Scientists Use Sunlight to Turn H2O & CO2 Into Fuel
Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 11:35AM Using concentrated solar energy to reverse combustion, a research team from Sandia National Laboratories is building a prototype device intended to chemically “reenergize” carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using concentrated solar power. The carbon monoxide could then be used to make hydrogen or serve as a building block to synthesize a liquid combustible fuel, such as methanol or even gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
The prototype device, called the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5, for short), will break a carbon-oxygen bond in the carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and oxygen in two distinct steps. It is a major piece of an approach to converting carbon dioxide into fuel from sunlight.
The Sandia research team calls this approach “Sunshine to Petrol” (S2P). “Liquid Solar Fuel” is the end product — the methanol, gasoline, or other liquid fuel made from water and the carbon monoxide produced using solar energy.
Read More: http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/sunshine.html
Stan
Michael Watkins made a great point about this story. It’s from two years ago. Here is an update to the story: http://gas2.org/2009/11/26/scientists-make-fuel-from-co2-emissions-and-sunlight
Alternative Energy, fual in Solar, Water 
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Reader Comments (2)
The PR is from 2007 and claims to be ready "early next year"; so it has been over a year since the trials ought to have started. Is there a follow up?
Good catch Michael. Didn't even noticed the older date. Thanks.
Here is an update on the story:
http://gas2.org/2009/11/26/scientists-make-fuel-from-co2-emissions-and-sunlight