Repurposing Carbon Dioxide May Be Key to Net-Zero Emissions

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While a very small percentage of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide plays a vital role in sustaining life on our planet. However, if this delicate balance is disrupted, excess carbon dioxide can pose a formidable threat to our environment and the living beings that reside within. 

While a very small percentage of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide plays a vital role in sustaining life on our planet. However, if this delicate balance is disrupted, excess carbon dioxide can pose a formidable threat to our environment and the living beings that reside within. 

A team of researchers in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University recently published a comprehensive review article on how carbon dioxide can be isolated through reduction reactions and then transformed into value-added chemicals for fuels, thereby providing a path to repurpose excess carbon dioxide.

“People are looking into innovative ways to mitigate global warming and minimize our impacts on the environment,” said Denis Johnson, the first author on the study and a doctoral student in the chemical engineering department. “Through scientific advancements, such as our own, we remain hopeful that one day we may be able to start reversing what has already been done.”

The research is led by Dr. Abdoulaye Djire, assistant professor in the chemical engineering department, and co-authored by Dr. Zhi Qiao, a former postdoctoral researcher for the department. The study was published in the journal ACS Applied Energy Materials. 

Read more at Texas A&M University

Image: Denis Johnson and Dr. Abdoulaye Djire assemble the electrochemical cell used to perform the carbon dioxide reduction reaction experiments by connecting gas and electrical lines. (Image Credit: Texas A&M Engineering)