U.S. research turns carbon dioxide into carbon fiber or solves global warming

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, August 20 (Reporter Hua Ling) It has always been the dream of scientists and government officials to transform the man-made greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into a valuable commodity. Now, a research team from George Washington University in the United States has developed a technology that directly converts carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into carbon fiber, which is very popular in industry and consumption, which is expected to promote the process of solving the problem of global warming.

According to a report from the Physicist Organization Network on the 19th, the team submitted this new study at the 250th National Conference and Expo of the American Chemical Association (ACS). The research leader, Stuart Licht of George Washington University, said: “We have discovered a way to use carbon dioxide enriched in the atmosphere to produce carbon nanofibers. This fiber can be made into a powerful carbon-carbon composite material. , Used to manufacture Boeing 787 "Dreamliner", high-end sports equipment, wind turbine blades and a series of other products."

According to the researchers, the study can turn the carbon dioxide that causes global warming problems into the most popular carbon nanofiber manufacturing material. Licht called his method "diamonds from the sky".

Licht said that their method is efficient, low energy consumption, only a few volts of electricity, plenty of sunlight and a lot of carbon dioxide. The system uses electrolysis to synthesize nanofibers: in a 750 degrees Celsius high-temperature electrolytic cell of molten carbonate, carbon dioxide is dissolved by the heat of nickel and steel electrodes and direct current, and carbon nanofibers can be formed on the steel electrodes.

This system provides heat and electricity through hybrid and high-efficiency concentrating solar systems. Licht estimates that the cost of electricity for this "solar thermal electrochemical process" is about $1,000 per ton of carbon fiber products, and the operating cost of the system is a few hundred times the value of the output.

He said: "We have calculated that in an area about one-tenth the size of the Sahara Desert, using this method can reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the pre-industrial level within 10 years."

The system is currently being tested. The biggest challenge facing researchers is how to accumulate experience, increase production capacity, and produce nanofibers of the same size. Licht said: "We are rapidly expanding production and should soon be able to produce a large number of nanofibers within an hour."