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Scientists have created fuel from thin air and sunlight for the first time, paving the way for the production of carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuels.
Researchers called their discovery 'an important milestone' that could ultimately help decarbonise the aviation sector, but said a lot of work is still needed to upscale the process.
Aviation and shipping currently contribute to around 8 per cent of total carbon dioxide emissions attributed to human activity.
Innovative: Scientists have created fuel from thin air and sunlight for the first time, paving the way for the production of carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuels. The solar fuel system is pictured
The mini-refinery system produces liquid fuel from air and sunlight. It has three different processes, beginning with capturing carbon dioxide and water from air. These are then fed into the solar reactor, which converts them into a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syngas). Finally, this is converted into numerous different hydrocarbons, such as methanol
The mini-refinery system works by first capturing carbon dioxide and water from the air.
These are then fed into a solar reactor
