News

Rice Reactor Turns Greenhouse Gas into Pure Liquid Fuel

A common greenhouse gas could be repurposed in an efficient and environmentally friendly way with an electrolyzer that uses renewable electricity to produce pure liquid fuels.

The catalytic reactor developed by the Rice University lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Haotian Wang uses carbon dioxide as its feedstock and, in its latest prototype, produces highly purified and high concentrations of formic acid.

Rice University engineer Haotian Wang adjusts the electrocatalysis reactor built in his lab to recycle carbon dioxide to produce liquid fuel. The reactor is designed to be an efficient and profitable way to reuse the greenhouse gas and keep it out of the atmosphere. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Formic acid produced by traditional carbon dioxide devices needs costly and energy-intensive purification steps, Wang said. The direct production of pure formic acid solutions will help to promote commercial carbon dioxide conversion technologies.

The method is detailed in Nature Energy.

Wang, who joined Rice’s Brown School of Engineering in January, and his group pursue technologies that turn greenhouse gases into useful products. In tests, the new electrocatalyst reached an energy conversion efficiency of about 42%. That means nearly half of the electrical energy can be stored in formic acid as liquid fuel.

“Formic acid is an energy carrier,” Wang said. “It’s a fuel-cell fuel that can generate electricity and emit carbon dioxide — which you can grab and recycle again.

“It’s also fundamental in the chemical engineering industry as a feedstock for other chemicals, and a storage material for hydrogen that can hold nearly 1,000 times the energy of the same volume of hydrogen gas, which is difficult to compress,” he said. “That’s currently a big challenge for hydrogen fuel-cell cars.”

This schematic shows the electrolyzer developed at Rice University to reduce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, to valuable fuels. At left is a catalyst that selects for carbon dioxide and reduces it to a negatively charged formate, which is pulled through a gas diffusion layer (GDL) and the anion exchange membrane (AEM) into the central electrolyte. At the right, an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst generates positive protons from water and sends them through the cation exchange membrane (CEM). The ions recombine into formic acid or other products that are carried out of the system by deionized (DI) water and gas. (Credit: Illustration by Chuan Xia and Demin Liu/Rice University)

Two advances made the new device possible, said lead author and Rice postdoctoral researcher Chuan Xia. The first was his development of a robust, two-dimensional bismuth catalyst and the second a solid-state electrolyte that eliminates the need for salt as part of the reaction.

Rice University postdoctoral researcher Chuan Xia, left, and chemical and biomolecular engineer Haotian Wang. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

“Bismuth is a very heavy atom, compared to transition metals like copper, iron or cobalt,” Wang said. “Its mobility is much lower, particularly under reaction conditions. So that stabilizes the catalyst.” He noted the reactor is structured to keep water from contacting the catalyst, which also helps preserve it.

Xia can make the nanomaterials in bulk. “Currently, people produce catalysts on the milligram or gram scales,” he said. “We developed a way to produce them at the kilogram scale. That will make our process easier to scale up for industry.”

The polymer-based solid electrolyte is coated with sulfonic acid ligands to conduct positive charge or amino functional groups to conduct negative ions. “Usually people reduce carbon dioxide in a traditional liquid electrolyte like salty water,” Wang said. “You want the electricity to be conducted, but pure water electrolyte is too resistant. You need to add salts like sodium chloride or potassium bicarbonate so that ions can move freely in water.

An electrocatalysis reactor built at Rice University recycles carbon dioxide to produce pure liquid fuel solutions using electricity. The scientists behind the invention hope it will become an efficient and profitable way to reuse the greenhouse gas and keep it out of the atmosphere. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

“But when you generate formic acid that way, it mixes with the salts,” he said. “For a majority of applications you have to remove the salts from the end product, which takes a lot of energy and cost. So we employed solid electrolytes that conduct protons and can be made of insoluble polymers or inorganic compounds, eliminating the need for salts.”

