Singaporean researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have devised a way to convert carbon dioxide into clean-burning biofuel methanol, using a safe, non-toxic process. Has mankind defeated the final boss of Global Warming?


This scientific discovery was printed in the renowned chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, who deemed the breakthrough as "very important." According to Gizmag, "scientists have been able to make carbon dioxide react with a stable organocatalyst called N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) under mild conditions in dry air." After that, a dash of silica and a touch of hydrogen are added in, where the entire mixture is subjected to hydrolysis to produce the methanol.

The most promising part is that this NHC is a supposedly abundant gas. So here's hoping we actually see this move past the idea stage. [Gizmag]