STEP as a Comprehensive Chemical Solution to Mitigate Climate Change Researchers are vying to use renewable energy to convert CO2 out of the air to fuel and other products [1]. STEP, or the solar thermal electrochemical process, has been developed by the Licht group as a chemical solution to mitigate climate change [2-6], a variety of STEP chemistries have been described. STEP converts atmospheric carbon dioxide to a valuable commodity carbon nanofibers (google “diamonds from the sky”) [4]. STEP can utilize sunlight to synthesize a broad range of societal staples without carbon dioxide emission, and uses the full spectrum of sunlight and hence is more efficient than the most efficient solar cells. STEP explores unusual chemistries, such as the efficient electrolysis of CO2 to carbon nanofibers, the conversion of iron ore (iron oxide) to iron metal in molten carbonates, the conversion of limestone (calcium carbonate) to lime (calcium oxide for cement), and the conversion of air (nitrogen and water vapor) to ammonia for fertilizer, and the conversion of water and carbon dioxide to fuels. In each case, the electrolyses are conducted at high temperature, which decreases the energy required to form the commodity. Today in industry each of these chemistries is energy intensive and has a massive carbon footprint. Here, these commodities are produced without a carbon dioxide emission or (in the case of the carbon nanofiber production) by consuming CO2. [1] Service, Robert, "Tailpipe to tank," Science, 349, 1158 (2015). [2] "STEP: A solar chemical process to end anthropogenic global warming," Licht, Journal of Physical Chemistry, C, 113, 16283 (2009). [3] "Efficient Solar-Driven Synthesis, Carbon Capture, and Desalinization, STEP" Licht, Adv. Mat., 47, 5592 (2011). [4] "Ammonia synthesis by N2 and steam electrolysis," Licht, Cui, Wang, Li, Lau, Lui, Science, 345, 637 (2014). [5] "Sungas instead of syngas: Efficient co-production of CO and H2 from a single beam of sunlight," Li, Lau, Licht, Adv. Science, 2, 1500260 (2015). [6] "One-pot synthesis of carbon nanofibers from CO2," Ren, Li, Lau, Gonzalez-Urbina, Licht, Nano Letters, 15, 6142 (2015). [7] "A one-pot synthesis of H2 & carbon fuels from H2O & CO2" Li, Liu, Cui, Lau, Stuart, Licht, Adv. Energy Mat., 7, 140179 (2015). [8] "The minimum electrolytic energy needed to convert CO2 by electrolysis," Ren, Lau, Lefler, Licht, J. Phys. Chem. C, 10.1021/jpcc.5b07026 (2015).

STEP as a chemical solution to miticlimate change

251st National Meeting (2016)

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