Our historical reliance on fossil fuels has resulted in high greenhouse gas emissions – primarily carbon dioxide – leading to climate change and a range of associated issues. Carbon capture and sequestration has therefore attracted intense interest in recent years, as a means of removing this excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, carbon dioxide currently has low economic value, so in order for this process to become economically viable, new techniques are required to add value to the captured carbon. This is what Dr Fengwang Li’s research focuses on.

“My work uses electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro to transform waste carbon dioxide, together with water, into economically valuable chemicals and fuels that can replace fossil fuels.

“One example is ethylene, used to produce plastics for applications from medical devices to synthetic fabrics and the basis of a US$200B global industry. Another is ethanol, a clean alternative engine fuel and fuel additive. Substituting these renewable chemicals and fuels for their current fossil-fuel–based equivalents would lead to a net reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.