Oxygen on Mars: Breakthrough technology turns carbon emissions into oxygen

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) pollution drives climate change, warming the planet and threatening human survival. Plants naturally turn CO₂ into oxygen (O₂) during photosynthesis, but their efficiency is surprisingly low. Now, a new approach inspired by this natural process can efficiently transform CO₂ directly into oxygen, offering a real solution for climate change and space exploration.

Researchers from Nanjing University recently developed an advanced electrochemical method that splits CO₂ into elemental carbon and pure oxygen. This breakthrough, described in the journal Angewandte Chemie, works efficiently even in extreme environments, including underwater or the vacuum of space, without requiring special temperature or pressure conditions.

Plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and sugar through photosynthesis. But their method has limitations. The oxygen plants produce doesn't directly come from CO₂ but from water molecules instead. So, despite plants’ vital role, true direct splitting of CO₂ doesn't happen naturally.

To overcome these limits, a research team designed an innovative electrochemical device inspired by nature’s use of mediators—atoms or molecules that assist chemical reactions. Instead of using hydrogen atoms like plants do, this method uses lithium as the key mediator.

The device consists of two essential parts: a gas cathode with tiny cobalt-based catalysts and a metallic lithium anode. When carbon dioxide gas enters, lithium first transforms it into lithium carbonate. This lithium carbonate then converts further, forming lithium oxide and pure carbon.

In the next crucial step, lithium oxide undergoes an electrochemical reaction, releasing oxygen gas. The reaction happens at room temperature, using renewable electricity. Unlike plants, this system directly extracts oxygen from CO₂, achieving far greater efficiency.

This new electrochemical approach dramatically outperforms natural photosynthesis. Using cobalt-based catalysts alone, the method achieves an oxygen yield of about 94.7%. But by switching to a specially optimized ruthenium-cobalt catalyst, efficiency leaps even higher, delivering an impressive oxygen yield of 98.6%. This means almost all CO₂ introduced is effectively converted into pure oxygen, far surpassing the natural world.

The research team also tested their device using mixed gases containing various levels of CO₂, such as simulated industrial exhaust and even artificial Mars air. On Mars, where the thin atmosphere consists mostly of carbon dioxide under extremely low pressure, the method successfully produced oxygen. This demonstrates the method’s versatility and potential for real-world applications.

This electrochemical breakthrough opens exciting opportunities for applications both on Earth and in space exploration. Since the system efficiently turns CO₂ into breathable oxygen without special conditions, it offers potential solutions for astronauts on Mars, submarines underwater, or even emergency breathing masks.

“If the required power comes from renewable energy, this method paves the way toward carbon neutrality,” the research team explained. By integrating this device into industrial systems, factories could significantly reduce emissions, turning harmful waste gas into useful oxygen and solid carbon products. It could even become a valuable tool in air purification systems, removing carbon dioxide from indoor air in crowded buildings or enclosed spaces like aircraft cabins.

Moreover, the generated solid carbon can be reused or stored safely, further aiding environmental sustainability. This dual advantage—oxygen production and carbon storage—creates strong incentives for industrial adoption, supporting global efforts to reach climate goals.

By offering a practical, scalable, and efficient method to turn CO₂ into oxygen, scientists have taken a significant step forward. Humanity may soon have powerful new tools to fight climate change and enhance survival in challenging environments, from deep oceans to distant planets.

In the words of the researchers, this innovative technique provides “a practical, controllable method for the production of O₂ from CO₂ with broad application potential—from the exploration of Mars and oxygen supply for spacesuits to underwater life support, breathing masks, indoor air purification, and industrial waste treatment.”

With continued development, this remarkable approach could transform harmful emissions into breathable air, reshaping the future for humanity both on Earth and among the stars.

Photosynthesis, one of Earth's most fundamental biological processes, evolved over three billion years ago and dramatically reshaped the planet's atmosphere and life forms. Initially, photosynthesis emerged among ancient bacteria, notably cyanobacteria, through a process that allowed them to convert sunlight into chemical energy.

Early cyanobacteria performed oxygenic photosynthesis, producing oxygen as a byproduct. This oxygen gradually accumulated in the atmosphere, transforming Earth's environment and paving the way for aerobic life.

The evolution of photosynthesis involved significant genetic innovations. Chloroplasts, the specialized organelles responsible for photosynthesis in plants, arose through an event known as endosymbiosis.

In this process, ancestral eukaryotic cells engulfed cyanobacteria-like organisms, forming a symbiotic relationship where the engulfed organisms provided energy in exchange for shelter. Over evolutionary time, these symbionts became permanent parts of plant cells, losing their independent nature and evolving into modern chloroplasts.

In plants today, photosynthesis occurs primarily in leaf cells containing chloroplasts. Chloroplasts harbor the green pigment chlorophyll, essential for capturing sunlight. Photosynthesis is divided into two main stages: the light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle (light-independent reactions).

During the light-dependent reactions, chlorophyll molecules absorb photons of sunlight, energizing electrons to higher energy states. These high-energy electrons travel through a series of proteins embedded in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts, known as the electron transport chain.

This process generates ATP and NADPH, energy-rich molecules essential for the next stage. Water molecules are split (photolysis) to replenish lost electrons, releasing oxygen as a byproduct.

The second stage, known as the Calvin cycle, takes place in the chloroplast stroma, the fluid surrounding the thylakoid membranes. During this stage, ATP and NADPH produced during the light-dependent reactions are utilized to convert carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere into glucose.

This cycle involves a critical enzyme called RuBisCO, which catalyzes the fixation of carbon dioxide onto ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP), eventually leading to the production of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P), a precursor to glucose and other carbohydrates.

The evolution of photosynthesis significantly altered life on Earth, enabling complex ecosystems and a rich biodiversity. Today, it continues to sustain life, directly or indirectly supporting nearly all living organisms by providing oxygen and organic molecules critical for survival.

Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News.

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