--- title: "Solar Powered Machine Turns CO2 and Waste Plastic Into Valuable Fuel" description: "Researchers at The University of Cambridge have reportedly built a solar powered machine that transforms CO2 and plastics into sustainable fuel and more." date: "2023-01-12" modified: "2023-01-12" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/solar-machine-co2-plastic-fuel" categories: - "Energy" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" tags: - "CO2" - "fuel" - "renewable energy" - "solar power" --- # Solar Powered Machine Turns CO2 and Waste Plastic Into Valuable Fuel ![Researchers at The University of Cambridge have reportedly built a solar powered machine that transforms CO2 and plastics into sustainable fuel and more.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In promising news for our humanity-burdened planet, a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge say they've built a machine that transforms both CO2 and plastic waste into sustainable fuel and other valuable materials, using only energy from the Sun to do so. As the researchers detail in a [new study published in the journal *Nature Synthesis*](), their "photoelectrochemical" system is unique not only in its ability to turn Earth-destroying byproducts like CO2 and plastics into useful and sustainable materials, but also its ability to work with multiple materials at once. "Converting waste into something useful using solar energy is a major goal of our research," Professor Erwin Reisner, a scientist at Cambridge's Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry and senior study author, said in a [university press release](). "Plastic pollution is a huge problem worldwide, and often, many of the plastics we throw into recycling bins are incinerated or end up in landfill." "A solar-driven technology that could help to address plastic pollution and greenhouse gases at the same time," added study coauthor and fellow Cambridge chemist Subhajit Bhattacharjee, "could be a game-changer in the development of a circular economy." As for how the machine actually works, it's complex. The reactor, which features two compartments built separately for greenhouse gases and plastic waste, uses a light absorber called perovskite, a "promising alternative to silicon for next-generation solar cells," according to the university. A chemical catalyst — which, importantly, can be altered and tuned depending on machine's output — is embedded into the light absorber. "What's so special about this system is the versatility and tunability — we're making fairly simple carbon-based molecules right now, but in future, we could be able to tune the system to make far more complex products, just by changing the catalyst," Bhattacharjee continued. "Generally, CO2 conversion requires a lot of energy, but with our system, basically you just shine a light at it, and it starts converting harmful products into something useful and sustainable," added coauthor Motiar Rahaman, also a researcher at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. "Prior to this system, we didn't have anything that could make high-value products selectively and efficiently." Excitingly, when testing materials under normal pressures and temperatures, the photoelectrochemical system was able to turn PET plastic bottles and CO2 into several kinds of cabon-based fuels and other sought-after compounds, including synthetic gas — a key component of sustainable liquid fuels — and glycolic acid, a chemical beloved by skincare companies. And that's just what they're able to make now. As noted in the release, over the next five years the researchers hope to figure out how to use the machine to reuse, recycle, and transform more complex particles. And eventually? They think the system could grow to power a fully solar recycling plant. "Developing a circular economy, where we make useful things from waste instead of throwing it into landfill, is vital if we're going to meaningfully address the climate crisis and protect the natural world," said Reisner. "And powering these solutions using the sun means that we're doing it cleanly and sustainably." **More on things that eat CO2:** *[NYC's Greenery Eats Up All the CO2 From Its Cars, Trucks and Buses "And Then Some"]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()