issued a press release stating that the commonly used chemical reaction heating method involves using fire or hot water to heat the entire container from the outside. But in reality, in most cases the area where a chemical reaction takes place is very small, usually confined to just a few atoms or molecules. Common heating methods disperse thermal energy throughout the entire chemical reaction vessel, resulting in low efficiency in energy utilization. 　　Starting from the principle of using microwaves to heat food, the research team sought ways to deliver energy precisely to the area where chemical reactions occur by improving and designing new catalysts. By varying the types of metal ions in the catalyst, researchers found that rhombic zeolite with a monovalent indium ion at its center had the highest heating efficiency, making it promising for use as a zeolite catalyst. 　　Using the newly designed catalyst, the research team successfully concentrated microwave energy on a single atom, thereby producing carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide and hydrogen with high energy conversion efficiency. In the laboratory, the energy conversion efficiency of this precise microwave heating is more than 4 times that of conventional overall heating methods. Carbon monoxide is often used in the chemical and metallurgical industries, as well as in food preservation and other fields. 　　The communique states that the new findings hold promise for locally reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The research team plans to continue developing other catalyst materials in order to further improve energy conversion efficiency and apply them to various catalytic reactions.