Aussie engineers hope to light up a revolution for construction sustainability after discovering how to turn carbon dioxide into a cleaner and greener form of methane fuel using only sunlight.
Researchers at the UNSW developed the eco-friendly fuel by exposing CO₂ to light and heat to induce a reaction which creates the synthetic gas.
The discovery could help reduce reliance on natural gas, a significant climate change contributor.
However, it could also spell massive change for the construction industry by giving rise to a low-carbon fuel option that will help create a circular fuel economy.
And scientists are already looking at adapting the technology across other industry sectors such as fuel type production, cement manufacturing and biomass gasification.
Tech makes for climate-friendly alternative
UNSW Chemical Research Engineer Dr Emma Lovell told Build-it that the team’s findings tackled environmental concerns and leveraged renewable energy to power the conversion.
“Creating synthetic methane using only the natural resource of the sun is a cleaner and greener alternative for usage in heavy transportation, shipping, and other specific industries where gas usage is essential,” she said.
“…This not only contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions but also adds value to the captured CO₂ by creating a valuable chemical product.”
New fuel source could address high-cost concern
The research, published in energy and environment science journal EES Catalysis, could have significant implications for construction, leading to a greener and more sustainable industry.
One of the greater challenges that has prevented the transition to co2-derived fuels within construction has been the absence of low-cost, low-carbon production.
Meanwhile, transforming waste CO₂ produced by creating other construction materials into synthetic fuel will facilitate a circular economy, mitigating the environmental impact through reused carbon emissions.
The research could have further applications in producing other chemicals used within the construction industry, opening the door for broader innovations and investment into solutions stemming from sustainable energy research.
I would say it represents a more sustainable fuel alternative by closing the carbon loop,” UNSW Associate Professor Jason Scott said.
“In terms of converting the CO₂ into value-added products, this represents a much cleaner alternative than products which currently rely on fossil-fuel derived precursors for their manufacture.
“Looking ahead, we are already envisioning a new future direction.”
Large-scale production the biggest challenge ahead
However, Professor Scott admits the biggest task is still to come, with researchers now looking into how the conversion method can be designed and constructed into larger-scale prototype systems.
“The biggest challenge lies in being able to effectively introduce the light into a larger-scale system to illuminate the particles completely. We are exploring methods such as harnessing sunlight to drive multiple phenomena simultaneously, like solar-thermal alongside light assistance,” he said.
“Currently, we are conducting experiments at the lab scale, aiming to advance to demonstration/ prototype scale within approximately a year. Following that milestone, our goal is to transition to pilot scale and ultimately to commercial/ industrial scale.”
