Canadian researchers produce ethylene from waste CO2

In Canada, group of researchers, led by the University of Toronto Ted Sargent group, just published results using waste CO2 to produce plastic.

Using the Canadian Light Source and a new technique exclusive to the facility, they were able to pinpoint the conditions that convert CO2 to ethylene most efficiently. Ethylene, in turn, is used to make polyethylene, whose annual global production is around 80 million tons.

At the heart of this work is the carbon dioxide reduction reaction, wherein CO₂ is converted into other chemicals through the use of an electrical current and a chemical reaction, aided by a catalyst.