South Korea: Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) have developed a catalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into ethanol with high selectivity, opening a possible route for producing the fuel from captured CO2 using electricity.
The research team, led by Professor Hyoyoung Lee of SKKU’s Department of Chemistry, focused on improving the production of ethanol from CO2 while reducing the formation of unwanted products, Ethanol Producer Magazine reported.
Ethanol is widely used as a renewable fuel as well as a solvent, disinfectant and industrial raw material. However, existing CO2 conversion systems can produce several products at the same time, making it difficult and energy-intensive to separate and purify ethanol.
To improve ethanol production, the SKKU team developed a catalyst using copper and zinc atoms positioned next to each other on a carbon support.
The researchers found that the two metals play different roles in the process. Zinc helps prepare important reaction intermediates, while copper supports the formation of the carbon-carbon bonds required to produce ethanol.
This arrangement helps direct the conversion process towards ethanol while limiting the formation of other competing products.
69% ethanol Faradaic efficiency
The catalyst achieved a 69% ethanol Faradaic efficiency in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) system. The results demonstrated high selectivity towards ethanol along with promising stability during operation.
The researchers said the study provides a new approach to catalyst design by controlling chemical reactions at the atomic level.
Further improvements in current density, energy efficiency, product concentration and long-term operation would be required to support the future use of the process for converting captured CO2 into liquid fuels and chemical raw materials.
The study, titled “Atomic-scale Cu–Zn synergy directs asymmetric C–C coupling for ethanol-selective CO2 electroreduction,” was published in Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, which has an impact factor of 19.7.
The research article was published online on June 29, 2026.