The rate at which water flows through the product chamber determines the concentration of the solution. Slow throughput with the current setup produces a solution that is nearly 30% formic acid by weight, while faster flows allow the concentration to be customized. The researchers expect to achieve higher concentrations from next-generation reactors that accept gas flow to bring out pure formic acid vapors.

The Rice lab worked with Brookhaven National Laboratory to view the process in progress. “X-ray absorption spectroscopy, a powerful technique available at the Inner Shell Spectroscopy (ISS) beamline at Brookhaven Lab’s National Synchrotron Light Source II, enables us to probe the electronic structure of electrocatalysts in operando — that is, during the actual chemical process,” said co-author Eli Stavitski, lead beamline scientist at ISS. “In this work, we followed bismuth’s oxidation states at different potentials and were able to identify the catalyst’s active state during carbon dioxide reduction.”

Rice University postdoctoral researcher Chuan Xia, left, and chemical and biomolecular engineer Haotian Wang adjust their electrocatalysis reactor to produce liquid formic acid from carbon dioxide. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

With its current reactor, the lab generated formic acid continuously for 100 hours with negligible degradation of the reactor’s components, including the nanoscale catalysts. Wang suggested the reactor could be easily retooled to produce such higher-value products as acetic acid, ethanol or propanol fuels.

“The big picture is that carbon dioxide reduction is very important for its effect on global warming as well as for green chemical synthesis,” Wang said. “If the electricity comes from renewable sources like the sun or wind, we can create a loop that turns carbon dioxide into something important without emitting more of it.”

Co-authors are Rice graduate student Peng Zhu; graduate student Qiu Jiang and Husam Alshareef, a professor of material science and engineering, at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia (KAUST); postdoctoral researcher Ying Pan of Harvard University; and staff scientist Wentao Liang of Northeastern University. Wang is the William Marsh Rice Trustee Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Xia is a J. Evans Attwell-Welch Postdoctoral Fellow at Rice.

Rice and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facilities supported the research.

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Featured

Fish Art Contest Unveils Guy Harvey Shark Award

Photo Credit: Tina Zhao, Great White Shark / Wildlife Forever.

White Bear Lake, MN (May 2, 2025) – Wildlife Forever is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 Guy Harvey Shark Award, a special award division within the Art of Conservation® Fish Art Contest sponsored by the Guy Harvey Foundation. This award celebrates outstanding student artwork that raises awareness about sharks and their conservation needs.

The 2025 Guy Harvey Shark Award winners are:

K–3rd Grade: Wenhao Xia, MA – Atlantic Shark
4th–6th Grade: Ruiyi Fan, AZ – Hammerhead Shark
7th–9th Grade: Selene Li, NJ – Great White Shark
10th–12th Grade: Tina Zhao, WA – Great White Shark

Watercolor painting of an Atlantic shark breaching from a wave with dramatic splashes, against a bright blue sky. The shark’s open mouth and sharp teeth are visible, capturing a sense of motion and power. — Wenhao Xia – Atlantic Shark

Painting of a hammerhead shark gliding upward through beams of sunlight beneath the ocean surface, surrounded by small fish and framed by textured blue water. — Wenhao Xia – Atlantic Shark

For full resolution winning artworks, please visit: www.theartofconservation.org/shark-award-winners

“Guy Harvey has built his life on using artwork to show the beauty of the undersea world and convey messages of conservation. We are proud to support Wildlife Forever’s Fish Art Contest, which encourages students to be creative and express their appreciation for sharks and our oceans,” said Greg Jacoski, Executive Director, Research and Policy at the Guy Harvey Foundation.

To be eligible for the award, students submitted original artwork of any shark species along with a written piece relevant to their chosen species. Winners receive a signed print from world-renowned marine artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey, valued at up to $200, along with additional recognition.

“At Wildlife Forever, we believe art has the power to connect people to conservation in a personal and lasting way. These students used their creativity to champion sharks and the vital role they play in our oceans, and we are honored to celebrate their incredible work,” said Veronica Mangio, Education and Marketing Manager at Wildlife Forever.

