In the race toward carbon neutrality, innovation is everything—and a research team in Japan may have just taken a major leap forward. Scientists from Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, and AZUL Energy have developed a rapid, cost-effective method to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide (CO)—a crucial building block for synthetic fuels.

This method dramatically reduces processing time from 24 hours to just 15 minutes, signaling a potential game-changer for carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies.

CO₂ is the main driver of climate change, and scientists have long been looking for ways to transform it into valuable chemicals. One promising product is carbon monoxide, a “key precursor” in the production of synthetic fuels like syngas and producer gas, which can be refined into cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.

But traditional CO₂-to-CO conversion techniques are slow, expensive, and inefficient—taking up to a full day and requiring costly materials and multiple complex steps like binder mixing, drying, and heat treatments.

“We wanted to address the major pitfalls of current techniques—cost, instability, poor selectivity, and long processing times,” said Dr. Liu Tengyi of Tohoku University’s WPI-AIMR in a press release.

To solve these challenges, the research team turned to phthalocyanines (Pcs)—inexpensive organic pigments commonly used in dyes and paints. They tested both metal-free and metal-containing versions (including iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper), applying the catalysts directly onto gas diffusion electrodes through a spray method that’s as simple as “graffiti.”

The standout performer? Cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc).

By spraying the CoPc onto electrodes, they were able to form direct crystalline layers that drastically improved the efficiency of the CO₂ conversion process—slashing preparation time down to just 15 minutes.

“This graffiti-like method reduces the typical processing time down to a mere 15 minutes,” the press release stated.

Beyond speed, the new method offers serious industrial-grade performance. It sustained stable conversion for 144 hours straight under a current density of 150 mA/cm²—surpassing industry benchmarks for both reaction rate and durability.

Advanced analysis revealed why: the dense crystalline structure created by the sprayed phthalocyanines enabled fast electron flow, a critical factor in the efficient transformation of CO₂ to CO.

“Not only is this the best Pc-based catalyst for producing CO to date, but it successfully exceeds the industrial standard thresholds for its reaction rate and stability,” said Liu. “It’s the first ever to make the cut.”

This innovation represents a major step toward scalable carbon recycling technologies, and positions the technique as a frontrunner in next-generation CCU solutions.

As the global demand for cleaner energy sources accelerates, breakthroughs like this could help turn carbon emissions into fuel, quite literally—bringing us closer to a circular carbon economy where waste becomes resource.

And with simple, scalable methods like this spray-on catalyst, the future of carbon-neutral fuel may be just a spritz away.

By Impact Lab