Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have discovered a process by which concentrated light, heat, and high pressures convert carbon dioxide and water into liquid hydrocarbon fuels. “We are the first to use both light and heat to synthesize liquid hydrocarbons in a single stage reactor from carbon dioxide and water,” said Brian Dennis, UTA professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and co-principal investigator of the project, in a UTA release. “Concentrated light drives the photochemical reaction, which generates high-energy intermediates and heat to drive thermochemical carbon-chain-forming reactions, thus producing hydrocarbons in a single-step process.”
Moving forward, the researchers hope to use parabolic mirrors to concentrate sunlight on the catalyst bed, “providing both heat and photo-excitation for the reaction,” according to the release. “Our process also has an important advantage over battery or gaseous-hydrogen powered vehicle technologies as many of the hydrocarbon products from our reaction are exactly what we use in cars, trucks and planes, so there would be no need to change the current fuel distribution system,“ said Frederick MacDonnell, UTA interim chair of chemistry and biochemistry and co-principal investigator of the project.