To view all winning entries from the 2024-25 Fish Art Contest, visit www.FishArt.org.

About Wildlife Forever:

Wildlife Forever is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to conserving America’s outdoor heritage through conservation education, habitat restoration, and scientific management of fish and wildlife. With a commitment to maximizing impact, 96% of every dollar donated goes directly to conservation programs. Learn more about the Art of Conservation® Fish Art Contest™, Songbird Art Contest™, Clean Drain Dry Initiative™, Getting Families Fishing & Boating Initiative™, and Prairie City USA® at www.WildlifeForever.org.

About the Guy Harvey Foundation:

With a focused mission to better understand and conserve the ocean environment, the Guy Harvey Foundation (GHF) collaborates with local, national and international organizations to conduct scientific research and provides funding to affiliated researchers who share this objective. The GHF also develops and hosts cutting-edge educational programs that help educators to foster the next era of marine conservationists, ensuring that future generations can enjoy and benefit from a properly balanced ocean ecosystem. For more information, visit www.GuyHarveyFoundation.org.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOcean,
Twitter: www.twitter.com/GuyHarveyOcean, or connect on
Instagram: www.instagram.com/GuyHarveyOcean.

News

U.S. Sidesteps UN on Deep Sea Mining, Sparking Global Alarm

Image credit: © Stephanie Keith / Greenpeace

As publishers connecting the global ocean conservation community, we’ve watched with growing concern as the United States government signals a controversial shift on deep-sea mining. The plan is to support mining operations outside the established United Nations framework – specifically bypassing the International Seabed Authority (ISA). This UN body is responsible for regulating mineral activities in international waters. An executive order signed April 24 directs U.S. agencies to fast-track permits using only national law. For us, and for the many working on the front lines of ocean protection whom we connect with daily, this move raises significant alarm and challenges the collaborative international approach vital for protecting our shared seas.

Why Bypassing Global Oversight Matters

This move leverages the U.S. Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), essentially creating a separate, national pathway for mining permits. It sidesteps the environmental standards and collective decision-making the ISA is painstakingly developing. What makes this particularly jarring is that the U.S. benefits substantially from the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—the very treaty that established the ISA—even though it hasn’t officially signed it. We’ve seen the U.S. use UNCLOS provisions to claim vast seabed territories, making this departure from its spirit even more concerning.

This action feels like it undermines the ISA’s authority when international cooperation is most needed. It follows recent ISA meetings where over 20 nations pushed for stronger environmental rules. Furthermore, the new ISA Secretary-General, Leticia Carvalho, has clearly condemned efforts to bypass the Authority’s governance structure.

Weighing Corporate Interests and Environmental Risks

The immediate focus is on The Metals Company (TMC) and its ambition to mine the resource-rich Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific – an area teeming with unique life far outside U.S. waters. Their apparent willingness to proceed without full ISA approval is a major point of contention. Indeed, during the ISA’s recent 30th Council session, ISA Member States and Secretary-General Carvalho swiftly condemned an earlier announcement from TMC as a blatant attempt to sidestep international law and undermine multilateral governance.

From our vantage point, connecting researchers and conservationists globally, the potential ecological fallout is immense. As Arlo Hemphill of Greenpeace USA aptly put it, “Authorizing deep-sea mining outside international law is like lighting a match in a room full of dynamite… It threatens ecosystems, global cooperation, and U.S. credibility all at once.” While this order speeds up the process, it’s crucial to remember, as Greenpeace notes, that significant resistance is likely, just as previous attempts faced.

A Divided World and a Fractured Consensus?

This unilateral stance feels increasingly out of step with the global mood. We see a growing international coalition – now 32 countries – calling for a moratorium or at least a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining. Alongside these governments, millions of people worldwide have spoken out against this dangerous emerging industry. They rightly cite the risk of irreversible harm to fragile deep-sea ecosystems. These are habitats critical for biodiversity and climate regulation, ecosystems we strive to highlight and explain. The simple truth is, we still know far too little about the potential impacts of large-scale mining in these remote environments.

