Researchers at MIT have developed a new membrane-based system that turns carbon dioxide emissions into useful alternative fuels, a process that has been validated on a small scale, and researchers hope eventually to make the system Adapt to traditional fossil fuel power plants.
Made of lanthanum, calcium and iron oxide, the membrane is designed to separate oxygen from carbon dioxide leaving carbon monoxide and then into a variety of useful fuels. This process requires a significant amount of energy input to produce a carbon dioxide input that is separated into oxygen and oxygen Carbon monoxide requires temperatures as high as 990 ° C. But researchers think the heat can be provided by 'solar or heat, some of which may come from the plant itself.'
A pragmatic assumption is that the process will be incorporated into a natural gas power plant to add a brand new fuel outflow to the plant: The carbon dioxide produced by the combustion of gas will be supplied through the membrane system, which itself will be driven by a small portion of the raw natural gas.
The carbon monoxide output can then be mixed with hydrogen to produce syngas, which can be used to generate electricity, as fuel in internal combustion engines, or into existing gas distribution networks, a process that will create new commercial output for power plants while reducing emission of greenhouse gases.
It is worth noting that the study, co-funded by Shell, hopes to show that the process has yielded real tangible results.After all, if large-scale fossil fuel companies find ways to turn their carbon dioxide emissions into a positive source of income , Then this is a real win-win situation for everyone.
The research results published in the "ChemSusChem" magazine.
