Technology, Consumer Staples, Financials Feb 15, 2022 07:29 AM (GMT+8) · EqualOcean
In a recent paper published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S. researchers describe a new catalyst that can convert CO2 into other useful chemicals, such as propane, butane or other hydrocarbon fuels composed of long chains of carbon and hydrogen, by increasing the production of long-chain hydrocarbons in chemical reactions. The new catalyst consists of the element ruthenium, a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group, and is coated with a thin layer of plastic. Like any catalyst, this invention accelerates the chemical reaction without exhausting it in the process. Ruthenium also has the advantage of being cheaper than other high-quality catalysts such as palladium and platinum. Under the same conditions, the butane produced by the new catalyst is 1000 times longer than the longest hydrocarbon produced by the standard catalyst under maximum pressure.