Researchers at Pennsylvania State University are coaxing sunlight and titanium oxide nanotubes to transform carbon dioxide into methane, which can then be used as an energy source. In one stroke, this will reduce the quantity of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere and provide a source of energy.
The team of researchers arranged the nanotubes vertically and covered them on top with a thin, reddish-brown layer of copper oxide. The copper and titanium oxide operate as catalysts that help convert the carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide in the presence of sunlight. Water molecules can also be split apart and the hydrogen that is freed from the water combines with carbon to form methane. Oxygen is also released as a byproduct.
Focusing the light collected from 1,100 square feet onto one of the membranes would generate more than 132 gallons of methane on a sunny day.
As the team believes, would you agree that formation of methane by this process is solar power by another name? As with any new technology, can this one be scaled up to commercial levels?
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