We had much earlier reported on Singapore's Carbon Dioxide recycling developments, but this report provides more detail.
The excerpt:
| "Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Methanol with Silanes over N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysts |
| Siti Nurhanna Riduan, Yugen Zhang, Dr., Jackie Y. Ying, Prof. |
| Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, Singapore 138669, Fax: (+65) 6478-9020 |
This work was supported by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (Biomedical Research Council, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore).
Abstract:
| Activate and reduce: Carbon dioxide was reduced with silane using a stable N-heterocyclic carbene organocatalyst to provide methanol under very mild conditions. Dry air can serve as the feedstock, and the organocatalyst is much more efficient than transition-metal catalysts for this reaction. This approach offers a very promising protocol for chemical CO2 activation and fixation." In this case, it appears the researchers are relying in a Hydrogen-donor solvent, silane, to supply the needed Hydrogen for the hydrogenation of CO2, as WVU relies, in the West Virginia Process, on the solvent tetralin to supply Hydrogen for the liquefaction of coal. The point of this, Mike, as we have previously documented, is that CO2 can be extracted in a practical way from the atmosphere itself, and recycled, in economical, i.e. "very mild", ways into the versatile liquid fuel, and gasoline and organic chemical precursor, Methanol. We don't have to tax, through Cap and Trade, our coal industries out of business because we're afraid of something that, if we applied ourselves to the task, would prove to be a quite valuable by-product of our coal use. |