Originally published @ 3:30 pm, Fri 24th Dec 2010
The Guardian is reporting an article in the Science journal that talks about focussing sunlight into a hot point over cerium metal to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and hydrogen - and hydrogen can be used as a fuel.
Excellent news, done a disservice by the Guardian web-site which then mentions the concept of a reactor alongside another link to a story about mini nuclear power plants the size of garden shed. I mean, give it a chance.
But it's a nice story cos the cerium acts as a catalyst and so doesn't need replacing; and a hydrogen is a combustable gas that can be managed as a liquid fuel so the idea is an indication of being able to mitigate peak fuel. (I'm not quite sure whether it's good for global warming (emits fewer greenhouse gases that burning petrol) or just neutral (can't remember if carbon monoxide traps infra-red emitted by the Earth)).
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