Researchers at a number of universities around the world, including Oxford, have turned their gaze away from purely developing alternative energy generation techniques to actively finding ways to “consume” carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere and convert it to fuel-friendly carbon monoxide. The principle energy element envisioned in driving this reaction is sunlight itself, and by effectively channeling its visible energy into collectors it is expected to provide an ongoing, inexpensive reactor much akin to solar cells currently do.

The primary limiting factor in effectively utilizing the sun as an energy source in breaking apart carbon dioxide lies in finding a suitable medium to act as a catalyst. Already researchers have had success in exciting carbon dioxide molecules using a titanium base, however at the same time the process has proven extremely inefficient due to the energy lost through the titanium. Instead a group of researchers is currently looking at either finding or genetically developing a microorganism capable of metabolizing carbon dioxide on its own and help to clean the atmosphere. Since photosynthetic microorganisms (much like this envisioned one will be to effectively use the sun to metabolize the CO2) utilize quantum physics to maintain up to 99% energy conversion and transfer ratios this means that a creature working to process the reaction already developed in laboratories at a cellular level could perhaps help rid the atmosphere of any excess greenhouse gases present.

There are, of course, a few concerns about this. One of the primary ones facing researches looking into this project is the “over-cleaning” of the atmosphere. Should they successfully develop a microorganism that can metabolize CO2 effectively and reproduce to clean more and more exponentially the end result could easily be a CO2 deficiency which could have major implications on the planet’s ecology. Alternatively carbon dioxide is also poisonous to most animals and if excess CO gas is put into the atmosphere this could mean yet another threat to both human and animal health.

Nevertheless the potential benefits of such a development are profound, and while the risks may be great in some ways at the same time so are the potential benefits. Not only could the successful development of this CO2 cleaning organism but it could also naturally produce a usable fuel source (as carbon monoxide is a primary ingredient in many liquid fuels such as methanol) to help offset our current fossil fuel usage. This could potentially effectively mean the re-stabilization of the global environment as well as the opening up of a new biofuel source at the same time – yet only if development is successful and handled appropriately.