Turning CO2 into an eco-friendly resource

A new Australian research initiative based at The University of Queensland (UQ) could see carbon dioxide becoming a useful resource in the production of fuels and chemicals.

Dubbed ‘GETCO₂’, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide is a $45 million, seven-year collaboration between seven Australian universities alongside industry and government. It is being led by Professor Xiwang Zhang within UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering.

“With electrochemical conversion, CO₂ is transformed from being the biggest problem of our time to a valuable resource,” Zhang said.

“We’ve assembled world-leading experts with strong connections to industry along with talented early-career researchers.”

A GETCO₂ team has already built a device that generates electricity by absorbing CO₂. Zhang and Dr Zhuyuan Wang are finalists for the 2024 Eureka Prize for Innovative Research in Sustainability for their work on this device — a small, proof-of-concept nanogenerator that is carbon negative as it consumes greenhouse gas.

“Imagine in the future a device like this powering a mobile phone or a laptop computer using CO₂ from the atmosphere,” Zhang said.

“On a larger scale, this technology could integrate with an industrial CO₂ capture process to make electricity.

“It is very exciting, and we will keep developing this technology and many others at GETCO₂.”

The centre was officially launched on 30 July 2024 by Assistant Minister for Education Senator Anthony Chisholm.

Image credit: iStock.com/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn