In West Virginia, West Virginia University (WVU) reported that a group of the university’s researchers have taken the first steps toward developing technology that can capture carbon dioxide in the air and use it for eco-friendly manufacturing of methanol.
The process they have begun modeling — which involves pulling air from buildings — could increase the sustainable supply of methanol, the university said.
The Phase I project is supported by $400,000 in U.S. Department of Energy funding.
“We’re working toward a highly integrated and optimized process with state-of-the-art technologies for direct air capture, electrolysis and methanol synthesis that will lead to cost-efficient production of green methanol that’s more than 99.7% pure,” said project lead Xingbo Liu, who serves as professor, associate dean for research and chair of engineering at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
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