Two-step thermochemical cycles for splitting CO2 with Zn/ZnO and FeO/Fe3O4 redox pairs using concentrated solar energy are considered. Renewable production of fuels and chemicals from direct air capture (DAC) of CO 2 is a highly desired goal. It splits carbon dioxide to generate carbon monoxide and oxygen in a three-step process. The second step is the conversion of optical energy into electrical energy by the semiconductor. Abstract. Splitting carbon dioxide using low-cost catalyst materials Date: June 5, 2017 Source: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) Summary: A promising avenue for the future of clean energy … The first step is the capture of solar energy photons by the semiconductor. Thermogravimetric-based kinetic analyses were performed for the reduction of CO2 to CO with Zn and FeO. Imagine if carbon dioxide (CO2) could easily be converted into usable energy. The rupture occurs when the potential energy curves of … Splitting CO2 with Electric Fields: A Computational Investigation Quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-PVTZ level show that CO2 can spontaneously break in the presence of an electric field above 40 V/nm. The energetics of the reaction was further assessed by single-point CCSD(T) calculations, which show that the electric field transforms the reaction from endothermic to exothermic. Here, we report the integration of the DAC of CO 2 with the thermochemical splitting of water to produce CO 2, H 2, O 2, and electricity.The produced CO 2 and H 2 can be converted to value-added chemicals via existing technologies. The device designed by Kubiak and Sathrum to split carbon dioxide utilizes a semiconductor and two thin layers of catalysts. The Carbon Capture and Storage Association estimates the cost of capturing carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning at about US$70-102 per ton. The costliest part is the capture. Every time you breathe or drive a motor vehicle, you would produce a key ingredient for generating fuels.