Turning CO2 into oxygen: Scientists change carbon dioxide to ethanol using the sun - TomoNews

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA — Scientists at the Berkeley Lab in California have developed technology that can convert carbon dioxide into ethanol using sunlight.The research was published in the journal, Energy & Environmental Science. The study employed low amounts of solar energy in a copper-silver nanocoral cathode to produce the ethanol. “Reducing CO2 to a hydrocarbon end product like ethanol or ethylene can take up to 5 volts, start to finish,” explained the study’s lead author Gurudayal in a Berkeley Lab news release. “Our system reduced that by half while maintaining the selectivity of products.”