MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical
MIT engineers have developed a scalable and efficient method to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful products like ethylene, a key ingredient in plastics. This innovation addresses challenges in the electrochemical process that transforms CO2, such as balancing the material's conductivity and water-repelling properties. The team used a Teflon-like plastic (PTFE) enhanced with woven copper wires to create a gas diffusion electrode that combines excellent conductivity with hydrophobicity.
This design improves efficiency and scalability, enabling the production of larger electrodes needed for industrial applications. By dividing the material into smaller subsections through the copper wires, the system mimics the high performance of smaller electrodes. The approach also allows integration with existing manufacturing processes, paving the way for scaling up CO2 conversion technology to address global emissions effectively.
This breakthrough offers a significant step toward sustainable solutions for utilizing excess CO2 while producing valuable industrial materials. The research was supported by Shell and the MIT Energy Initiative and conducted using MIT.nano facilities
No Comment to " MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical "