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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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IT’S MORE THAN SKIN DEEP How Warmer Weather Affects Psoriasis & Tips to Help Those Impacted

Austin Tang — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 19:29:27 +0000

Listen to “IT’S MORE THAN SKIN DEEP How Warmer Weather Affects Psoriasis & Tips to Help Those Impacted” on Spreaker.

FOR THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS LIVING WITH MODERATE-TO-SEVERE PLAQUE PSORIASIS, WARM WEATHER CAN MEAN RELIEF FROM PAINFUL SYMPTOMS. IN FACT, SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO AN IMPROVEMENT IN PSORIASIS SYMPTOMS.

HOWEVER, DESPITE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS, SOME PATIENTS STILL FEEL EMBARRASSED BY THEIR SKIN. MANY WILL CHOOSE TO COVER UP WITH MORE CLOTHING OR AVOID SOCIAL SITUATIONS ALTOGETHER.

BUT EVERYONE DESERVES TO HAVE FUN IN THE SUN. JOINING US NOW IS HEALTH CARE PROVIDER, MELINDA GREENFIELD, WITH HOW MODERATE-TO-SEVERE PLAQUE PSORIASIS PATIENTS CAN MAKE THE MOST OF WARM WEATHER.

BIO-Dr. Melinda Greenfield Bio

Dr. Melinda Greenfield is a Board Certified Dermatologist in private practice since 1999. She has offices in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL and Albany, GA and has an online Telehealth practice in nine states.

Dr. Greenfield attended The University of Maryland for her undergraduate degree and Nova Southeastern University for Medical School. She completed her internship at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and her Dermatology residency at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, NY.

Dr. Greenfield is past president of the Dougherty County Medical Society, the Georgia Osteopathic Medical society and previously served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.

Dr. Greenfield is a clinical assistant professor at The Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, The Medical College of Georgia, PCOM South Georgia and The Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine. She teaches the second-year dermatology curriculum to medical students and has students and residents rotate in her office throughout the year.

Dr. Greenfield has lectured at multiple meetings throughout the years and has authored four publications. She participated in an episode of The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV that highlighted psoriasis and is on the Speaker Board for several pharmaceutical companies.

In her free time, Dr. Greenfield enjoys bike riding, working out in the gym, gardening, cooking and spending time with her family.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about ILUMYA^® (tildrakizumab-asmn)?

Do not use ILUMYA if you have had a severe allergic reaction to ILUMYA or any of its ingredients.

Get emergency medical help right away if you get any of the following symptoms of a serious allergic reaction:

feel faint
trouble breathing or throat tightness
swelling of your face, eyelids, lips, mouth, tongue or throat
chest tightness
skin rash

What is ILUMYA?

ILUMYA is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who may benefit from taking injections, pills (systemic therapy), or phototherapy (treatment using ultraviolet or UV light).

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued)

ILUMYA is a medicine that may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. Your healthcare provider should check you for infections and tuberculosis (TB) before starting treatment with ILUMYA and may treat you for TB before you begin treatment with ILUMYA if you have a history of TB or have active TB. Your healthcare provider should watch you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during and after treatment with ILUMYA.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have an infection or have symptoms of an infection, including:

fever, sweats, or chills
muscle aches
weight loss
cough
warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body different from your psoriasis
diarrhea or stomach pain
shortness of breath
burning when you urinate or urinating more often than normal
blood in your phlegm (mucus)

Before receiving ILUMYA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

have any of the conditions or symptoms listed in the section “What is the most important information I should know about ILUMYA?”
have an infection that does not go away or that keeps coming back
have TB or have been in close contact with someone with TB
recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine (immunization). You should avoid receiving live vaccines during treatment with ILUMYA.
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ILUMYA can harm your unborn baby.
are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if ILUMYA passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

It is not known if ILUMYA is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age.

What are the possible side effects of ILUMYA?

ILUMYA may cause serious side effects. See “What is the most important information I should know about ILUMYA?”

The most common side effects of ILUMYA include: upper respiratory infections, injection site reactions and diarrhea. These are not all of the possible side effects of ILUMYA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report any negative side effects of ILUMYA to FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. You are also encouraged to report side effects or ADEs (adverse drug events) to our Drug Safety Department at 1-800-406-7984 or drug.safetyUSA@sunpharma.com (preferred) with as much information as available.

Please read the full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for ILUMYA and discuss any questions with your doctor.

#warmerweather #psoriasis #tips #skin #plaque #symptoms #sunlight #embarrassed #drmelindagreenfield #patients #healthcare #medical #sinaihospital #ilumya #tildrakizumab-asmn

The post IT’S MORE THAN SKIN DEEP How Warmer Weather Affects Psoriasis & Tips to Help Those Impacted appeared first on Good News!.

Executive Chairman of Delta CleanTech Lionel Kambeitz discusses how companies are innovating by using carbon-neutral fuel to create their products.

Austin Tang — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:39:59 +0000

Listen to “Executive Chairman of Delta CleanTech Lionel Kambeitz discusses how companies are innovating by using carbon-neutral fuel to create…” on Spreaker.

