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Scientists Just Built a CO2-Eating Machine That Runs on Sunlight

Austin Tang — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 14:29:20 +0000

Researchers have developed a reactor that pulls carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel, using sunlight as the power source. Credit: University of Cambridge

Scientists have developed a sunlight-powered reactor that directly captures CO₂ from the air and transforms it into sustainable fuel.

Unlike traditional carbon capture methods, this device requires no fossil-fuel energy, making it a game-changer for the climate crisis. By mimicking photosynthesis, it produces syngas, a crucial ingredient in fuel and pharmaceuticals, with plans to scale up for liquid fuel production.

Harnessing Sunlight for Sustainable Fuel

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a solar-powered reactor that captures carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel using sunlight.

This innovative reactor has the potential to produce fuel for cars and planes, as well as essential chemicals and pharmaceuticals. It could also provide a reliable energy source in remote or off-grid locations.

Unlike traditional carbon capture technologies, which require fossil fuel energy and involve transporting and storing CO₂, this reactor eliminates those steps. Instead, it directly converts atmospheric CO₂ into useful products using only sunlight. The research findings were published today (February 13) in Nature Energy.

The Limitations of Conventional Carbon Storage

While Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been promoted as a solution to the climate crisis—receiving £22 billion (~$27 billion) in UK government funding—it remains highly energy-intensive. Additionally, concerns persist over the long-term safety of storing pressurized CO₂ deep underground, though ongoing studies are assessing these risks.

“Aside from the expense and the energy intensity, CCS provides an excuse to carry on burning fossil fuels, which is what caused the climate crisis in the first place,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research. “CCS is also a non-circular process, since the pressurized CO₂ is, at best, stored underground indefinitely, where it’s of no use to anyone.”

Turning a Harmful Gas into Useful Chemicals

“What if instead of pumping the carbon dioxide underground, we made something useful from it?” said first author Dr Sayan Kar from Cambridge’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. “CO₂ is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it can also be turned into useful chemicals without contributing to global warming.”

The focus of Reisner’s research group is the development of devices that convert waste, water, and air into practical fuels and chemicals. These devices take their inspiration from photosynthesis: the process by which plants convert sunlight into food. The devices don’t use any outside power: no cables, no batteries – all they need is the power of the sun.

From Air to Syngas: The Key Breakthrough

The team’s newest system takes CO₂ directly from the air and converts it into syngas: a key intermediate in the production of many chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The researchers say their approach, which does not require any transportation or storage, is much easier to scale up than earlier solar-powered devices.

The device, a solar-powered flow reactor, uses specialized filters to grab CO₂ from the air at night, like how a sponge soaks up water. When the sun comes out, the sunlight heats up the captured CO₂, absorbing infrared radiation and a semiconductor powder absorbs the ultraviolet radiation to start a chemical reaction that converts the captured CO₂ into solar syngas. A mirror on the reactor concentrates the sunlight, making the process more efficient.

Towards Liquid Fuels and Scaled-Up Solutions

The researchers are currently working on converting solar syngas into liquid fuels, which could be used to power cars, planes, and more – without adding more CO₂ to the atmosphere.

“If we made these devices at scale, they could solve two problems at once: removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and creating a clean alternative to fossil fuels,” said Kar. “CO₂ is seen as a harmful waste product, but it is also an opportunity.”

A Future Without Fossil Fuels?

The researchers say that a particularly promising opportunity is in the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, where syngas can be converted into many of the products we rely on every day, without contributing to climate change. They are building a larger scale version of the reactor and hope to begin tests in the spring.

If scaled up, the researchers say their reactor could be used in a decentralized way, so that individuals could theoretically generate their own fuel, which would be useful in remote or off-grid locations.

“Instead of continuing to dig up and burn fossil fuels to produce the products we have come to rely on, we can get all the CO₂ we need directly from the air and reuse it,” said Reisner. “We can build a circular, sustainable economy – if we have the political will to do it.”

