Researchers at the University of Nottingham have built a solar reactor that runs on sunlight and converts CO2 and biomass waste into useful chemicals without needing grid power. The device uses a dual chamber design. In one chamber, sunlight hits a photoanode made of carbon nitride and tungsten oxide to process HMFA from wood and agricultural waste, producing a monomer for biodegradable plastics with 95 percent efficiency. The electrons released in that reaction move to the second chamber and turn CO2 into formate, a formic acid derivative. The reactor uses common materials instead of precious metals like platinum or iridium, which keeps costs low. The team says the carbon footprint of the device is near zero. If scaled up, modular units could sit next to factories or farms and convert emissions and waste into saleable products on site. The technology is still at the lab stage but could become a practical tool for industrial carbon capture and utilization.
