this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2023
125 points (91.4% liked)

Technology

58092 readers
3147 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide::An efficient new process can convert carbon dioxide into formate, a material that can be used like hydrogen or methanol to power a fuel cell and generate electricity.

top 20 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] WaterWaiver@aussie.zone 46 points 10 months ago

Very misleading title. This is not an energy efficient process (what we need for energy storage), instead it has a high chemical yield.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 40 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You know what other methods converts carbon dioxide into energy? Planting potatoes!

[–] luthis@lemmy.nz 17 points 10 months ago (2 children)

That, and planting trees and never cutting them down. Although at least with potatoes you can make french fries.. french wood sticks definitely aren't so great in the air fryer

[–] foenkyfjutschah@programming.dev 8 points 10 months ago

no, you can actually cut down grown biomass and process it to chemically stable biochar for soil improvement! for more potatoes for more fries! and a side of coleslaw.

[–] coffeebiscuit@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And alcohol. Which is also a fuel.

[–] Plopp@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It very much fuels my alcoholism!

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago

I know it fuels mine!

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 26 points 10 months ago (3 children)
[–] SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world 36 points 10 months ago (1 children)

When they say it's efficient, they mean at not letting CO2 go, not in energy cost. Looks like step one is capturing it which is already energy intensive, and step 2 is reacting it with a strong base. So it takes a lot of stuff as input.

And they did this on a lab bench, not at scale in a plant.

[–] grabyourmotherskeys@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

This and fusion, neck and neck.

[–] thisisawayoflife@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Burning it creates enormous clouds of Trioxin 2-4-5.

[–] burntbutterbiscuits@sh.itjust.works 5 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Does trioxin perchance give one superpowers?

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

You have lymphoma.

[–] thisisawayoflife@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

You'll be able to feel yourself rot.

[–] pigup@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That it burns the shit back into the atmosphere.

[–] Alfenhose@feddit.dk 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes, but if it could provide as an alternative to digging up oil and gass, and get the energy needed to make the transformation from sun, wind or other sustainable sources. It could lower the amount of new CO2 being put into the atmosphere as well as work as a way to store excess energy from wind and sun.

[–] SomeoneSomewhere@lemmy.nz 3 points 10 months ago

Yeah, it would basically act as a battery except much better energy and power density, and faster 'charging'.

The downside is invariably that round trip energy efficiency (electricity in vs electricity out) is somewhere between 'much worse' and 'terrible'.

[–] luthis@lemmy.nz 19 points 10 months ago

Guys, stop trying to break thermodynamics. You can't. You know this.

[–] RoyaltyInTraining@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

So we're gonna spend a whole bunch of energy to capture carbon, then use even more to turn it into fuel, and then just burn it again? Yea sorry, I am not convinced.

Edit: Unless if course they propose it for grid balancing, like we talk about doing with hydrogen. In that case, I wanna know exact energy efficiency numbers and equipment cost.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 3 points 10 months ago

Carbon neutral fuel is a good thing.