https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170918151710.htm
A group of scientists led by Professor Peidong Yang at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a new electrocatalyst made up of copper spheres that are 7 nanometers in diameter and then covered in carbon paper to create catalyst cubes that can directly convert carbon dioxide into multicarbon fuels and alcohols such as Ethylene, Ethanol, and Propanol. While Yang mentions that they do not fully understand how this conversion is happening, it is using record-low inputs of energy starting at about 300 millivolts lower than the common electrocatalysts. The work is the latest in a round of studies coming out of Berkeley Lab tackling the challenge of creating a clean chemical manufacturing system that can put carbon dioxide to good use. This relates to our class in a variety of issues such as climate change, Greenhouse Gas, the melting of the arctic ice cap, overabundance of CO2 in ocean water,etc. All of which directly and indirectly affect the massive amounts of ecosystems in our biosphere.
I’m a little leery that this will be enough of an energy reduction to make a difference in our carbon footprint but it seems like they are heading in the right direction. I was glad that “Yang mentions they do not fully understand how this is happening,” since I truly don’t either. And it makes me wonder if, by using this method, other “sounds” or vibrations are produced that we are not able to quantify and if that process itself will affect the environment.