The future of our planet may look grim at times; news of forest fires, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and other environmental problems are ever-present in the media. It doesn’t seem uplifting that by 2050, there will be more pieces of plastic than fish in the sea. Despite that, many are working hard to find ways to preserve our planet and combat these environmental problems.
One recent breakthrough provided insight into the process of converting carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals like ethylene and ethanol; ethanol is used to create sustainable fuel while ethylene is used to create sustainable plastics. Making use of carbon dioxide helps to close the carbon cycle. Researchers at Fritz Haber Institute and the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia used in-situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory to get a better understanding of what conditions and intermediates were needed to produce ethylene and ethanol specifically. These findings are essential to figuring out how to cut down on CO2 emissions and advance sustainable chemical production. Breakthroughs in sustainable technologies help bring hope for the environmental future of the world.
Sources
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/09/240912135840.htm
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-024-01633-4
