New method: Sunlight can convert carbon dioxide into fuel

I recently took part of an interesting article about a new method, where you use the sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into fuel.
Scientists at the University of Illinois in Chicago have developed a technique for producing fuel reminiscent of the plants’ own photosynthesis.

A new type of solar cell has been designed, which – instead of making light into electricity – converts atmospheric carbon dioxide into a hydrocarbon-based fuel with the sunlight as its only source of energy. 

But unlike plants that produce sugar from the sunlight energy, the new solar cell produces a synthetic fuel consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which can be burned directly or converted into other types of fuel, such as diesel.

The process uses a Nano compound as the active catalyst. This catalyst in turn, decomposes the carbon dioxide’s chemical bonds. In experiments, the scientists have demonstrated that their method is 1 000 times faster than a conventional catalyst to only a twentieth of the cost. 

According to the scientists, this means that the price of this fuel production is comparable to the production of conventional gasoline.

Another interesting effect is that the method can also remove large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Since the atmosphere of planet Mars is largely composed of carbon dioxide, the new solar cells could also become a source of energy for future expeditions there.