Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://www.popsci.com/environment/aircela-gasoline-machine/ "captures CO2 directly from atmosphere/ converts to gasoline without sulfur, ethanol, heavy metals... 3 large blue hexagonal units: 2 side by side on bottom/ 1 stacked on top, gasoline nozzle at back... captures 10 kg CO2 per/ day, producing 1 gallon of gasoline, tank stores 17 gallons fuel... less costly small size means it will be faster to scale down for individual car owners/ scale up for larger clients... production expected fall 2025" Related: Prometheus produces liquid e-fuels combining solar electricity with CO2 captured from air https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250910077325/en/Prometheus-Powers-AI-With-Fuel-Made-From-Air China Start-Up Claims Breakthrough In Making Fuel From Air And Water https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/china-start-up-claims-breakthrough-in-making-fuel-from-air-and-water-11229057

https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/developing_the_inherent_functionality_of_highly_pure_porous_organic_polymers.html "soak up harmful pollutants, boast high thermal/ chemical stability... overcomes metal impurities decreasing porosity, using iodine as oxidant minimizing residual impurities, then washing out iodine and remaining impurities with ethanol after synthesis... results in pure polytriphenylamine derivatives with high specific surface area... carbon capture, energy storage, fuel cells, proton conductivity/ gas adsorption accompanied by gate-opening phenomenon" Related: Novel silica aerogel for efficient carbon emission reduction https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1089013 Fiber technology achieves high-purity CO₂ capture with smartphone-level power consumption https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-fiber-technology-high-purity-capture.html#google_vignette Membraneless process and flow battery promise cheaper, greener carbon capture https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08...

https://decarbonfuse.com/posts/fighting-climate-change-with-used-gas-syzygy-plasmonics-and-rti-achieve-breakthrough-in-co2-to-fuel-conversion "can be used in existing engines... utilizes light-driven reactors converting captured exhaust into syngas fed into Fischer-Tropsch unit, refining into aviation fuel, diesel, gasoline, methanol... scalable large-scale CO2-to-Fuel plants" Related: Swiss scientists are making jet fuel from sunlight and air https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/12/swiss-scientist-jet-fuel-aviation-sunlight-air/ Carbon dioxide, the main culprit of global warming, reborn as an antioxidant substance https://phys.org/news/2024-05-carbon-dioxide-main-culprit-global.html New study offers a cleaner path for controlling water, transforming greenhouse gases https://phys.org/news/2024-05-cleaner-path-greenhouse-gases.html New sulfur-free catalyst enables efficient green diesel production https://phys.org/news/2024-05-sulfur-free-catalyst-enables-efficient.html Resear...

https://phys.org/news/2024-04-comprehensive-unravels-quantum-mechanical-effects.html "focused laser beams at 13 - 40 nm gold films, emanating photoluminescence, enabled production 1st quantitative model phenomenon in 2D gold, applicable to any metal... exactly where photoluminescence process occurred, prerequisite for the metal's use as probe, including of material's own surface temperature...  batteries, CO2 reduction back into carbon-based solar fuels"

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-proof-concept-nanogenerator-sustainable-power.html "industrial  polyamine gel absorbs CO 2,,  skeleton 2D boron nitrate generates positive (large size) and negative (smaller) ions  moving at different speeds, generating diffusion current amplified into electricity to power light bulbs or any electronic device...  ion transportation more efficient than electron transportation...  embedded in  90% water  hydrogel cut into 4-cm disks and small rectangles used in small box pumped full of CO 2 "

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientist-discover-how-to-convert-co2-into-powder-that-can-be-stored-for-decades/ "exposed CO2 to catalysts and then electrolysis forming sodium formate powder... highly efficient conversion... does not corrode storage tanks... also designed a refrigerator-sized fuel cell that uses a liquefied version of the stored power... more promising than hydrogen (storage problems) and methanol (toxic fumes)... homes, heavy industry" Related: Revolutionary breakthrough: Engineers turn carbon dioxide into endless energy source https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/revolutionary-breakthrough-engineers-turn-carbon-dioxide-into-endless-energy-source/ CO2 turned into fuel: Japan’s scientists convert captured carbon into green fuel https://interestingengineering.com/energy/co2-turned-into-fuel-japan Chemical engineers provide new insights in CO₂ conversion with electricity https://phys.org/news/2024-09-chemical-insights-conversion-electric...

