Reviving CO2 Recycling with a Forgotten Equation.

Scientists at Cornell University have revived a 120-year-old electrochemical equation, the Cottrell equation, to help understand the reactions that carbon dioxide can take when electrochemistry is applied. The equation can help researchers identify and control experimental parameters to convert CO2 into useful carbon products like ethylene, ethane or ethanol. The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide presents an opportunity to transform the gas from an environmental liability to a feedstock for chemical products or as a medium to store renewable electricity in the form of chemical bonds.