Reference: “Direct air capture of CO₂ for solar fuel production in flow” by Sayan Kar, Dongseok Kim, Ariffin Bin Mohamad Annuar, Bidyut Bikash Sarma, Michael Stanton, Erwin Lam, Subhajit Bhattacharjee, Suvendu Karak, Heather F. Greer and Erwin Reisner, 13 February 2025, Nature Energy.
DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01714-y

The technology is being commercialized with the support of Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commercialization arm. The research was supported in part by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the European Research Council, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Cambridge Trust. Erwin Reisner is a Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge.

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Japan has unveiled a groundbreaking innovation in the automotive industry: magnetic levitation technology that promises to eliminate the need for engines and batteries.

Austin Tang — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:41:24 +0000

Japan has unveiled a groundbreaking innovation in the automotive industry: magnetic levitation technology that promises to eliminate the need for engines and batteries. Developed by researchers at the Quantum Machine Unit of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), this system allows cars to levitate a few centimetres above a specially designed track, eliminating friction and drastically improving energy efficiency.

The technology requires power only at start-up to generate the magnetic field, after which cars move without any further energy input. This approach utilizes diamagnetic materials and powerful magnets to achieve levitation, akin to Maglev trains but with significantly lower ongoing energy requirements.

While challenges remain, such as reducing kinetic energy at the surface level and managing vortex damping, this innovation heralds a new era in transportation, potentially making traditional motors and batteries obsolete.

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BORAT SUPPLEMENTAL REPORTINGS – Now Available on EPK.TV

Austin Tang — Fri, 21 May 2021 22:02:23 +0000

New Assets Available
BORAT SUPPLEMENTAL REPORTINGS RETRIEVED FROM FLOOR OF STABLE CONTAINING EDITING MACHINE

Available on Prime Video May 25th
Jagshemash! The multi-part special:
BORAT SUPPLEMENTAL REPORTINGS RETRIEVED FROM FLOOR OF STABLE CONTAINING EDITING MACHINE will premiere Tuesday, May 25th
on Amazon Prime Video.

EPK.TV | (877) 375-2497 | info@epk.tv
MediaMax Online | 1845 Flower St, Glendale, CA 91201

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Thursday, November 12th at 6:30pm – Apollo Theater Mainstage

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 20:21:13 +0000

(Harlem, NY, November 4, 2015) The Apollo Theater Education Program pays homage to Apollo Legend, James Brown, with a free special screening and discussion of Alex Gibney’s highly acclaimed documentary, Mr. Dynamite: the Rise of James Brown, on Thursday, November 12th at 6:30pm. The documentary covers the peak of Brown’s career with rare video clips, never-before-seen photographs from his estate, and fresh interviews with some of his closest personal and musical associates. The result is new insight into a man whose life and career made an indelible and everlasting impact on entertainment and culture.
This free event will be presented as part of the Apollo Live Wire Series and will include a discussion with:
Alex Gibney, acclaimed Director of Mr. Dynamite and Emmy Award-Winning Director of Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief,
Geeta Gandbhir, Supervisory Editor of Mr. Dynamite and Emmy Award-Winning Editor of When the Levees Broke,
Harry Allen, acclaimed Hip Hop journalist and activist,
Michael Veal, Ethnomusicologist and Professor of Music and African American Studies and American Studies at Yale University and
(Moderator) Harry Weinger, special consultant to the film and Grammy Award -Winning reissues producer.
Image removed by sender.The Mr. Dynamite: the Rise of James Brown screening at the legendary Theater is a return home for the “Godfather of Soul.” Brown, an Apollo Legend, has a longstanding history with the Theater that dates back to the 1950’s when he won Amateur Night at the Apollo. Brown would go on to record his classic Live at the Apollo album at the legendary Theater. Throughout his career James Brown performed on the Apollo stage over 200 times. After his death in 2006, his body lay in state on the iconic stage where members of the community were able to pay final respects. The Theater later inducted Brown into its Apollo Walk of Fame in 2007.
Apollo Live Wire discussions invite deeper engagement with the Apollo’s artistic programming. These discussions are recorded for inclusion in the Theater’s archives. Live Wire Discussions are free and open to the public. Seating is limited; Pre-registration is strongly suggested at apollotheater.org/event/mr-dynamite-james-brown/
For exclusive photos, updates and more use the hashtags: #MrDynamite #ApolloLiveWire and connect with us on Twitter @ApolloEd @Apollotheater
About Apollo Education

