Removing carbon dioxide gases from the atmosphere to reduce global warming and converting them into green energy is at the heart of a cutting edge research project.
Professor Ajayan Vinu, whose research into nanoporous carbon nitride is creating excitement among environmental scientists troubled by the rapid progression to critical global warming, will lead the Future Industries Institute at the University of South Australia to solve this problem, PhysOrg reported.
Globally recognized for his work the emerging field of nanoporous materials, Vinu’s research into carbon nitrides has found that they have just the right properties to support the capture and conversion of CO2 molecules.
“Their interesting properties — a semiconducting framework structure and ordered pores — make them exciting candidates for the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide molecules into methanol which can then be used as a source of green energy with the help of sunlight and water,” Vinu said.
He said his goal is to develop this unique approach which has the potential to make a huge contribution to cleaning the environment and addressing one of the world’s greatest environmental challenges, the mitigation of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
“This fascinating material is not only helping in reducing CO2 levels by developing an efficient, low-cost photo electrochemical semiconductor device, but also offers a clean fuel source from the conversion of absorbed CO2 molecules.
“Through a strong multidisciplinary approach and deep collaboration with industries I am sure we can create tangible benefits … to translate the research into real products.”