This U.S. action risks damaging the global consensus on ocean management carefully built over decades. It forces us to ask hard questions about how we manage shared resources fairly and responsibly. We hear constantly from scientists and conservationists working tirelessly, often in isolated conditions, and for them, this disregard for multilateralism can feel like a significant setback.

The Path Forward

The push for deep-sea mining is gaining speed against a backdrop of serious global opposition. We believe this puts the international community at a critical crossroads. Protecting our shared ocean demands robust global cooperation, transparent rules, and decisions grounded in science – principles we know resonate deeply across the network of people dedicated to ocean health. How the world navigates this challenge will profoundly shape the future of ocean stewardship.

News

Living Oceans Foundation Partners with World Technology to Expand Ocean Education

In a powerful alliance for ocean education and advocacy, World Technology has officially welcomed the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation as its newest global content partner. Together, they aim to amplify access to world-class marine science content through the lens of innovation, storytelling, and digital reach.

As a platform dedicated to celebrating human ingenuity in science and technology, World Technology will now host and promote the Foundation’s award-winning educational films, interactive tools, and conservation materials. This strategic partnership brings critical issues like coral reef degradation, overfishing, and climate-driven ocean changes into sharper focus for audiences around the world.

“We are honored to welcome the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation as it works to preserve, protect, and restore the world’s oceans and aquatic resources through research, education, and outreach with science-based solutions,” said Paul J. Foster, Executive Chairman of World Technology.

Established in 2000 under the leadership of HRH Prince Khaled bin Sultan, the Foundation is globally recognized for its groundbreaking coral reef research. Its Global Reef Expedition remains the largest coral reef survey and habitat mapping mission in history.

“At the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, we are committed to advancing ocean literacy and inspiring the next generation of marine stewards,” said Alexandra Dempsey, CEO of the Foundation.

“By partnering with World Technology to share our educational and award-winning films online, we have an incredible opportunity to reach a broader audience and raise awareness about the critical issues facing our coral reefs.”

Two young students concentrate on their schoolwork while sitting at desks in a classroom. — Students participate in an educational program, learning about ocean conservation through classroom activities.

At SEVENSEAS Media, we warmly welcome this collaboration. It’s a great example of what we believe in, connecting groundbreaking ocean science with global education. When expert knowledge becomes accessible to students, educators, and everyday ocean advocates, local conservation efforts gain the global visibility they truly deserve.

Seeing an esteemed foundation like Living Oceans join forces with a platform as innovative as World Technology is exactly the kind of bridge-building the conservation community needs right now. It’s a moment that reaffirms our collective commitment to ocean literacy, equitable access to knowledge, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 4: Quality Education.

🌐 Explore the Foundation’s free Coral Reef Ecology Curriculum and resources: www.lof.org/education/portal

All images provided by the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, used with permission.

About World Technology
World Technology (WT) is a global organization that convenes the worlds of technology, science and
innovation. The World Technology Games is the annual flagship competition celebrating human
ingenuity across Life, Earth, Data and Industrial sciences. Set to debut in 2026, the annual five-day
event will convene scientists, engineers, technologists and innovators from around the world. The
World Technology Summit is staged in key world cities, and focuses on humanity’s greatest
challenges. WT is helmed by an accomplished Leadership team and a Global Advisory Group of
leading experts with a mission to elevate great human ingenuity behind the world’s greatest
advancements of today and tomorrow. Learn more at https://worldtechnology.games

About the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing
science-based solutions to protect and restore ocean health. Our marine conservation initiatives focus
on preserving coral reefs, restoring mangrove forests, and advancing ocean literacy worldwide.
Through science, outreach, and education, we equip people with the knowledge and tools to
safeguard our oceans while inspiring and training the next generation of ocean stewards. Learn more
at www.LivingOceansFoundation.org