The Apollo Theater Education Program extends the Apollo’s commitment to enhancing the life of the community. The Education Program focuses on four distinct areas of learning and engagement: residencies, workshops and tours for schools; curriculum materials aligned to state and national learning standards and study guides derived from the Theater’s history; career development for teens and adults through the Apollo Theater Academy; and discussions and lectures for the public that highlight the history of the Apollo and its impact on American art, culture and entertainment. For more information on Apollo Theater Education, visit www.apollotheater.org/education/; follow on Twitter @ApolloEd or stay connected through Apollo Theater Education’s Facebook page.
About The Apollo Theater
The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging talents and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world. With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, performance art, spoken word initiatives, and more.
This includes the October 2014 premiere and 2015 international tour of the dance celebration project – James Brown: Get on the Good Foot, the annual Africa Now! Festival, Apollo Club Harlem and the upcoming New York premiere of the opera Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD. The Apollo is a presenting organization that also produces festivals, large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives: Apollo Music Signature Programs—Amateur Night, Salon Series, Apollo Music Café; Legacy Series – work that celebrates and extends the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; Global Festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention, international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary work with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms, and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, D’Angelo, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.
The Apollo Theater is a not-for-profit organization and currently in the midst of fundraising for its 21st Century Apollo Campaign, created to extend the institution’s role in fostering artistic innovation and in building appreciation of American culture around the world. Visit www.apollotheater.org.
Leadership support for Apollo Education programs from Ronald O. Perelman Family Foundation. Additional support from the Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation, Coca-Cola Foundation, Con Edison, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Insperity, The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, Pinkerton Foundation, the QBE Foundation and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The Apollo’s 2015-2016 season is made possible by generous support from American Airlines, BNY Mellon, Citi, Coca-Cola, Troy and Keisha Dixon, EmblemHealth, Frederick Wildman, The Howard Gilman Foundation, Carla A. Harris, Robert K. Kraft, The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, The Parsons Family Foundation, the Ronald O. Perelman Family Foundation, JoAnn Price, Earl W. and Amanda Stafford, Time Warner Inc., the Reginald Van Lee New Works Fund, the Apollo Board of Directors and many other generous donors.
Lead annual support is also provided by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Stafford, Time Warner Inc., the Reginald Van Lee New Works Fund, the Apollo Board of Directors and many other generous donors.

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Katlean de Monchy

admin — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 18:47:09 +0000

Video Coming!!
Pop superstar will.i.am has one. Michael Kors says he’s coming out with one. Apple is very soon going to finally start selling a long-awaited one. Everybody, it seems, in the world of fashion is talking about the same thing:

Wearable gadgets.

And what better time to talk about that, than during Fashion Week season in New York—and here to do that is fashion and lifestyle reporter Katlean de Monchy, who joins us in studio today. Good morning, Katlean!

Katlean: good morning.

Anchor: And you have your top five hot fashion technology trends this morning!

Katlean: That’s right—fashion and technology are merging more and more and some of the new ideas that are coming out of that merger are really exciting.

Anchor: Okay, let’s get right to it!

Number five!

Katlean: Number five for me is what I call the Battle of the Smart Watches. As you mentioned, Apple should be shipping its much-anticipated watch this Spring, but in the meantime, there are some really great options out there, especially if you are an Android user rather than an iPhone user.

The most interesting to me is the Samsung Gear S, which you see on the left—the one with the bigger display. It’s a watch that can make phone calls without your phone nearby—not even the Apple Watch can do that. And it has a super-bright display called Super A-M-O-L-E-D, which seems perfect for a wearable that you have to use out in the sun and rain. The Samsung Gear Fit is more for workout fiends; you can read your text messages on it but I hope people aren’t going to try that while they’re running along the West Side Highway trail.

Anchor: And they’re retailing for less than the Apple Watch?

