Carbon-neutral liquid fuel from sunlight, air, and water

We propose a system that produces carbon-neutral liquid fuel using only sunlight, air, and water.  Our proposed system involves electrochemical capture and separation of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and generation of hydrogen gas via the electrolysis of water using photovoltaic-generated electricity.  The hydrogen is used to catalytically hydrogenate the captured carbon dioxide to generate methanol or other liquid fuels using well-established methods.  We will discuss our experimental progress toward energy-efficient electrochemical CO2 separation from the atmosphere.