Sandia National Laboratories is building a device that can “reenergize” carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide which can then be converted to hydrogen. The hydrogen formed will be the primary element in creating a liquid combustible fuel like gasoline, diesel and even jet fuel. And all this using just concentrated solar power. How about that! The protoype already exists and is called Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator or CR5 (in short).

“The Sandia researchers came up with the idea to use the CR5 to break down carbon dioxide, just as it would water. Over the past year they have shown proof of concept and are completing a prototype device that will use concentrated solar energy to reenergize carbon dioxide or water, the products of combustion. This will form carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and oxygen, which ultimately could be used to synthesize liquid fuels in an integrated S2P system.”

[source: sandia.gov]