Katlean: Apparently—there’s no official word from Apple on pricing yet but Samsung is selling the Gear S for 200-dollars with contract and the Gear Fit for about 120-dollars —and no contract.

(Note: the reason the Gear Fit does not have a contract is because it can’t make calls and therefore does not need its own cellular plan).

Anchor: Okay, what’s at number four?

Katlean:

At number four is a 14-thousand dollar sewing machine.

(Take VO):

Now, you might think, how can a sewing machine cost 14-thousand dollars? But this latest 2015 Dream Machine from Brother—which by the way is the exclusive sewing machine company of Project Runway and its spinoffs—has been declared a Consumer Digests Best Buy. And THAT is really hard to get. It has a huge HD LCD screen—and a built-in design center—and video tutorials—and a camera-like device called an “Innov-Eye” that can scan what you’re trying to do and show you how to sew it or embroider it right on the LCD. So, for people who are serious about creating fashion, 14-thousand dollars for a machine like this really IS a Best Buy.

Anchor: And there are a lot of people who are THAT serious about sewing?

KATLEAN: Oh, yes. The American Sewing Guild, just to name one, has 125 chapters and more than a thousand individual groups. And we wouldn’t have Fashion Week without a lot of last-minute sewing!

Anchor: Ok. Number 3?

Katlean: At number three, Fitness sensors. They’re everywhere right now. They’re in workout clothes like the Hexoskin, which all by itself measures everything about your workout. There are companies like iFit which create a whole ecosystem to measure your health, your diet, your sleep, everything about you. And if you think this is all a bit too much, you can find a good-old-fashioned stylish analog watch, the Activite (Act-i-vi-TAY) watch by a company called Withings, which doesn’t tip you off as a total geek but still measures everything about your activity and sends it to a smartphone. And no one will ever know you’re a fitness maniac!

Anchor: And this is truly catching on as a trend? Wearables for fitness tracking?

Katlean: Yes—one research group says that by just next year more the fitness tracking industry will sell about 80 million devices.

Anchor. Number 2 on your list?

Katlean: At number two, I’ve got a gadget that’s not really a wearable but is really interesting, especially to women, as a tool to help them improve their appearance. It’s called the OKU, the world’s first personal skin coach. It is able to look under the surface using an iPhone-connected sensor that uses a special light to examine your skin and spot problems. It can detect moisture and pigment and wrinkles and all sorts of problems, and the companion App gives you advice on how to treat your skin to have maximum skin health—and the best possible skin appearance.

The OKU, which you can pre-order for 250-dollars, will ship this Spring and comes with a really stylish little dock which would look nice next to any makeup mirror.

ANCHOR: And what if you aren’t an iPhone user?

KATLEAN: They hope to roll out an Android user sometime late this year.

ANCHOR: Okay, what’s your number one coolest gadget at the intersection of fashion and technology?

Katlean: This is really mind-blowing. It’s also very appropriate for Valentine’s Week because it’s all about your heart. The Nymi Band (NIMM-MEE) memorizes your heartbeat, which is unique to you, just like your fingerprint —did you know that, because I didn’t. And no matter what you do, or how high your heart rate gets, that signature is the same.

So—get this—the NYMI band can send a signal to anything you need to unlock, from a car door to a password on your computer, and someday even to a hotel room door that you have booked, and anything else that either needs a password or needs a lock. It really is exciting to think about a future where you don’t need to remember any passwords or carry any keys for anything, you just need to make sure your heart is all good. So with that in mind, happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!

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KalaRhythms, The Cycles of Change – David Katzmire

editor — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:35:35 +0000

http://kalarhythms.org/
Patterns are encoded in the human experience,
encrypted in the anecdotal evidence of our behavior
and decoded here in the map of time.

The Machine Age is Ending and the Industrial Revolution will no longer define our future.

The Map of Time is our navigational guide through the lessons of history and our lead to the future.

We are Catching Up With The Ancients who knew the keys to our future.

Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual energies progress through their four seasons of development, and points of chaos, to bring change to the nation.

An original theory presented by K. David Katzmire.

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