The Nobel Prize-winning team converts carbon dioxide in the air into methanol fuel

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George Olah, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Southern California, led a team that for the first time used a catalyst based on the metal ruthenium to convert carbon dioxide captured from the air directly into methanol fuel, achieving a conversion rate of up to 79%. This research takes an important step toward the future “methanol economy”. The relevant research findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Sulia Prakash, a chemistry professor at the University of Southern California, said, “We were the first to convert carbon dioxide into methanol using hydrogen molecules right inside the tanks used for capturing carbon dioxide!” ”This research can not only remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but the methanol produced can also be used as a substitute fuel for gasoline. Over the past few years, chemists have been researching various methods for converting carbon dioxide into useful products, such as producing methanol, methane, or formic acid by treating carbon dioxide with hydrogen. Research on converting carbon dioxide into methanol is the most favored, as it can be used as a substitute fuel in fuel cells as well as for hydrogen storage. A key factor in the conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol is finding a suitable homogeneous catalyst, which is essential for accelerating the chemical reaction to produce methanol. The problem is that the high temperature (around 150°C) required for the conversion reaction often leads to the decomposition of the catalyst. According to the Physics Scientists Organization Network, researchers have developed a metal ruthenium catalyst that does not decompose at high temperatures; it boasts good stability, can be reused, and enables continuous methanol production. Research shows that by using new catalysts and some additional compounds, the efficiency of converting carbon dioxide captured from the air into methanol can be increased to 79%. In the initial process, methanol mixes with water, but water can be easily separated by distillation. The researchers hope that this work will contribute to the \"methanol economy\" in the future, and they plan to develop an \"artificial carbon cycle\" in which carbon is recycled to supplement the natural carbon cycle.