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Scientists at Stanford University have discovered a highly efficient way to produce liquid ethanol from carbon monoxide gas. According to scientists, the discovery could provide an eco-friendly alternative to conventional ethanol production from corn and other crops. 

"We have discovered the first metal catalyst that can produce appreciable amounts of ethanol from carbon monoxide at room temperature and pressure - a notoriously difficult electrochemical reaction," said Matthew Kanan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Stanford and coauthor of the study in a press release. 

Presently, most of the ethanol produced are through high-temperature fermentation facilities that chemically convert corn, sugarcane and other plants into liquid fuel. In US, it takes more than 800 gallons of water to grow a bushel of corn yielding 3 gallons of ethanol. 

"Our study demonstrates the feasibility of making ethanol by electrocatalysis," Kanan said. "But we have a lot more work to do to make a device that is practical."

Two years ago, lead researchers of the study created a novel electrode made of material called oxide-derived copper. As the metallic electrode was produced from copper oxide, they termed it "oxide-derived". 

"Conventional copper electrodes consist of individual nanoparticles that just sit on top of each other," Kanan said. "Oxide-derived copper, on the other hand, is made of copper nanocrystals that are all linked together in a continuous network with well-defined grain boundaries. The process of transforming copper oxide into metallic copper creates the network of nanocrystals."

"Technology already exists for converting CO2 to carbon monoxide, but the missing piece was the efficient conversion of carbon monoxide to a useful fuel that's liquid, easy to store and nontoxic," Kanan added in the press release. "Prior to our study, there was a sense that no catalyst could efficiently reduce carbon monoxide to a liquid. We have a solution to this problem that's made of copper, which is cheap and abundant. We hope our results inspire other people to work on our system or develop a new catalyst that converts carbon monoxide to fuel."

The results of the study have appeared in the online edition of the journal Nature.