GettyA scientist has just figured out a way to potentially stop global warming, which could effectively save the planet and all of us with it.
The level of CO2 in the atmosphere is at an all time high apparently, so any advancements to help prevent our impending doom at the hands of greenhouse gases would be greatly appreciated.
And help may be at hand thanks to Professor Fernando Uribe-Romo!
According to Eureka Alert, the professor of chemistry at the University Florida has now found a way to purify the air and create energy, miraculously, all at the same time.
His potentially life-changing method involves triggering the process of photosynthesis artificially, which means greenhouse gases can be turned into clean, fresh air as well as creating energy in the process.
So in this way, it means two birds can be hypothetically killed with one stone, as it could reduce Co2 in the atmosphere while also providing a clean energy source.
Uribe-Romo behind said:
This work is a breakthrough.
Tailoring materials that will absorb a specific colour of light is very difficult from the scientific point of view, but from the societal point of view we are contributing to the development of a technology that can help reduce greenhouse gases.
Scientists have apparently been trying for years to nail the winning reaction to give them their desired results, but it seems, this professor has now got in the bag.
Prior to the Uribe-Romo’s breakthrough, scientists battled to find a suitable light source for the task- here’s where it gets really sciency – but he discovered adding organic molecules to titanium provides the desired result.
To see if his theory was right his team created a catchily named ‘LED photoreactor’ – which sounds a bit like something out of Back To The Future – to put his ideas into practice.
They then added in carbon dioxide to see if the fake photosynthesis reaction would take place.
YouTube/University Central FloridaHe said:
The goal is to continue to fine-tune the approach so we can create greater amounts of reduced carbon so it is more efficient.
Now the professor is hoping other varieties of light can be used to create this same reaction and potentially save our dying planet.
He added:
The idea would be to set up stations that capture large amounts of CO2, like next to a power plant.
The gas would be sucked into the station, go through the process and recycle the greenhouse gases while producing energy that would be put back into the power plant.
Here’s a video explaining his work:
Thankfully we have Professors like Uribe-Romo, slaving away in laboratories to try and create a cleaner, brighter future for us all.
Fingers crossed it all pays off!