https://newatlas.com/energy/rondo-heat-battery-brick-toaster/ "pull heat out 98% efficiency... cheap industrial heat storage... costs one fifth... optimized for low cost, super-fast deployment and scale, and capable holding heat 1,500 °C... cover approximately 80% of industrial heat requirements globally. Down the track, using more expensive heaters and brick materials chosen for the purpose, he says it's possible to hit 1,800 °C (3,272 °F) or so, which brings steelmaking into range, and would cover somewhere around 92% of industrial use cases" Related: Saudi oil giant Aramco and thermal energy storage firm Rondo in GW-scale deployment MOU https://www.energy-storage.news/saudi-oil-giant-aramco-and-thermal-energy-storage-firm-rondo-in-gw-scale-deployment-mou/ Decarbonizing heavy industry with thermal batteries https://news.mit.edu/2024/electrified-thermal-decarbonizes-heavy-industry-with-thermal-batteries-112

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2022/09/molten-carbonate-high-temperature-fuel-cells-getting-to-scale.html "capture CO2 from a power plant’s flue gas while generating additional electricity from natural gas, coal, or other fuels... MCFC and afterburner ranked highest in terms of exergy destruction (93.12 MW and 22.4 MW, respectively). The tri-objective optimization findings also reveal that the most optimal solution point has an exergy efficiency of 59.5%, a total cost rate of 11.7 ($/gigajoule), and CO2 emission of 0.58 ton/MWh" Related: Researchers construct uneven phosphoric acid interfaces for advanced high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells https://phys.org/news/2023-02-uneven-phosphoric-acid-interfaces-advanced.html How a record-breaking copper catalyst converts carbon dioxide into liquid fuels https://phys.org/news/2023-02-record-breaking-copper-catalyst-carbon-dioxide.html Researchers lift curtain on key feature of interfacial electrochemistry https://phys.org/n...

https://today.uic.edu/a-breakthrough-discovery-in-carbon-capture-conversion-for-ethylene-production/ "current passed through cell, half filled with captured carbon dioxide, other half with water-based solution... electrified catalyst draws charged hydrogen atoms from water molecules into other half of unit separated by membrane, where they combine with charged carbon atoms from carbon dioxide to form ethylene... ethylene ranks third for carbon emissions after ammonia and cement... plastic products for packaging, agricultural and automotive industries, antifreeze, medical sterilizers and vinyl siding" Relaated: New hybrid catalyst could help decarbonization and make ethylene production more sustainable https://phys.org/news/2023-01-hybrid-catalyst-decarbonization-ethylene-production.html Novel sustainable electrochemical method converts carbon dioxide into carbonaceous materials https://phys.org/news/2023-05-sustainable-electrochemical-method-carbon-dioxide.html Graphyte annou...

https://today.uic.edu/stackable-artificial-leaf-uses-less-power-than-lightbulb-to-capture-100-times-more-carbon-than-other-systems "organic solvent attaches to available carbon dioxide to produce a concentration of bicarbonate, or baking soda, on the membrane.... 3.3 millimoles per hour per 4 square centimeters. This is more than 100 times better than other systems, even though only a moderate amount of electricity (0.4 KJ/hour) was needed to power the reaction... cost at $145 per ton of carbon dioxide, which is in line with recommendations... cost should not exceed around $200 per ton" Related: Scientists unveil least costly carbon capture system to date https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-scientists-unveil-carbon-capture-date.html Researchers capture carbon more effectively with new catalyst design https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-capture-carbon-effectively-catalyst.html A new approach to waste incineration removes CO2 from the atmosphere https://techxplore.com/news/2023...

