24 May 2021 14:39 GMT
Updated
24 May 2021 14:39 GMT
in
Singapore
Researchers from Shell and the National University of Singapore (NUS) will jointly develop processes to use carbon dioxide to produce fuels and chemicals for the energy industry.
This three-year, S$4.6 million (US$3.4 million) research programme, supported by Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF), aims to electrochemically produce ethanol and n-propanol from CO
2 — a by-product of industrial processes that is commonly released into the atmosphere.
The research could help reduce carbon emissions and their impact on the environment.
Ethanol and n-propanol can be blended with gasoline to deliver cleaner-burning fuels. They can further be dehydrated to produce, respectively, ethylene and propylene, which are commercially important molecules used in producing polymers that go into products such as medical equipment and houseware items.