Surrey team's tech could repurpose captured CO2

According to the team, the technology could allow scientists to capture CO2 and transform it into useful chemicals such as carbon monoxide and synthetic natural gas in one circular process.

Dr Melis Duyar, senior lecturer of chemical engineering at Surrey University said that the process could be ‘exactly what we need to approach carbon neutrality in the chemicals sector’.

“This could very well be a milestone in the steps needed for the UK to reach its 2050 net zero goals,” Duyar commented.

“We need to get away from our current thinking on how we produce chemicals, as current practices rely on fossil fuels which are not sustainable. With this technology we can supply chemicals with a much lower carbon footprint and look at replacing fossil fuels with carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen as the building blocks of other important chemicals.”

The technology uses patent-pending switchable Dual Function Materials (DFMs) that capture carbon dioxide on their surface and catalyse the conversion of captured CO2 directly into chemicals.