The scientists from the University of Toronto have used a version of silicon that is easily available
Climate change is problem and with humans advancing it, along with global warming by injecting about 30 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, things just look murky. Given that the ideal amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 0.03 per cent, we need alternatives and fast.
Fortunately, there have been groups across the world battling this problem, with the most recent paper published by a group of scientists from the University of Toronto in Canada. They have found a way that they believe will turn the gas into an energy-rich fuel using silicon. Silicon, readily available in sand, is the seventh most-abundant element in the universe and the second most-abundant element in the earth's crust.
Not a new idea
The idea of converting carbon dioxide emissions to energy isn't new: there's been a global race to discover a material that can efficiently convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water or hydrogen to fuel for decades. However, the chemical stability of carbon dioxide has made it difficult to find a practical solution.
The paper published by Geoffery Ozin and his colleagues in the August edition of Nature Communication reports that silicon nano-crystals were chosen because of its low cost, the fact that it is non-toxic and the fact that it is readily available.
The silicon nano-crystals have an average diameter of 3.5 nanometres. They feature a surface area and optical absorption strength sufficient to efficiently harvest the near-infrared, visible and ultraviolet light from the sun together with a powerful chemical-reducing agent on the surface that efficiently and selectively converts carbon dioxide to gaseous carbon monoxide.
The potential result: energy without harmful emissions.
The team of scientists are now working to find ways and means to increase the activity, enhance the scale, and boost the rate of production. Their goal is a laboratory demonstration unit and, if successful, a pilot solar refinery.
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