New tech uses sunlight to produce solar syngas

  • Gas
  • February 24, 2025

Scientists from the University of Cambridge in the UK have developed a reactor that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air and converts it into syngas using sunlight as the power source.

A form of direct air capture (DAC), the scientists say that the process could be used to make fuel to power cars and planes, or chemicals and pharmaceutical products, without relying on fossil fuels.

The reactor offers an alternative approach to CO2 management, as carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains energy-intensive and faces long-term storage challenges. While CCS is getting lots of funding from governments around the world, its viability and safety remain topics of debate.

Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research, argued in releasing the findings that CCS alone is not a long-term solution, as it in the fossil fuel value chain – “which is what caused the climate crisis in the first place.”

… to continue reading this article and more, please login, register for free, or consider subscribing to gasworld

   

  • Related Posts

    • Gas
    • April 17, 2026
    Podcast | UK CO2 shortages: what’s the story?

    The 1895 Podcast The 1895 Podcast is a content-driven podcast for the global industrial gases business, bringing together topical news, views and analysis of the stories that matter in the…

    • Gas
    • April 17, 2026
    Laser processing lifts MOF carbon capture performance by 75%, says research team

    By 45 min ago 3 min read Researchers in South Korea have reported a carbon capture development using laser-based processing to enhance the performance of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class…

    Have You Seen?

    Iran Says Hormuz Strait Now Completely Open

    • April 17, 2026
    Iran Says Hormuz Strait Now Completely Open

    Podcast | UK CO2 shortages: what’s the story?

    • April 17, 2026
    Podcast | UK CO2 shortages: what’s the story?

    Laser processing lifts MOF carbon capture performance by 75%, says research team

    • April 17, 2026
    Laser processing lifts MOF carbon capture performance by 75%, says research team

    Oil Falls by Over 10% After Iran FM Declares Strait of Hormuz Open

    • April 17, 2026
    Oil Falls by Over 10% After Iran FM Declares Strait of Hormuz Open

    First Crude Cargo Clears Hormuz Since U.S. Blockade Began

    • April 17, 2026
    First Crude Cargo Clears Hormuz Since U.S. Blockade Began

    Tanker Fleet Heads to Load U.S. Oil as Middle East Supply Crumbles

    • April 17, 2026
    Tanker Fleet Heads to Load U.S. Oil as Middle East Supply Crumbles

    India Pays in Yuan for Iranian Oil Purchases Under U.S. Waiver

    • April 17, 2026
    India Pays in Yuan for Iranian Oil Purchases Under U.S. Waiver

    French refuelling firm orders $7m of Nel electrolysers

    • April 17, 2026
    French refuelling firm orders $7m of Nel electrolysers

    Video | Geopolitics, depletion and demand: the pressures on helium supply

    • April 17, 2026
    Video | Geopolitics, depletion and demand: the pressures on helium supply

    Japan researchers find nitrogen may hold key to low heat carbon capture

    • April 17, 2026
    Japan researchers find nitrogen may hold key to low heat carbon capture