AN ENZYME that breaks down alcohol in the liver could be used to recycle
carbon, rather than pumping ever more into the atmosphere, say chemists in
Illinois. They have developed a more efficient way of turning the greenhouse gas
carbon dioxide into methanol using the enzyme.
Invented by Bakul Dave and Robyn Obert of the Southern Illinois University in
Carbondale, the process effectively reverses the chemistry of burning. It
promises to be a highly efficient way to produce methanol, a clean-burning fuel
that can be used to power cars. What’s more, if the energy needed to drive the
process came…
