One of the most difficult challenges the world faces today is overcoming the climate change due to excessive CO2 emissions. These emissions are largely the result of fossil fuels burning. However, the world needs energy – our energy demands continue to soar, and fossil fuels are required to meet our everyday needs.
It is estimated that global CO2 emissions need to be reduced by approximately 60 in order to stabilize at present-day levels. But realistically, this is not something which we can achieve in the near future. Therefore, science is looking for new solutions. One of these is turning CO2 into methanol, or some other useful chemical compound. Not sure if this is possible? Just ask the scientists at the Singapore-basedInstitute ofBioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN).
These scientific visionaries are making extraordinary breakthroughs in transforming carbon dioxide into methanol, a commonly used form of industrial feedstock and clean-burning bio-fuel. Their secret is in using what is called “organocatalysts”. In this process, researchers activate carbon dioxide in a mild and non-toxic process, resulting in the ability to produce the more useful chemical compound. This really has the potential to be one of the most important discoveries in the energy world.