A team of researchers led by Phillip Christopher, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside's Bourns College of Engineering, demonstrated this—as well as how these catalysts look in action—in a paper published Monday, Sept. 19, in the journal Nature Chemistry.
Titled, "Adsorbate-mediated strong metal-support interactions in oxide-supported Rh catalysts," the paper describes a new approach to dynamically tune how a catalyst operates, enabling the researchers to control and optimize the product made in the reaction. The team, which includes scientists from the University of California, Irvine and Columbia University, also used advanced microscopy and spectroscopy approaches to view the catalyst in action on an atomic scale.
The researchers focused on an important chemical reaction that involves the conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and synthetic natural gas. The benefits of this reaction are two-fold: it offers the potential for the removal of harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the carbon monoxide and natural gas produced can be used as a chemical precursor and fuel, respectively. The team focused on understanding how the catalyst drives the reaction at the atomic scale, which will allow researchers to modify the catalyst's properties to increase efficiency in the reaction.
(Score: 2) by Some call me Tim on Thursday September 22 2016, @03:35AM
Since Governor Moonbat has decreed that cows are the methane enemy in California, perhaps this can be used to make a cattlelytic converter for their farts. It would only be fitting for the people of California to insist that the Governor and all who voted for this stupidity be the ones to install them all. I think the happy California cows will be looking to move out of the state just like a lot of other folks.
Questioning science is how you do science!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 22 2016, @03:40AM
The hipster cows have already migrated to seattle.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 22 2016, @04:17PM
No, this is about catalytic converters. Cowtalytic converters have yet to experience a breakthrough. And let me tell you, these cats aren't too keen on being converted!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 22 2016, @04:48AM
We can swap those around:
The very unnatural "natural gas" (methane?) can be a chemical precursor.
The carbon monoxide can be a fuel. It's been done, and even piped into houses. A mix of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, produced by running steam over coal, was called "town gas" or "water gas" or "synthesis gas".
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday September 22 2016, @12:06PM
Natural gas an methane are generally interchangeable. And it is pretty natural in occurrence.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 22 2016, @12:58PM
Carbon monoxide on tap, how delightfully Victorian!
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday September 22 2016, @06:08PM
Makes you wonder how some people still manage to botch executions all these years later...