New Catalyst Converts Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide to Methanol

A study led by G. K. Surya Prakash, a chemistry professor at the University of Southern California, along with the Nobel laureate George A. Olah, a distinguished professor at the University of Southern California has demonstrated the conversion of atmospheric  carbon dioxide to methanol in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The benefits are two-fold: The process removes harmful CO₂ from the atmosphere, and the methanol can be used as an alternative fuel to gasoline. More information can be found in, “Anthropogenic Chemical Carbon Cycle for a Sustainable Future“.

G. K Surya Prakash – Professor and George A. and Judith A. Olah Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry Organic and Polymer Chemistry

Nobel laureate George A. Olah

The study is based on a  catalyst developed by the researchers. The catalyst’s good stability allows it to be reused over and over again for the continuous production of methanol. The conversion looks to be plausably effective as the new catalyst, along with a few additional compounds  has been demonstrated to convert up to 79% of the CO₂ captured from the air into methanol.

Image courtesy http://pubs.acs.org/