Latest news with #SayanKar
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Cambridge scientists turn pollution into fuel in climate breakthrough
Scientists have developed a solar-powered device that can pull pollution from the air and convert it directly into fuel for cars and planes. The new reactor, built by a team from the University of Cambridge, takes its inspiration from photosynthesis, requiring no cables or batteries in order to turn atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into syngas. The researchers say the reactor offers a new solution to the climate crisis, providing an alternative to current Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies. CCS has been touted as a way of slowing down or even reversing the worst effects of climate change, with the UK government recently committing £22 billion to the technology. Current CCS methods have been criticised for being too energy-intensive, and for not recycling the captured CO2. Safety concerns have also been raised about storing pressurised CO2 underground. 'What if instead of pumping the carbon dioxide underground, we made something useful from it? said Dr Sayan Kar from Cambridge's Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. 'CO2 is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it can also be turned into useful chemicals without contributing to global warming... If we made these devices at scale, they could solve two problems at once: removing CO2 from the atmosphere and creating a clean alternative to fossil fuels.' The device works by soaking up CO2 from the air at night through specialised filters, then using sunlight during the day to start a chemical reaction to convert it into syngas, which can serve as an alternative to gasoline. Syngas can also be used to create chemicals and pharmaceutical products, while the ease of use would allow individuals living and working in remote locations to create their own fuel. 'Instead of continuing to dig up and burn fossil fuels to produce the products we have come to rely on, we can get all the CO2 we need directly from the air and reuse it,' said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research. 'We can build a circular, sustainable economy – if we have the political will to do it.' The device was detailed in a study, titled 'Direct air capture of CO2 for solar fuel production in flow', published in the journal Nature Energy. The scientists are now hoping to commercialise the technology through the support of Cambridge Enterprise. Sign in to access your portfolio
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Scientists take inspiration from plants to power cars
Scientists at the University of Cambridge think they've found the key to environmentally-friendly cars and created a device called a flow flow reactor is designed to capture a harmful chemical called carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, then convert it to also solar powered, which means it uses sunlight to clean energy device is inspired by photosynthesis - the process by which plants turn sunlight into food - and it uses no outside power, batteries or cables, other than the Sun. How does it work? The scientists on the project - Erwin Reiser and Sayan Kar - told BBC Newsround the device gets to work at night told us the flow reactor is made up of a material which "acts like a sponge to trap carbon dioxide".Another material in the flow reactor then creates fuel "from the trapped carbon dioxide."The team continued: "Air first passes through the carbon dioxide sponge at night, which traps the carbon dioxide. "During the day, sunlight converts the trapped carbon dioxide into fuel using a catalyst." Why is the invention important? Most cars and aeroplanes use fossil fuels to fossil fuels, when burned, release a harmful chemical called carbon dioxide (CO2) into the the years, a build up of carbon dioxide and other gases has created a layer around the Earth, trapping heat in our phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect, and is one of the biggest contributors to global warming leads to climate change and extreme weather events around the world. But the team of scientists at Cambridge think their new invention could help put an end to all and Sayan explained that "carbon dioxide can also be useful if we convert it into a fuel instead."They say another benefit of the flow reactor is that it captures carbon dioxide in the air to make fuel, making it even more effective to help combat global team are now building a bigger version of the device which they hope to start testing in the spring.
