Researchers create fuel from greenhouse gas

Engineers at the University of Cincinnati have developed a method of creating fuel using greenhouse gases. The process has the potential to be able to create fuel both here on Earth and on Mars. If the process can be perfected, it could prove to be exactly what NASA needs to provide fuel for rockets and other uses on the surface of Mars for future human missions.

Researchers used a carbon catalyst and reactor to convert carbon dioxide into methane. The reaction harnessed is known as the "Sabatier reaction," getting its name from a late French chemist named Paul Sabatier. Interestingly, that process is already used by NASA on the ISS to remove carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts from the air and convert it into rocket fuel for use by the space station's thrusters.

Since the atmosphere of Mars is almost entirely carbon dioxide, researchers believe astronauts living and working on the surface of the Red Planet could generate half the fuel needed to return home. Being able to generate fuel on the surface of Mars would significantly reduce how much fuel has to be carried from Earth. By reducing the weight of fuel that has to be carried to Mars from Earth, astronauts can carry more food, water, and scientific equipment.

Here on Earth, the process holds the potential of capturing greenhouse gases from the air to help fight climate change while creating a fuel source that could be used for other means. In the laboratory, the engineers are experimenting with various catalysts for the reaction, including graphene quantum dots, searching for ways to increase the methane yield.

Improvements in the process have been made over the last decade, which has resulted in a conversion process 100 times more productive than when first discovered. The team has also worked with catalysts to produce different types of fuel, including ethylene. Ethylene is particularly important because it's a chemical used to create various products, including plastic and rubber.