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SEARCH More than 5,600 stories! A great gift for crisis deniers! Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies 94 color pages $24.99 now $15! Or read FREE online! Twitter Ping this story in social media: del.icio.us Digg Newsvine NowPublic Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon

Posted Tue Apr 28 2009: from New Scientist: How to turn greenhouse gas into a clean fuel http://apocadocs.com/s.pl?1240943857 Converting a greenhouse gas into a clean-burning fuel offers two benefits for the price of one. That's the thinking behind a novel process for converting carbon dioxide into methanol at room temperature.... "Our catalyst isn't toxic, and the reaction happens rapidly at room temperature," says team leader Jackie Ying. The catalyst used by Ying's team is a type of chemical called an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC). The mechanism by which the NHC speeds up the conversion is uncertain, but it appears to change the shape of the CO2 molecule, "activating" it in a way that makes it easier for hydrogen to bond with its carbon atom, says team member Yugen Zhang. [Read more stories about: alternative energy, carbon sinks] New!: No reader quips yet -- be the first! Got a PaniQuip? Your Quip (limit 140 characters, no links, just wit): First name: The text shown in the Web image to the right: We reserve the right to reuse, remove, or refuse any entry.

'Doc Jim says: A converter in every home? That would suck... carbon dioxide. NEXT> More stories: Major gaps in knowledge of swine flu, say scientists Geothermal explosion rocks green energy hopes (How to turn greenhouse gas into a clean fuel) New York City-sized ice collapses off Antarctica Mexico outbreak traced to 'manure lagoons' at pig farm Want to explore more? Try the PaniCloud!

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