Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a groundbreaking solar-powered device that pulls carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and turns it into sustainable fuel.
This new technology could help power cars and planes while reducing harmful CO2 emissions.
Unlike most carbon capture methods, which require a lot of energy and involve storing CO2 underground, this device works using only sunlight.
It takes inspiration from photosynthesis—the way plants use sunlight to make food—and creates useful chemicals from the captured CO2.
The device is a solar-powered flow reactor that captures CO2 at night using special filters. These filters soak up CO2 from the air, similar to how a sponge absorbs water.
When the sun rises, sunlight heats the CO2, triggering a chemical reaction that turns it into syngas—a key ingredient used to make fuels and chemicals.
A mirror in the reactor helps concentrate the sunlight, making the process even more efficient.
Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research, explained that traditional carbon capture and storage (CCS) methods are expensive, energy-intensive, and not truly sustainable. “Instead of just burying CO2 underground, we can turn it into something useful,” he said.
The team, including Dr. Sayan Kar, is now working on converting the syngas into liquid fuels that could be used for transportation.
If scaled up, the reactor could help address two major issues at once: removing CO2 from the atmosphere and creating a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels.
One of the most exciting possibilities is its use in remote or off-grid locations, where people could generate their own fuel without relying on fossil fuels. Additionally, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries could use this technology to create essential products without harming the environment.
The researchers are currently building a larger version of the reactor and plan to begin tests in the coming months. If successful, this innovation could play a major role in fighting climate change and moving toward a sustainable, circular economy.
“Instead of digging up and burning fossil fuels, we can get all the CO2 we need directly from the air and reuse it,” said Reisner. “We have the technology to make this happen—it just takes the political will to scale it up.”
Source: University of Cambridge.
