When oil, coal or natural gas is burned, carbon dioxide, or CO 2 , is produced. This blamed greenhouse gas is said to be the main driver of global warming, but it is also a raw material. Technically, it is possible to convert CO 2 into useful carbon compounds, a process that requires energy, water, suitable electrodes and special catalysts. CO 2 can be electrochemically converted into carbon monoxide, formate or methane, but also into ethylene, propanol, acetate and ethanol. However, industrial processes must be designed to be highly selective and extremely efficient, so that they produce only the desired products and not a mixture of products.

CO conversion 2 back to fuel

Dr Matthew Mayer, head of the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Electrochemical Conversion” at HZB, explained: “By electrolytically reducing CO2 to useful hydrocarbons, we can produce new fuels without using fossil fuels. We are thus putting CO2 back into the cycle, just like recycling. The electricity for the electrolysis can be provided by renewable energy from wind or the sun, making the process sustainable. (Brian Westenhaus)

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