New formula to cut greenhouse gases
New formula to cut greenhouse gases
2008-04-25Newsfeed
A new way of disposing of waste carbon dioxide could reduce the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 4%, scientists have claimed.
A new way of disposing of waste carbon dioxide could reduce the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 4%, scientists have claimed.
Researchers at Newcastle University pioneered the technique, which converts CO2 into chemical compounds known as cyclic carbonates.
The team estimates that the process could potentially get rid of 48 million tonnes of waste carbon dioxide per year.
Cyclic carbonates are widely used in the manufacture of solvents, paint-strippers, biodegradable packaging, and are used in the chemical industry.
They can also be used to make "anti-knocking" agents which help petrol burn more efficiently, leading to further reductions in CO2 emissions.
The technique depends on a new highly active catalyst derived from aluminium which drives a chemical reaction.
Professor Michael North, who led the research, said: "If our catalyst could be employed at the source of high-concentration CO2 production, for example in the exhaust stream of a fossil-fuel power station, we could take out the carbon dioxide, turn it into a commercially-valuable product and at the same time eliminate the need to store waste CO2."
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