For example, Air Company, which is Brooklyn-based, created Air Vodka and Eau de Parfum (recently featured in Forbes) that uses technology that transforms carbon dioxide captured from the air into impurity-free ethyl alcohol that can be used in a variety of consumer industries.

https://deltacleantech.ca

ABOUT:
• This technology uses only air, water, and sunlight as inputs. It is done by capturing carbon dioxide from the air using solid sorbent air capture technology and generating electricity from sunlight using solar panels, which also power our patent-pending electrochemical reactor.
• This system breaks apart the captured carbon dioxide, along with water, over our proprietary catalysts and reforms them to produce alcohol with pure oxygen as the only byproduct. This process has net negative carbon emissions, removing a half of a kilogram of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per kilogram of alcohol produced in a complete lifecycle analysis.
EXAMPLES OF PRODUCTS:
Air Vodka with Natural Flavors is the world’s cleanest, highest quality and most sustainable spirit. It’s also the world’s first carbon-negative spirit. This spirit is engineered to help create a world with cleaner air—the perfect way to balance indulgence with impact. It’s clean and crisp with a smooth finish and is best sipped on the rocks or in a martini, or Airtini as we call it.
Air Eau de Parfum is the world’s first fragrance made from air. Inspired by the earth’s most abundant and vital elements of air, water and sun, it’s a genderless and limited-release fragrance. Air Eau de Parfum is offered with three cap variations; a no-cap, chrome-finish clip for an even lighter environmental footprint, a high-gloss chrome cap and a satin-finish white cap. The clip on the no-cap variation holds the pump in place for travel.
About Delta CleanTech:
With over 17-years of experience in the clean energy sector providing ESG driven, Identity Preserved Waste (“IPW”) Solutions, Delta CleanTech is considered a technology industry leader in CO2 Capture; Solvent & Glycol Reclamation and Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure.
About Lionel Kambeitz:
Lionel Kambeitz is a recognized Business Development profession- al and International Business Relations professional. Mr. Kambeitz currently serves as Chairman of Delta CleanTech and has played a founding role in many other Canadian and United States companies.

#delta #clean #tech #cleantech #lionel #kambeitz #carbon #neutral #fuel #air #water #sunlight #solid #sorbent #dioxide #natural #flavors #vodka #spirit #business

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DUTCH HERRING ARRIVAL DELAYED TO WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19;

admin — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 20:11:10 +0000

HOLLAND HERRING FESTIVAL AT GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR TO COMMENCE TWO WEEKS LATE

Grand Central Oyster Bar executive chef Sandy Ingber received the disappointing news from Holland that the highly-anticipated arrival of nieuwe maatjes herring would be delayed until Wednesday, June 19, two weeks later than the originally schedule June 5 date. The Oyster Bar is the traditional destination for the first shipment, and it is believed to be only the second time in the 33-year history of the Dutch Herring Festival that the first catch of Holland Herring will not arrive on the scheduled date, previously occurring in 2006.

“Starting the season with herring of lesser quality is not an option,” says Nico de Jong, President of the Herring Wholesale Association. The herring is caught so far is not yet the right quality to Dutch herring processing.

As it was in 2006, bad weather of the past few weeks is the culprit in the postponement. Due to the lack of sufficient sunlight the plankton on which the herring feeds has been insufficiently available. The plankton is a major influence on the growth of the herring, impacting the percentage of body fat in the herring.

Arrival Delayed Two Weeks…
GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR HOSTS 33nd ANNUAL “HOLLAND HERRING FESTIVAL” BEGINNING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, AT 12 NOON WITH OPENING CEREMONIES ANDOFFICIAL FIRST TASTING; FESTIVAL CONTINUES THROUGH WEDNESDAY, JULY 3

What: 33nd Annual “Holland Herring Festival” – Official First Tasting and arrival of “Nieuwe Maatjes” Herring from the Netherlands
Where: Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, “Below Sea Level” at Grand Central Terminal, New York City
When: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 (Note date was postponed from June 5)
Time: 12:00 noon (continues throughout day)
Who: Oyster Bar Executive Chef Sandy Ingber, General Manager Kevin Faerkin, and special guests
Admission: Free; herring by consumption (filets: $7.00, herring salad, $7.95)
Subways: 4, 5, 6 and 7 Reservations and information: 212-490-6650
For lovers of “nieuwe maatjes” herring from Holland, the year-long wait has been extended two weeks, but it is about to end. The arrival of the tasty delicacy from the waters of the Netherlands is always eagerly anticipated. Delayed from the originally scheduled date of June 5, the arrival time is now expected to be Wednesday afternoon, June 19, at 12 noon when the historic Grand Central Oyster Bar launches its annual “Holland Herring Festival” with opening ceremonies including the “Official First Tasting” of Dutch Herring, hosted by executive chef Sandy Ingber and general manager Kevin Faerkin. Dignitaries and special guests will participate in the ceremonies. The Herring Festival will continue through Wednesday, July 3. The Oyster Bar has for three decades been the traditional destination in America for the first Holland Herring of the season. The most-looked-forward-to time of the year for herring lovers, the delicacy arrives air-expressed to the Oyster Bar from Scheveningen, The Netherlands, on the North Sea where the herring fleet makes its home. The Oyster Bar always receives the very first herring shipped to the USA, and the cream of the catch, as well. Beginning on June 19th, and for approximately two weeks thereafter, the Oyster Bar looks forward to featuring the succulent, toothsome delicacy known as nieuwe maatjes herring. Herring lovers will enjoy the season for less than a month. The herring filets are served with hard-boiled egg, sweet onion and chives. Herring filets are priced at $7.00, and the herring salad at $7.95 per order. Liquid libations – “Dutch Martinis” featuring spirits from the Netherlands Ketel One vodka and Bols Genever gin – and Holland-imported favorite Heineken beer will co-star with “nieuwe maatjes” herring. Central Oyster Bar at 212-490-6650, or visit http://www.oysterbarny.com/.

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