Closing the carbon cycle: how to make sustainable fuels and products

Abstract

Fossils fuels are still our main source of carbon, which is not only utilized as one of the major sources of energy but as the main component of many materials around us. To aid future sustainable development, we need to reimagine the carbon cycle and create a circular economy by defossilizing the areas that will continue to need carbon. In our Institute, we address these issues by devolping carbon alternatives based on solar fuels, and by improving our ability to reuse carbon through waste upcycling and synthetic design of renewable materials. Here, we will share our most recent results on light driven H2 production and CO2 reduction. Examples will include devices based on Cu2O [1] and ZnTe for CO2 reduction, and perovskite photocathodes for both H2 productioon and CO2 reduction [2].