IIT Guwahati Develops Eco-Friendly Method to Convert Methane and CO2 into Biofuels
Using a creative biological approach, a group of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers have developed greener biofuels from dangerous greenhouse gases including methane and carbon dioxide. Published in the esteemed journal Fuel by Elsevier, this ground-breaking study presents a viable answer to two of the most important environmental issues facing the planet: the depletion of fossil fuels resources and climate change.
Under the direction of Prof. Debasish Das and Dr. Krishna Kalyani Sahoo from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, the study is on how we might simultaneously solve the worldwide energy crisis and lessen the effect of greenhouse gases. A key cause of climate change is methane, up to thirty times more strong than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming potential. Conversely, the running out of fossil fuels calls for the immediate search for substitute, renewable energy sources.
Energy-intensive, costly, and can result in negative byproducts are conventional ways to convert methane and carbon dioxide into fuel. Still, this new study used a more environmentally friendly methodology. To create bio-methanol, a renewable biofuel, the team transforms methane and carbon dioxide using Methylosinus trichosporium, a species of bacterium sometimes known as methanotrophic bacteria. This approach is far more energy-efficient since it runs at mild temperatures, generates no hazardous waste, and does not call for costly catalysts.
Two important phases comprise the process. First, biomass derived from bacteria is produced using methane collected. The biomass then is turned into methanol from carbon dioxide, a greener substitute for fossil fuels. The team used cutting-edge engineering methods to increase the solubility of gases, therefore greatly raising the methanol yield and so making the process even more efficient.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions could be much affected by this research. One of the most fascinating features of this approach, as Prof. Debasish Das notes, is that it eliminates the typical problem of "food vs. fuel" that standard biofuels bring about. This approach employs greenhouse gases, which are detrimental to the environment, therefore benefiting even if traditional biofuels depend on crops like maize or sugarcane, which can compete with food production.
Apart from being ecologically benign, this method is also reasonably economical. The cheap nature of the utilised bacteria for the research makes the technique economically feasible for the future since it uses less energy than conventional chemical techniques.
The findings of the IIT Guwahati team reveals that a practical and sustainable substitute for fossil fuels are biofuels derived from waste gases including methane and carbon dioxide. With this discovery, they have significantly advanced towards tackling some of the most pressing issues confronting our earth today.
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