https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/supercritical-carbon-dioxide-could-boost-concentrated-solar-plant-efficiency-by-more-than-10 "up to 720 °C and 275 bar... a fraction of the size of conventional turbomachinery... can increase the efficiency of a CSP plant by as much as 10 percentage points... The high efficiency of the sCO2 cycle also allows the turbomachinery to have a smaller footprint—it is 1/20th the size of a standard steam turbine" Related: Stackable artificial leaf uses less power than lightbulb to capture 100 times more carbon than other systems https://today.uic.edu/stackable-artificial-leaf-uses-less-power-than-lightbulb-to-capture-100-times-more-carbon-than-other-systems Scientists committed a breakthrough in the production of clean and cheap energy https://ecofriendlytime.com/en/28080-scientists-committed-a-breakthrough-in-the-production-of-clean-and-cheap-energy/ 'We've got the power': Brayton cycle technology test delivers electricity to the g...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246802572100162X?via%3Dihub "As a practical demonstration, CO2 mixed with N2 is successfully separated through this light-controlled carbon capture and storage (CCS) system, which offers great promise for CO2 capture and enrichment with applicability across a wide range of scales... Unlike software approaches, this hardware approach guarantees correct, software-artefact-free results. CMOS-compatible" Related: Artificial starch from CO2. Ground breaking new tech could reduce land and water use by 90% https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2SsheLN1t8 Elkem to test first carbon capture pilot for silicon smelters https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/10/20211025-elkem.html Turning CO2 into rock? ADNOC announces partners for unique project https://www.oilandgasmiddleeast.com/news/turning-co2-into-rock-adnoc-announces-partners-for-unique-project More efficient electrodes for carbon dioxide recycling https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-ef...

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/net-power-delivers-electricity-to-grid-in-major-technological-breakthrough-301425894.html "combusts natural gas with oxygen, instead of air, and uses supercritical carbon dioxide as a working fluid to drive a turbine instead of steam. NET Power does not produce any nitrogen oxides (NOX), sulfur oxides (SOX) or particulate pollution, and the remaining CO2 is pipeline-quality to either be safely stored in underground geologic formations or utilized for industrial processes... projects have been publicly announced in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom" Company website:   https://netpower.com/technology/ See also: Satellites discover huge amounts of undeclared methane emissions https://www.space.com/satellites-discover-huge-undeclared-methane-emissions Related: New Gas Mill Powered By Grass Will Power Thousands Of Homes In Reading https://the-energy-consultant.com/news/energy/new-gas-mill-powered-by-grass-will-power-thousan...

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154359/chinese-scientists-hail-breakthrough-could-produce-large "process uses tail gas containing carbon monoxide and dioxide... to create a synthesised cell protein called Clostridium autoethanogenum... the gases go through a series of processes including fermentation, oxidation, distillation and dehydration that converts the nitrogen and carbon into organic material... natural synthesis of proteins... is slow and inefficient, resulting in a low protein content... new process can overcome these barriers and produce a high-protein material in just 22 seconds" Related: Dual-atom platinum–ruthenium catalyst achieves efficient low-temperature CO oxidation https://phys.org/news/2026-02-dual-atom-platinumruthenium-catalyst-efficient.html

https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/making-methane-co2-carbon-capture-grows-more-affordable "new method reduces the materials needed to run the reaction, the energy needed to fuel it and, ultimately, the selling price of the gas" Related: Catalyst study advances carbon-dioxide-to-ethanol conversion https://phys.org/news/2021-09-catalyst-advances-carbon-dioxide-to-ethanol-conversion.html Study explores the degradation mechanisms in Cu2O photoelectrodes for CO2 reduction https://techxplore.com/news/2021-12-explores-degradation-mechanisms-cu2o-photoelectrodes.html Copper Gets Us Closer to Using CO2 Pollution as Fuel https://www.electrochem.org/ecsnews/copper-gets-us-closer-using-co2-pollution-fuel/ Cu/CuNC dual-site interface promotes carbon dioxide electroreduction to ethanol https://phys.org/news/2023-02-cucunc-dual-site-interface-carbon-dioxide.html Researchers prepare ethylene by single-atom catalytic electroreduction of CO2 https://phys.org/news/2023-03-ethylene-single-atom-cat...

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/08/the-case-for-onboard-carbon-dioxide-capture-on-long-range-vehicles/ "...shrinking the fuel chamber as the fuel is used, making space for CO2 in the other chamber." Related: Elon Musk has big plans for turning this greenhouse gas into rocket fuel https://web.archive.org/web/20211220222247/https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a38569598/elon-musk-carbon-dioxide-rocket-fuel/