Scientists find new way to eliminate greenhouse gases with lasers
Scientists have discovered a new way to reactivate carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere to reduce greenhouse gases, but will it work?
Courtesy NASA on Unsplash
German scientists at the University of Bonn have discovered a new way to reactivate carbon dioxide in the air to remove greenhouse gases using laser pulses, but some at Lee wonder if it is worth looking into at all.
The scientists at Bonn shot ultrashort laser pulses of UV-light onto what they called an “iron complex,” which broke apart certain bonds. What resulted was a form of carbon dioxide that could be turned into a building block for other chemical products, from methanol for fuel to salicylic acid for pain medication—even to products that break apart greenhouse gases at the ozone layer.
Plants perform photosynthesis every day and bind the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide into much-needed organic matter, and scientists have been actively trying to mimic this model in a lab for a long time. The breakthrough made by the scientists at Bonn University may have been the first step in replicating photosynthesis.
But some see some big problems with the concept itself. Lee assistant professor of chemistry Dr. John Hearn said the process itself is ultimately inefficient.
“You’re taking fuel and essentially spending some of the energy to make it into a new fuel,” Hearn said. “You are better off using the original amount of energy because if you take methanol and use it as fuel, you’re going to make carbon dioxide.”
According to Hearn, the amount of carbon dioxide produced may be smaller but not by a significant amount.
“Nature has a really good way of turning carbon dioxide into plants,” Hearn said. “Plants are good at eating carbon dioxide and turning it into more plant matter.”
Sophomore biochemistry major Sarah Sajja said she believes that the idea is intriguing but agrees with Dr. Hearn about the inefficiency.
“Plants are really good at taking the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and turning it into more plant matter,” Sajja said.
The scientists behind the project beg to differ. Dr. Peter Vöhringer from the Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry of the University of Bonn said the study could possibly change theories about greenhouse gas extraction.
“Our findings have the potential to fundamentally change ideas about how to extract the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to produce important chemical products,” Vöhringer said.
A substantial amount of research is still needed to stabilize this project, but the scientists said they're excited to see where it leads them.
For more information on the concept and the project visit https://www.uni-bonn.de/news/071-2018.
