Over the past several decades, the Earth has experienced an alarming increase in the levels of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere [1]. This change is primarily due to the industrialization of the world economy, driven by technological advancements in every sector from computing to the automotive industry [2]. Many studies have concluded that carbon dioxide is one of the leading causes of global climate change [2]. When discussing climate change in his paper Ethics and Global Climate Change , Stephen M. Gardiner, Professor of Philosophy at the
University of Washington called this issue “the most serious environmental problem currently facing the world” [3].
The scientific community must join together to find practical solutions that reduce the harms of climate change on our planet. One relatively new form of environmentally-conscious fuel development is especially promising for its dual purpose of environmental clean-up and fuel source. The photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbon fuels will be the focus of our conference paper.
This photocatalytic conversion technology is a process that transforms harmful atmospheric contaminants into a much needed source of energy dense fuel [4]. In theory, this technology ‘kills two birds with one stone’, in terms of saving the environment and supplying clean energy [5]. The photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbon fuels is a process that can be accomplished through two different methods: one method uses the relatively new technology of carbon nanotubes to accomplish this reaction. Gaseous carbon dioxide and water are forced simultaneously through the miniscule carbon structures, which are then flooded with artificial sunlight. Photons at specific wavelengths provide the energy to catalyze the reaction, and the products are methane (CH
4
) and diatomic nitrogen (N
2
) [1]. The second method uses carbon nanoparticles as a catalyst to produce the same result: carbon dioxide
(CO
2
) and the second chemical catalyst, one of a few promising candidates such as titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) [7], are also exposed to sunlight, whose energy forces the reaction [6]. Both of these methods are equally intriguing, and their application would revolutionize how we think about both reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere and creating alternative fuel sources.
We will continue our research by consulting journal and other scholarly articles in online databases and Pitt’s
Engineering Library.
The paper will begin with a detailed explanation of the photocatalytic process along with details on the availability of its products and reactants and where they can be sourced. We will need to look specifically for sources that can provide concrete data about when and where these resources will be available. We will then describe the environmental and economic impact that the reduction of carbon dioxide and the creation of a new fuel source would accomplish for our planet. Because this information is strictly theoretical at this point in time, we will focus our research on publications that theorize rather than report. The paper will ultimately conclude with an analyzation of these methods, comparing them to other technologies currently in development. We believe that this strategy will prove the best in trying to identify the practicality and feasibility of this novel technology.
[1] S. Roy, O. Varghese, M. Paulose, C. Grimes. (2010, Feb. 8,). “Toward Solar Fuels: Photocatalytic Conversion of
Carbon Dioxide to Hydrocarbons.” ACS Publications. (Online Journal
Article). http://pubs.acs.org/doi/ipdf/10.1021/nn9015423
This article, written by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University, outlines the main problems in society today regarding hydrocarbons and the use of non-renewable sources as fuel, including how they harm our atmosphere. It takes this problem and proposes a solution, photocatalytic conversion, and describes the different types of technologies that have recently been discovered to use sunlight to convert common gases into hydrocarbon fuels.
[2] T. Crowley. (2010, July 14,). “Causes of Climate Change Over the Past 1000 Years.” American Association for the Advancement of Science. (Website). http://science.sciencemag.org/content/289/5477/270.full

This article, written by Dr. Thomas J. Crowley, professor of geoscience and climate researcher, describes the definite rise in global temperatures over the past one thousand years, using data and charts to outline the evidence of the unusual temperature rise. It talks about industry and man’s output of greenhouse gases, and how this has caused an overall rise in global temperature. Information from this article will help to outline the main causes of global temperature change and the problems which photocatalytic conversion solves.
[3] S. Gardiner. (2014). “Ethics and Global Climate Change.” Ethics 114(3), 555-600. (Online Article). http://doi.org/10.1086/382247
Written by Stephen M. Gardiner, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington, outlines the ethics behind global climate change. It describes the moral obligation humanity has to recognize this problem and do it’s best to undo what has been done to the atmosphere. The writings of Professor Gardiner will be helpful in answering the question: ‘why are advancements such as photocatalytic converters necessary?’.
[4] K. Bullis. (2013, Dec. 4,). “A Faster and More Efficient Way to Convert Carbon Dioxide into Fuel.” MIT
Technology Review. (Online Article). http://www.technologyreview.com/news/522246/a-faster-and-more-efficientway-to-convert-carbon-dioxide-into-fuel/
Kevin Bullis, senior editor for The MIT Technology Review, details the chemical equation produced by burning hydrocarbons, and the way in which it could be potentially useful to use the reverse reaction. He outlines a few potential catalysts in this reaction, and how, if commercially used, this reaction could potentially be made more economical. This source will be used to describe potential advancements in the new technology.
[5] W. Tu. (2014, July 16,). “Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 into Revewable Hydrocarbon Fuels: State-of-the-
Art Accomplishment, Challenges, Prospects.” Wiley Online Library. (Online Article). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201400087/full
Pulled from an online library, this text details in full the extent of photocatalytic reactions and the conversion of
Carbon Dioxide into renewable fuels. It tells of the reaction’s basic principles, and of the newest designs and engineering behind them. Author Wenguang Tu, Professor in the School of Physics at Nanjing University in China, will help us to accurately portray the way which this process works and the many advancements that have recently taken place.
[6] L. Cao. (2011, Mar. 14,). “Carbon Nanoparticles as Visible-Light Photocatalysts for Efficient CO2 Conversion and Beyond.” Journal of the American Chemical Society. (Online Journal). http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja200804h
This journal article, written by researchers in the department of chemistry at Clemson, details the ongoing carbon sequestration effort. It introduced the proposed solution of using carbon nanotubes to drive an efficient photocatalytic process. It also talks about different catalysts that can be used to produce this reaction, and the way in which it’ll benefit the atmosphere to use the process commercially.
[7] Y. Izumi. (2012, April 18,). “Recent advances in the photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels with water and/or hydrogen using solar energy and beyond.” Science Direct. (Online Article). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010854512001002
Izumi, a researcher in the department of chemistry at Chiba University, demonstrates the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide and compares the different systems which are used to do so. It concludes that more efficient photocatalysts will be required if we want to make the process economically and ecologically feasible, which will help the paper to prove that more research needs to be done in the field, and why it is most important.
[8] Q. Zhai. (2013, April 22,). “ Photocatalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide with Water into Methane: Platinum and Copper(I) Oxide Co-Catalysts with a Core-Shell Structure.” Wiley Online Library. (Online Journal). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ange.201301473/full

Zhai, a professor at Xiamen University College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, outlines one of the biggest chemistry challenges of present day: the activation of a carbon dioxide molecule. He describes how and why artificial photosynthesis is the most attractive way to convert carbon dioxide into useful fuels, which will ultimately help the argument that further research in this field is necessary.
The photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons for fuel falls into the energy and environmental engineering category of conference topics. There are two primary goals of developing this technology: to provide an alternative fuel source and to remove carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. The former of these is a concern of scientists and engineers interested in green fuel development. The latter is a concern of environmental engineers as they attempt to clean and protect the Earth. We believe that our paper will appeal to environmentallyconscious engineers of any discipline, however this is the best category for our paper to be presented under.