Renewable energy: Scientists accidentally turn carbon dioxide into ethanol

A team of scientists has turned a waste product — carbon dioxide — into a fuel — ethanol — in a relatively simple process. And it happened almost by accident.

The US Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists were running a solution of carbon dioxide dissolved in water over a charged surface in the hopes of describing a reaction when they made their serendipitous discovery.

"We discovered somewhat by accident that this material worked," study lead author Adam Rondinone said.

"We were trying to study the first step of a proposed reaction when we realised that the catalyst was doing the entire reaction on its own."

The catalyst in question was nanoscopic spikes of carbon, studded with copper nanoparticles, that was electrified to essentially reverse the combustion process.

Read the ABC story - “Renewable energy: Scientists accidentally turn carbon dioxide into ethanol.”