Compact solar reactor converts CO₂ into biofuel

© Teemu Leinonen, LUT

Three teams of Finnish and German researchers have developed a device capable of producing high-quality biofuel by converting carbon dioxide from the air via a compact solar reactor named Soletair. The first component of the device extracts the CO₂; the second, an electrolysis unit, produces hydrogen from water by means of solar energy; and the third, a chemical reactor, converts the CO₂ and hydrogen into liquid fuels. A demo version of the system will be presented at a conference this year at Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland. It could be used as a refuelling station for vehicles that run on hydrogen and natural gas.