Carbon dioxide converted to electricity

(Credit: Comprehending the Climate Crisis)

As Earth struggles against the adverse effects of greenhouse gases, Bert Hamelers, Ph.D, and a group of researchers in the Netherlands have come up with an innovative idea to use carbon dioxide (CO2) to generate energy. According to the American Chemical Society, the researchers claim that harvesting of CO2 from power plants, industries and residences can produce 400 times the annual electrical output of the Hoover Dam. Hamelers also assured that generating additional electricity this way will be done without adding more CO2 to the atmosphere.
So how can electricity be harvested from CO2? To produce electric current, a combination of CO2 and water (or other liquids) are processed to create a flow of electrons. More information can be found here.

(Credit: Environmental Science & Technology Letters)

While this new concept has yet to be tested, and it remains to be seen how CO2 harvesting can be implemented on a large scale, the idea to convert CO2 to electricity is promising. For all you know, this could very well become the viable alternative energy source that brings an end to our global warming crisis.

Panasonic Photosynthesis System converts carbon dioxide to organic material with plant-like efficiency

Greenery may fulfill a superficial need to improve the landscape aesthetic, but plants play a much more critical role in regular life function, converting carbon dioxide to oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Panasonic is among the companies attempting to replicate this natural procedure through artificial means, and it looks like the Japanese electronics maker is well on its way towards a viable solution. Presenting at the International Conference on the Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy this week, Panasonic announced the development of an Artificial Photosynthesis System, which uses a nitride semiconductor to convert water and carbon dioxide -- a byproduct of factories and power plants -- into an organic material called formic acid, which is used in the manufacturing of dyes and fragrances. Covering the planet in formic acid wouldn't necessarily represent progress, but assuming demand isn't exceeded, it certainly beats CO2. Best yet, Panasonic claims that the system converts the substances at plant-like efficiency rates, or 0.2 percent. Hit up the PR after the break for a more granular look at the company's creation.