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In trying to use nanotech to make a catalyst for fuel, scientists have inadvertently created an electrochemical catalyst that helps turn Carbon-Dioxide into ethanol(the type of alcohol that is found in delicious,precious beer) whereas their original goal was to make methanol.
Also included is link to paper http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...201601169/full
From my limited understanding of chemistry, this is, Pardon my french, FUCKING BRILLIANT!!! This catalyst works at room temperature, is made of cheap materials, and has an efficiency of 63-70%, all the key things to make it viable or up-scaling production.
Also given that the primary methods of ethanol production involve using fossil fuels or crops to make en masse means that we now have a potential 3rd option to make this stuff, and we are churning out CO2 like mad bastards.
This quote from Issac Asimov seems apt: "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"
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2016-10-18, 05:59 PM #1Deleted
scientists create alcohol from carbon dioxide...by mistake.
Last edited by mmocc1bcf7bce8; 2016-10-18 at 06:06 PM. Reason: had ethanol written in twice
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2016-10-18, 06:01 PM #2Immortal
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We are just gonna drink climate change away! Quick, pass me a beer!
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2016-10-18, 06:02 PM #3The Insane
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... but there have been power plants doing this for years. Just not in the US.
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shakes, the shakes become a warning.
-Kujako-
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2016-10-18, 06:02 PM #4Immortal
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shh this discovery belongs to us!!!
Originally Posted by Kujako
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2016-10-18, 06:03 PM #5The Insane
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Time to pop down to the pub and order some carbon dioxide with the lads.
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2016-10-18, 06:04 PM #6The Insane
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Well it seems like a new method. But there have been (as an example) power plants that pull carbon from hot springs and converts it to ethanol. But here in the US we have massive legal issues with alcohol based fuels, left over from probation (which was backed by the oil industry) . Originally Posted by Puremallace
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shakes, the shakes become a warning.
-Kujako-
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2016-10-20, 05:10 PM #7Pit Lord
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Reminds me they also discovered penicillin by mistake ^^
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2016-10-20, 05:39 PM #8I am Murloc!
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About 50% of all discoveries are made in such ways. Originally Posted by xindralol
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
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