Advanced materials for global carbon dioxide recycling

CO2 emission increase inducing global Warming occurs mostly with the growth of the economic activity. Global CO recycling can prevent global warming a nd supply abundant renewable energy. Global CO2 recycling consists of three district. The electricity is generated by solar cells on deserts. At coast s close to the deserts, the electricity is used for hydrogen production by seawater electrolysis and hydrogen is used for methane production by the re action with CO2. Methane (CH4) is liquefied and transported to energy consu ming districts where after CH4 is used as a fuel CO2 is recovered, liquefie d anti transported to the coasts close to the deserts, Ii;ey materials nece ssary for the global CO2 recycling are the anode and cathode for seawater e lectrolysis and the catalyst for CO2 conversion All uf them have been tailo red by us. amorphous and nanocrystalline nickel alloys are active cathodes for hydrogen production in seawater electrolysis. Anodically deposited nano crystalline Mn-Mo and Mn-W oxides are the unique substance which can evolve oxygen with 100% efficiency without evolving chlorine in seawater electrol ysis. Amorphous Ni-Zr alloys ale excellent precursors of catalysts for conv ersion of CO2 into CH4 by the reaction with hydrogen at 1 atm. A prototype CO2 recycling plant to supply clean energy preventing global warming has be en built on the roof of our Institute (IMR) in 1996 using these key materia ls and has been operating successfully, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All lights reserved.