Archive · 9 Jan 2026
IIT-G Develops Sunlight-Driven Catalyst for CO2 to Methanol
Scientists at IIT Guwahati have created a special material that uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide, a gas that harms the environment, into methanol, a cleaner fuel.
This new technology could help factories and power plants reduce their pollution.
The researchers mixed two materials together to make the catalyst work better and last longer.
They found that adding a small amount of graphene, a type of carbon, made the catalyst the most effective.
The next step is to make this technology big enough to use in real-world situations, like converting the CO2 from factories into clean fuels.
IIT Guwahati researchers developed a photocatalytic material to convert CO2 into methanol using sunlight.
The technology combines graphitic carbon nitride with few-layer graphene to improve efficiency and stability.
The catalyst with 15 weight percentage graphene showed the most efficient conversion of CO2 to methanol.
Potential applications include thermal power plants, cement manufacturing, steel production, and petrochemical refineries.
The research aims to scale the technology for practical use in converting industrial CO2 emissions into clean fuels.
- Who
- Researchers at IIT Guwahati
- What
- Developed a photocatalytic material to convert CO2 into methanol using sunlight
- When
- Not specified
- Where
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati
- Why
- To address environmental challenges and meet rising energy needs without further harming the environment
- Institution
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati
- Journal
- Journal of Materials Science
- Catalyst Material
- Graphitic carbon nitride with few-layer graphene
- Optimal Graphene Percentage
- 15 weight percentage
- Potential Applications
- Thermal power plants, cement manufacturing, steel production, petrochemical refineries