Can captured carbon dioxide be turned into sugar?

Coca-Cola thinks so – and has teamed up with the University of California, Berkeley to turn this idea into a reality.

The researchers are looking to produce sugar from the greenhouse gas at an industrial scale, providing another solution to cutting carbon emissions and reducing the consumption rate of sugarcanes.

More than a quarter of Coca-Cola’s carbon footprint in the European and Pacific regions is made up of agricultural ingredients including sugar – and the company is looking at using this new technology to reduce this.

The researchers are also hopeful that the same technology to turn carbon into sugar can be used in the future to turn the gas into the plastic needed for packaging.

Craig Twyford from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners said: “We’re excited to be involved in this project that could lead the industry in the development of transformational technology capable of converting carbon dioxide into more complex, usable goods.”

Professor Peidong Yang at the University of California, Berkeley, added: “Air to sugar conversion could significantly impact our ability to preserve the natural world.

“This is a bold scientific vision that would bring immediate environmental benefits, fundamentally transforming the production and distribution of goods across the world.”