A team of engineers at the University of Cincinnati, USA, is working on the process of converting greenhouse gases into gasoline. This could help us cope with the effects of climate change and use carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere to produce fuel, which can save half of the fuel taken on the trip.
Along with his students, Jingjie Wu, an assistant professor of applied science at the university, used a carbon shield in the reactor to convert carbon dioxide into methane through a process known as the Sabatier reaction.
This is the same process used at the International Space Station (ISS), where carbon dioxide emitted from the atmosphere is used to produce fuel that keeps the station going.
Since Mars is built almost entirely, astronauts can save half the fuel for the return trip because they can produce everything else they need when they land on earth.
Therefore, the existing gas on the Red Planet will act as a “gas station” there. “You can easily pump carbon dioxide into the reactor and produce rocket methane,” he explained.
Experimental response where graphene quantum dots act as compounds for converting carbon dioxide into methane (Photo: Reproduction / Andrew Higley / UC Creative)
In addition, carbon dioxide conversion may be even more necessary in the coming years.
Wu began studying the process a decade ago, realizing that greenhouse gases would be a major problem for society. With President Joe Biden setting a goal of achieving a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, he believes carbon dioxide will need to be reused.
Afterwards, in collaboration with students and Tianyu Zhang, the lead author of the study, they began exploring various solutions that could increase methane yields.
Students used various catalysts to produce not only methane, but ethylene used in the production of plastics, rubber, synthetic clothing, and other materials.
In addition to helping to reduce climate change, the process produces gasoline as a product and is 100 times more efficient than it was 10 years ago – in Wu, carbon dioxide emissions are more economically viable when combined with renewable energy.
He believes that this excess of energy used can now be stored in chemicals. In the future, improvements in carbon dioxide emissions make him confident that humans will reach Mars.
“In the meantime, if you want to get back there, you will need to bring twice as much fuel, which is very heavy,” he explained.
“Next time you will need more fuel; so we can make methanol with carbon dioxide and use it to make other things and maybe one day we can live on Mars. ”
