Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU)

     Human activity is highly dependent on fossil fuels and the burning of such emits carbon dioxide (CO₂). Strategies to mitigate CO₂ emissions include energy transition into renewable sources along with Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU). Catalytic processes are being developed for CCU in where CO₂ is converted into valuable products. An attractive and promising strategy to use the captured CO₂ and an inexhaustible energy source as sunlight is the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to produce solar fuels. This green option is inspired by photosynthesis and remains limited by the low activity and selectivity of the current photocatalysts. Thus, this research line is focused on advanced photocatalysts design to be tested in a continuous gas-phase photoreator. Different hybrid composites derived from carbon materials such as graphene are being settled as promising photocatalysts.