By IANS
Washington : A US scientist has come up with an innovative idea to cut down on global warming and slough off million of tonnes of carbon from industrial smokestacks for productive use.
The procured carbon could be the raw material for a vast quantity of polycarbonates, required every year for the manufacture of DVDs, beverage bottles, car headlights, eyeglass lenses and other consumables.
“Using carbon dioxide to create (much cheaper) polycarbonates might not solve the total carbon dioxide problem, but it could be a significant contribution,” said Thomas Müller of the Centre for Catalysis during a presentation at the American Chemical Society Tuesday.
“And it’s a very cheap starting material. If we can replace more expensive starting materials with carbon dioxide, then you’ll have an economic driving force.” Müller and Toshiyasu Sakakura described how these processes offer consumers the potential for less expensive, safer and greener products compared to current methods.
Sakakura is from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Japan.
Scientists from Japan also reported using carbon dioxide as an alternative feedstock to change carbonates and urethanes into plastics and also battery components.